Senior Legal Manager

Background/IRC Summary: Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (www.theIRC.org) is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC is currently working in over 25 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and life saving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies. The IRC has been working in Lebanon since 2012 to provide support to refugees and vulnerable host community members in the areas of women’s protection, children’s protection and cash assistance.

The IRC's Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL) Team works to safeguard the human rights and wellbeing of those affected by several years of conflict and displacement in Iraq. Newly displaced Iraqis, as well as those who were formerly displaced, often lack access to critical documentation, basic social services and key information about their civil rights.   

The IRC's PRoL project is focused on increasing the safety and legal protections of Iraqis who are currently or formerly displaced, as well as those returning to their area of origin. With protection and legal needs at the forefront of the crisis in Iraq, the IRC's team is a leader in ensuring that vulnerable communities are receiving access to information and services, legal assistance, awareness raising and community-based protection assistance.

Job Overview/Summary: Under the direction of the PRoL Coordinator, the Senior Legal Manager (SLM) will be responsible to oversee  quality implementation of rule of law programming in the 4 Governorates of Iraq as well as identifying the needs and supporting capacity building activities for the staff and participating in governorate level Legal Working Group meetings throughout Iraq. The SPM will mainly oversee the legal activities including legal counselling, case management and awareness; referral systems; data collection and reporting. He/she will also lead on the identification, analysis and succinct reporting of legal trends and issues of concern to feed into protection sector strategy development, IRC programming, as well as relevant humanitarian coordination fora, such as the Protection and Legal Working Groups. The SPM will also contribute to the continued development of the legal sector, and will contribute to drafting funding proposals and budgets, under the guidance of the PRoL Coordinator and in close collaboration with Senior Protection Manager and other technical sector leads. 
Reporting to the PRoL Coordinator, the Senior Legal Manager will be based in Erbil and provide technical roving assistance to other field offices. The SPM will technically oversee 3 or 4 Protection and Rule of Law Managers responsible for the day-to-day management of the program, and other staff depending on project development. The Senior Legal Manager will work extensively with the Senior Protection Manager to ensure that protection principles are being incorporated into the emergency programs, and ensure a high quality and ethical legal service delivery.

Responsibilities: 
Grant Planning & Project Implementation

• Lead the overall implementation of the rule of law program in 3 or 4 governorates and provide guidance to the PRoL Managers and staff to ensure that stated goals and objectives are met, that the project is appropriately monitored and evaluated, and that project reports are written and submitted in a timely manner.

• In coordination with the PRoL managers, prepare program work plans that meet the program objectives and prepare appropriate operational guidelines for project staff.

• Regularly update the grants metric. 

• Provide significant inputs into donor reports in a timely manner, including up-to-date data for indicators.  

• Ensure that project activities are implemented within the approved budget parameters, contribute to managing all financial aspects of the protection programs (budget follow-up, spending plans, cash forecasts, etc) and flag any irregularities with the PRoL Coordinator, approve relevant expenses and review expenditures, in consultation with the Finance Team and the PRoL Coordinator to ensure that project activities are implemented within the assigned budget parameters.

• Participate in strategic meetings for proposal development, grants opening and grants review meetings and support the PRoL Coordinator in establishment/update of overall protection strategy.

• Ensure IRC and donor reports as finalized per set schedules (monthly, quarterly and annually) and indicators and achievements are followed-up and reported upon, according to the work plan.

• Work closely and coordinates with IRC logistics, finance and grant staff to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures; including active participation in grant opening/closing and review meetings

Technical Quality/Programme Management

• Provide technical guidance to field teams on all legal activities, including legal counselling, case management and awareness raising and monitor quality of work to ensure alliance with best practice service delivery 

• Oversee accurate information and case management of the legal program, ensuring lawyers store their files securely, and maintain their casefiles in the case management system in an accurate and timely manner, carry out quality control and advise on corrective measures if applicable. 

• Provide technical guidance and capacity building to lawyers to ensure ethical programming through adherence to IRC ethical guidelines, the Legal Assistance SOPs and Detention SOPs, observing client confidentiality guidelines and the lawyers’ compliance with IRC financial procedures.

• Lead on advocacy strategies with justice actors to ensure continued acceptance of legal programming and observance of legal rights and standards

• Facilitate regular contact with security focal points and monitor events affecting representation of such clients

• Oversee budget management, ensuring spending is in line with spending plans and donor requirements. 

• Ensure legal assistance is subject to required M&E procedures 

• Develop quality systems and tools for legal assistance to ensure the effective collection and analysis of qualitative data relating to the protection environment, including on physical safety and security, freedom of movement, eviction, detention, documentation issues, access to services, etc. 

• Oversee the smooth implementation of mobile legal assistance, following appropriate data security protocol, and provide quality oversight of the legal service delivery.

• Strengthen the capacities of national staff in the governorates of operation, specifically on legal assistance reports, and, with the support of the PRoL Coordination, ensure all monitoring and reporting tools are harmonized.

• Provide technical guidance to staff and partners, on confidential and safe data collection in line with internationally recognized best practices IRC data protection protocol. 

• In coordination with the PRoL Coordinator, maintain effective and safe referral pathways for legal and protection concerns and other vulnerable cases between the PRoL programme, other internal IRC programmes and external partners, and ensure development and maintenance of SOPs for referrals.

• Assist the PRoL Coordinator in the development of legal procedures and policies to improve legal programming and ensure compliance with ethical best practice.

• Support the PRoL Coordinator in the development and delivery of appropriate trainings for IRC staff and partners on basic protection and legal issues, humanitarian principles, human rights concerns, protection mainstreaming, relevant legal framework and protection, and ensure that protection trainings for IRC Protection and other sector’s staff, as well as external actors are of high quality. 

• Support the PRoL Managers in the development and implementation of a context-appropriate, scalable community-based protection and legal approachs to foster self-protection capacities and engagement of conflict affected populations in camp and non-camp settings.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Overall responsibility for legal staff management including: development/revision of job descriptions, review of work plans and/or performance management plans, vacation schedules, timesheets, probation reviews, annual performance reviews and staff professional development activities. 

• Technically supervises PRoL Managers, and provides quality oversight to and mentoring of the legal teams in the field, with a strong focus on building the capacity of national staff to take on management responsibilities.

• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback.

• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being, coordinate with respective Field Coordinators to manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.

• In close cooperation with the PRoL Coordinator and the Senior Protection Manager, participate in preparing basic protection training package for new IRC staff

• Coordinate with the HR department to undertake induction/ orientation for New PRoL staff

Reporting and Advocacy

• Analyse legal data to produce succinct, analytical monthly legal reports to be shared with both external and internal stakeholders, highlighting key protection and legal trends and concerns. 

• In collaboration with the PRoL Coordinator, advise on protection and legal trends to inform country-wide and regional advocacy. 

• Support PRoL Coordinator in writing fact sheets, briefs and recommendations for Senior Management to circulate to UN agencies and other stakeholders. 

• Use data analysis to put together effective advocacy initiatives with national staff, with the aim of improving the protection environment in areas of operations. 

• Strengthen the capacity of the PRoL team on advocacy.

• Use legal and protection information and survey findings to propose new areas of work for the IRC, and support in proposal development.

• Coordination & Representation

• Develop and maintains effective coordination and long-term relationships with UNHCR and other external stakeholders, representing IRC positions, promoting long-term strategy and resolving problems/conflicts.

• Actively contribute and participate in the National Protection Cluster’s Protection Working Groups, and provide inputs to the PRoL Coordinator for meetings held at the national level.

• Negotiate and maintain appropriate information sharing protocols within IRC programs and with external actors.

Other
Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of the team; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs
Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs
 

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: PRoL Coordinator
Position directly supervises: Technically supervises PRoL Managers
Indirect Reporting: Field Coordinators, Deputy Director of Programs, Deputy Director of Operations, Country Director
 

Other Internal and/or external contacts: 
Internal: Country Director; Country Program Sector Coordinators (WPE, CYPD, ERD); Field Coordinators; Advocacy Advisor; Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator; Grants Coordinator, Senior Protection Manager
External: Donor protection officers; Protection and Legal Working Group; Protection colleagues at peer agencies, NPC
 

Requirements: 

• University Degree in law 

• 5 years professional experience in practicing law or implementing legal programming and Management , experience in emergencies preferred

• Strong background and knowledge of displaced communities/context, and providing assistance to vulnerable communities in Iraq

• Strong knowledge of professional legal ethics and legal best practice service delivery

• Experience with qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting

• Proven experience in setting-up and following up on referral systems

• Previous experience leading diverse teams and with remote management

• Strong program/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills

• Demonstrated experience in training/capacity building of national  staff

• Excellent drafting and oral communication skills in English

• Knowledge of Arabic preferred

• Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Strong management and organizational skills.

• Strong interpersonal communication skills, and ability to build and maintain strong relationships.

• Ability to determine priorities and great attention to detail.

• Patient, flexible and able to handle pressure well, team spirited and willing to learn.

• Good computer skills including, at minimum, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Working Environment: 
The position will be based in Erbil and cover protection work in 3-4 governorates. This position will require travel in South-Central Iraq and Erbil. Shared housing will also be provided for this position in Erbil. 

Working Environment, Security and Travel: This position is an unaccompanied post based in Ramadi, Anbar Iraq with frequent travel to Kirkuk and occasional travel to Erbil, Iraq and must comply with all IRC security policies and procedures applicable to international staff. The overall security situation in Anbar and Kirkuk is currently fairly stable but subject to change at any time.
 

Standards of Professional Conduct:  
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
 

Gender Equality:
IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including maternity leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
 

Attention Returning National Candidates:
IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.