The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009.  With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia and Djibouti, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Legal officer, under the supervision of Protection Team leader will undertake protection and legal activities within the project framework. The legal officer will be engaged in the provision of legal aid service including legal information dissemination, counselling, assistance, and facilitation of representation to the target population. In addition, the officer will take on any additional protection activity as required by the Protection Team Leader to meet the project objective.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Programming & Operations 

• Develop a work plan for the implementation of activities focusing on Legal service provision within the framework of the project;
• Carry out activities focusing on legal support according to work plan and allocated budget in accordance with international and national laws and regulations;
• Conduct rapid assessment to identify the legal service need and concern of the target population and frame response according to the identified need;
• Conduct information dissemination on the legal rights and procedures with a focus on issues affecting the target population through the mobile protection desk and community outreach;
• Provide guidance to the mobile protection desks on framing key legal information to be shared through the desk;
• Provide legal counselling to the target community through the mobile protection desk;
• Develop and disseminate IEC materials with key messages on legal rights and procedures and available legal and protection services to the target population;
• Facilitate and advocate access to legal documentation for the target community in collaboration with relevant government authorities and humanitarian agencies;
• Facilitate access to Legal aid service in partnership with universities to individuals needing legal representation;
• Implement standardized legal case management procedure;
• Organize capacity building training to government stakeholders and community-based structures on relevant international refugee laws and national laws and procedures;
• Engage with DRC finance, administration, and supply chain team as needed to facilitate implementation of project activity;
• Perform other relevant duties, as needed or requested by Protection Team Leader.

Reporting 

• Prepare and submit progress reports of activities to protection team leader;
• Keep up to date record of legal cases and provide update as needed.

Coordination 

• Liaise and build partnership with community leaders, local authorities, humanitarian organizations operating in the area and other relevant actors to achieve project objective;
• Establish working partnership with University law faculty – legal aid service;
• Collaborate with DRC area office, country protection program, and other DRC sectorial programs towards integrated programming;

Requirements

Experience and Technical Competencies: (include years of experience)

• Minimum 2 years work experience in the legal sector, preferably in a humanitarian context;
• Prior Experience working with persons of concern including refugees, internally displaced and/ or returnees;
• Experience and familiarity with Ethiopia’s judicial system;
• Familiarity with international laws focusing on IDP and refugee rights;
• Understanding of protection principles and protection minimum standards;
• High level of personal initiative, analytical and problem-solving skill;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop and maintain working relationships across the organization.
• Commitment to learning and implementing organizational policies and procedures
• Good proficiency in Microsoft Office package.

Education (include certificates, licenses etc.):

• University degree in Law/ LL. B

Languages: (indicate fluency level)

• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in Somali language desirable