IFES is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization. As the global leader in democracy promotion, IFES advances good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials; empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries, from developing democracies to mature democracies.

Since 1994, IFES has played a significant role in promoting electoral, administrative and legal reform in Ukraine. In cooperation with partners in Ukrainian civil society and the Central Election Commission (CEC), IFES is working to foster dialogue on electoral reform, build the capacity of local NGOs, institutionalize best practices in training election officials and ensure more equal representation in the electoral process for disadvantaged populations, especially women, representatives of national minorities and persons with disabilities.

IFES is seeking applications to fill in the position of Legal Assistant.

The Legal Assistant will conduct research on electoral matters and referendum issues, analyze legislation and regulations, best world practices and standards, draft papers, assist with other legal activities under the supervision of the Senior Legal Officer.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contributing to IFES analyses and reports, including informational emails, election bulletins, operational reports, publication materials, donor reporting and other reports;
• Analyzing legislation and regulations, developing papers on legal matters;
• Providing analysis of news-events connected to Ukraine’s electoral processes;
• Doing research on best practices and international standards on elections and referendum matters;
• Performing research and analysis for the preparation of legal opinions, expert comments on legal matters;
• Compiling and organizing legal information and legal reference materials from various sources for legal reports, work plans, studies, briefings, meetings/conferences, etc.;
• Maintaining Advisory team’s contact database;
• Collecting data and information for research from online and literature sources;
• Assisting in the preparation of materials and logistics for trainings, conferences, workshops and meetings;
• Translating written documents and assisting in verbal interpretation (English-Ukrainian-Russian) upon necessity;
• Assisting with maintaining correspondence with partners;
• Developing and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders and partners;
• Other duties as assigned.

SKILLS AND SPECIFICATIONS

• The ability to remain organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines;
• Ability to complete tasks with supervision;
• Excellent communication skills in order to be able to cooperate with IFES program and administrative staff to identify and resolve issues;
• Willingness to adhere to all principles of confidentiality;
• Must value operating in a collaborative and cooperative environment;

• Ability to show initiative, good judgment, and resourcefulness.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field required;
• Legal experience preferred.
• Knowledge of political and electoral issues preferred;
• Working level proficiency in Word, Excel and Outlook.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluency in written and spoken English, Ukrainian, and Russian languages required.

TRAVEL: Travel may be required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: Standard office work environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. 

All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment/promotions and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.  IFES encourages people with disabilities and individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and a Letter of Interest, with “Legal Assistant” in the subject line, to Valeriia Zhyman [email protected] copying Maksym Palamarchuk at [email protected] no later than June 2, 2021, 23:59 Kyiv time. We will consider candidates on a rolling basis.