Terms of Reference – Legal Adviser / National Lawyer (Investigating war crimes)

Location: Ukraine, Kyiv

Working Closely with: Ukraine team

Length of the consultancy: 6 months (with possible extension)

Part time/ full time: Full time

Global Rights Compliance (GRC) is an international legal foundation focused on bringing perpetrators to justice for atrocity crimes. We have a presence in the Hague, London, Washington, and Ukraine.

GRC works in Ukraine in support of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) through several GRC Mobile Justice Teams (MJTs), a component of the UK, EU, and US’ Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, that assist the OPG by providing crime scene evidence collection and analysis and real-time advice on investigations and case building. Our headquarters for this project are in Kyiv, Ukraine. GRC’s MJTs operate throughout Ukraine in areas of interest to the OPG.

OBJECTIVES

GRC possesses unrivaled expertise and granular knowledge of the OPG, its working methodology, and ongoing investigations and prosecutions within the context of the ongoing aggression by the Russian Federation. GRC is the only international organization consisting of ICL specialists that have been consistently present in Ukraine since 2015, working with the OPG, law enforcement agencies, and CSOs to document international crimes and bring about criminal accountability.

Our Ukraine team has, over time, acquired an intimate knowledge of the conflict operating environment, and built trust-based relationships with all criminal justice system actors, relevant governmental bodies, CSOs, and international partners. Our blend of technical expertise, knowledge of the Ukraine context/conflict, and language proficiency is unrivaled and is without doubt our unique selling point.

The identified Legal Adviser will assist in building the capacity of Ukrainian legal professionals, mainly investigators and prosecutors, to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The post will be based in Ukraine.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

● Legal and factual research

● Collection of information for investigative purposes

● Assistance in drafting project deliverables

● Facilitation during the meetings and other interactions with the relevant stakeholders, including interpretation as needed

● Facilitation during crime scenes visits, if required

● Other assistance to senior lawyers and senior investigator

ATTRIBUTES AND EXPERIENCE

Mandatory

● 2 or more years of relevant legal experience

● Practical experience working with Ukrainian justice actors

● ICL / IHL experience (in a practical application – solely academic study/work will be ineligible)

● Flexible and creative; able to work in an unstructured, changeable & fast-moving environment, proactive, anticipating problems, and solutions orientated.

● Not requiring detailed guidance to get started; can be given a ‘desired outcome’ and figure out the action areas required to reach it

● Practical thinker, able to break down and pursue the elements required to operationalize a strategy

● Administratively competent; able to manage to compete for urgent demands.

● Fluency in English and Ukrainian

● Practical experience in working with highly sensitive material and an ability to demonstrate the requisite skill in storing, sharing, and working with such material.

Desirable

● Experience working in a post-Soviet country/system

● Fluency or competency in Ukrainian

● Experience in investigations, (including supervision of investigations), or prosecutions

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your English CV and cover letter to [email protected] by the 16th of July indicating the position you are applying for in the email subject. Note that, as this is an urgent recruitment, we shall be shortlisting and interviewing applicants on a rolling basis and the vacancy may close earlier than the closing date. Please be advised that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.