Programme Manager – Rohingya crisis

Background

LAW is an independent, non-profit organisation comprised of human rights lawyers and jurists working in fragile and conflict-affected areas across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. LAW’s innovative legal projects seek to address the rights and needs of those who need it most, with a particular focus on four key themes: Gender Equality and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence; Accountability and the Rule of Law; Transformative Justice; and Natural Resource exploitation and Displacement. LAW’s ground-breaking work has received international media coverage, including in Reuters, the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, France24, Voice of America, Huffington Post and Foreign Policy.
LAW seeks a dynamic and dedicated individual with a legal background and experience implementing projects in humanitarian contexts to manage its Rohingya Crisis programme. The position is based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and oversees a small, enthusiastic team working closely with the Rohingya population. The Rohingya Crisis Programme Manager will work closely with LAW’s Executive Director (Amman) and Director of Operations (Geneva) and legal advisor (London), to implement multiple pioneering legal projects and engage with senior lawyers involved in ongoing international justice processes.

LAW’s Rohingya Crisis Programme

LAW’s ground-breaking Rohingya Crisis programme seeks to ensure meaningful Rohingya participation in the ongoing international justice processes pertaining to their treatment in Myanmar, including: the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar); the ongoing investigation by the Officer of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the work of the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM). Additionally, LAW undertakes innovative strategic litigation on behalf of more than 500 Rohingya clients, and ensures Rohingya voices are prioritised throughout its advocacy.
Addressing the brutal sexual violence perpetrated by the Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw) during the 2016 and 2017 ‘clearance operations’ which led to the displacement of more than 800,000 Rohingya from northern Rakhine state, Myanmar, into neighbouring Bangladesh, is a central area of focus within LAW’s Rohingya Crisis response. In addition to empowering Shanti Mohila (Peace Women), a group of Rohingya women and girls displaced in 2017, LAW works closely with male and Hijra (third gender, transgender, intersex) survivors of sexual and gender-based violence to ensure their access to justice.
Highlights of LAW’s work with the Rohingya include: supporting three Rohingya survivors in travelling to The Hague, for hearings on provisional measures in the ICJ case – their presence in the courtroom was explicitly highlighted by The Gambia’s agent, then Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou during his opening submissions; filing three victim submissions with the ICC on behalf of Rohingya clients; filing the first Rohingya submission to the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission.

Position Description

Reports to
LAW Executive Director

Location
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Hours
Full-time, 40 hours per week

Duration
12 months – extension subject to funding

Direct reports
5 persons

The Rohingya Crisis Programme Manager will manage projects grants and engagement with donors and regional and local partners, ensuring the overall programme runs. The Programme Manager will oversee LAW’s presence in Bangladesh and manage the Cox’s Bazar-based team.

This is a project funded position for which a full and attractive package commensurate within the nature of the position will be offered including allowances, R&R (rest and recuperation), 25 days annual leave per annum, public holidays, flight cost at the start / end of the contact plus private medical insurance. The contract will be renewable on the basis of performance and availability of funds.

The post holder will perform duties in accordance with the responsibilities outlined below:

Leadership and Programme Management

  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with key actors including governments, partners, community
    groups, INGO’s and the UN;
  • Ensure project implementation in accordance with proposals, budgets, LAW policies, procedures and donor
    regulations;
  • Lead and coordinate research, legal advocacy efforts and identify strategic cases and other legal interventions;
  • Ensure that all donor deadlines for reporting and revisions are respected;
  • Oversee the Bangladesh programmes in the field, ensuring high quality programming and robust monitoring
    and evaluation methodologies and that learning is integrated into project design and development;
  • Develop and lead on LAW’s work with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,
  • Develop an advocacy strategy and design products that can be shared with both internal and external
    stakeholders, based on evidence gathered from the programmes;
  • Build the capacity of partners, providing them with technical expertise in planning, monitoring, fundraising,
    MEL (monitoring, evaluation and learning) and security, safeguarding and other relevant skills;
  • Coordinate with LAW’s Senior Management Team, and other programme managers as needed.

Finance Management and Accountability

  • Develop a fundraising strategy to identify opportunities to ensure the sustainability and expansion of
    programmes;
  • Prepare budgets and oversee programme expenditure, ensuring accurate projections of spend and
    implementation of expenditure plans, in close coordination with Bangladesh and Global Finance Managers;
  • Ensure compliance with LAW policies and procedures, as well as donor regulations.

Advocacy and Communications

  • Develop the profile and visibility of the programme and represent LAW on national and regional platforms;
  • Establish networks with local NGO and Government bodies and participate in coordination mechanisms at a
    regional and international level;
  • Ensure that website and social media content related to the programmes is up to-date and engaging;
  • Contribute to LAW’s advocacy tools, including factsheets and the LAW Annual Report;
  • Develop and implement a high-level advocacy strategy in line with global priorities that engages national, regional institutions and the international community.

People Management

  • Lead the team effectively ensuring high-calibre staff are recruited and retained;
  • Create an enabling environment for innovation and high performance, ensuring staff are appropriately
    supervised, develop work plans and engaged in training and development opportunities;
  • Ensure LAW’s Bangladesh office is compliant with all relevant legal requirements relating to employment law as well as safety, security, health and safety regulations.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

Essential

  • Candidate with legal background (law degree or legal masters), qualified lawyer preferred;
  • Experience with at risk clients or beneficiaries, preferably survivors of sexual and gender-based violence;
  • Observation, active listening and analytical skills with ability to make sound judgment;
  • Excellent research and drafting skills;
  • Experience managing a large and variable workload, meeting tight deadlines and accurate completion of assigned work;
  • Flexibility: someone who is familiar with the unpredictable nature of working in humanitarian environments;
  • Ability to recognise and work effectively with diverse backgrounds and cultures;
  • Good relationship management skills and the ability to communicate and work closely with local partners, community members, and other stakeholders.

Desired

  • Experience working in humanitarian contexts, preferably with displaced populations
  • Understanding of protection and displacement issues in the South/ Southeast Asian context, preferably the
    context of the Rohingya;
  • Experience in fundraising for legal projects in complex or conflict-affected environments;
  • Experience in programme management, including budget management;
  • Experience in gathering evidence for, or otherwise contributing to international legal proceedings.

Application Process

If you are a passionate and experienced lawyer who can lead our programme, with a strong track record of delivering survivor focused legal services, fundraising and people management in challenging humanitarian contexts, LAW would like to hear from you.

Please send an email with a CV and covering letter outlining how your skills and experience match the role (neither exceeding 2 pages of A4) in English to recruitment@legalactionworldwide.org. The subject of the application should read ‘Rohingya Crisis, Programme Manager’ by 31 July 2020.

 

Key information

Deadline for applications: 31 July 2021
Start Date: Immediate Start

Only shortlisted candidates who meet the criteria will be invited for interviews. LAW is an equal opportunity
employer; Women lawyers with experience representing at-risk clients are encouraged to apply.
To learn more about us visit our website: www.legalactionworldwide.org