Legal Officer at PILnet

Legal Officer
New York

PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law is an international human rights organization devoted to building a global network to activate, empower and connect those who use legal tools to work in the public interest (www.pilnet.org). Originally established through Columbia Law School in 1997, PILnet is now in its fifteenth year, operating from offices in New York, Budapest, Moscow and Beijing.

The Position PILnet is seeking a legal officer to work on PILnet’s activities to support the development of public interest advocacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Reporting to the Program Director, the full-time legal officer will be based in New York, and will be responsible for developing and executing projects in countries of the region, including Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, and possibly Jordan and Egypt.

Responsibilities

• Undertake primary responsibility for implementing project activities
• Coordinate with and provide technical assistance to partner organizations in the region
• Identify new initiatives and partners to support
• Identify and coordinate with resource groups from outside the region
• Draft reports on the proceedings of project meetings, including recommendations for follow-up activities
• Generate and resource new strategies to meet the needs identified in the course of planning and executing the activities
• Provide technical assistance to participating organizations in the region
• Perform other tasks assigned by the Program Director that are consistent with the overall position

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in law; a graduate degree in law is desirable
• Fluency in Arabic and English languages, both spoken and written
• The ability and willingness to travel to the region as needed
• A minimum of four years of experience in designing, implementing and managing projects
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of human rights and civil society development issues in MENA region
• Experience developing solid working relationships with NGO partners in the region
• The capacity to exercise sound judgment in managing relationships with partners and third parties
• The ability to take initiative and to manage multiple tasks in a fast changing environment
• The ability to excel while working both independently and within international teams functioning across PILnet’s offices
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills

Salary is commensurate with experience; generous benefits package included (possible flexible working hours)

Interested candidates should submit in English a CV and a cover letter that specifically addresses the candidate's suitability to perform the job responsibilities detailed above to: legalofficer-NY@pilnet.org

Deadline: July 1, 2012

Only those offered interviews will be contacted.

PILnet™ is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds to apply. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.