Legal Aid Officer-National Contract

Introduction

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental and non-profit organization, founded in 1956, that works in 40 countries around the world.

DRC’s mandate is driven by three global strategic objectives within the DRC Assistance Framework: Saving lives and alleviation of immediate suffering among people affected by conflict, Safeguarding, restoration and development of livelihoods, and, Institutional and organisational change that contributes to protection of people’s rights and peaceful handling of conflict.

Background

DRC has been operating in Greece since December 2015, providing support to the Greek Ministry of Migration Policy in ensuring dignified reception conditions for refugees and migrants arriving on Lesvos island. In March 2016, DRC expanded its operations in Athens, in response to the changing context and the build-up of refugee population on mainland Greece.

About the job

Under the close cooperation of the Legal Aid Team Leader and the supervision of the Field Protection Manager, the legal aid officer will be referred legal cases to be followed up on site, deliver info session on legal matters and assist in different cases regarding the rights of the asylum seekers.

Furthermore, the Legal Aid Officer will develop and maintain good relations with the persons of concern, relevant stakeholders and other humanitarian actors, to support adequate implementation and coordination of DRC’s Legal Aid program.

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include, but not necessarily be limited, to the following:

• Work in close cooperation with DRC Legal Aid Team North Greece and thereby be able to respond to the continuously monitoring and documented needs of the persons of concern
• Handle the identified legal cases from the sites
• Provide individual counselling and case management on e.g. the asylum procedure/international protection
• Provide legal assistance in administrative procedures regarding issuing of birth certificate, tax number, work permit and the like
• Provide legal info sessions regarding the asylum procedure, rights and obligations of an asylum seeker, integration opportunity in Greece or other relevant legal topics
• Provide legal aid statistics
• Document case studies, best practices and lessons learned from the legal cases handled
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the Field Protection Manager, relevant to the achievement of the legal aid objectives

Required Qualifications

• Law degree and relevant experience with refugee/migration law and humanitarian law
• Excellent verbal and written English and Greek skills
• Working knowledge of Arabic or Farsi is an added advantage
• At least three years working experience in a related field; previous working experience with local or international NGOs will be considered as a strong advantage
• Driving licence is an added advantage
• Strong computer skills
• High professional ethics

Skills & Qualities

•  Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, working with different groups, partners and nationalities
•  Strong initiative and self-motivated, with a strong commitment to teamwork and humanitarian principle
•  Flexible, enthusiastic and willing to learn from others
• Ability to multitask and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines
• Ability to cope with high workload and stress and identify priority activities and assignments, and adjust   priorities as required
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, irrespective of nationality, race, gender or age.

General Regulations

The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework.

Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization.

Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period.

Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization.

Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request.

Terms and Conditions

The contract will be under the Greek Labor Law, and all allowances will be provided to the employees (Christmas, Easter, Vacation bonus).  

DRC provides training opportunities to develop and strengthen the quality of its services as well as its staff members’ professional and personal development.  

 The position will be based in Thessaloniki (Greece) with roving possibilities among sites in Northern Greece and national terms and conditions apply. 

Application Process

Interested? Then apply for this position on line: www.drc.dk/about-drc/vacancies/current-vacancies

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than 2 pages). Both must be in English.

Applications close on the 5^th of November.

Due to the urgency of the position DRC reserves the right to recruit a candidate who matches the required profile before the above deadline.