LEGAL ADVISER

Purpose of the post

Reporting to the Head of the Arms Unit, the incumbent provides legal and policy expertise on a range of weapons of humanitarian concern, and is the reference point for the ICRC’s humanitarian diplomacy to promote legal and policy frameworks applying to a range of weapons of humanitarian concern.

Based in the Legal Division, the Arms Unit develops and represents the ICRC's legal and policy positions relating to the human costs of the development, use and availability of weapons, with the aim of protecting civilians from their indiscriminate effects and combatants from unnecessary suffering.

Main responsibilities and tasks

• Provide expertise on international humanitarian law (IHL) treaties, as well as the general rules on the conduct of hostilities, as they apply to weapons, and advise on relevant disarmament law and policy.
• Promote an understanding of the human costs of certain weapons and the humanitarian responses, bearing in mind the ICRC’s evidence-based approach and drawing on its multi-disciplinary expertise, working for this purpose with ICRC experts in e.g. protection, weapon contamination, health and physical rehabilitation.
• Promote a basic understanding of the military utility and technical aspects of certain weapons, as relevant to their effects, working for this purpose with military-technical experts.
• Promote adherence to and implementation of treaties governing assigned weapons topics.
• Represent the ICRC's positions, views and work on arms issues to governments bilaterally and in multilateral diplomatic forums, to military and security forces, UN agencies, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and civil society.
• Write internal and external analytical and briefing notes, reports, position papers and articles on assigned weapons topics.
• Prepare ICRC submissions to meetings of States party to the relevant treaties, expert meetings and speeches for ICRC officials.
• Develop technical and communication tools for promoting the ICRC's positions, and for understanding relevant IHL rules and the requirements of treaties applying to the assigned weapons topics.
• Organize and/or actively participate in national and regional seminars, and various expert meetings.
• Support the implementation by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of weapons-related policy decisions of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• Participate in trainings for internal and external audiences on IHL and weapons.
• Undertake other assignments, including short field missions, as needed.

Education and experience required

• Expertise in international humanitarian law, solid understanding of human rights law and/or disarmament and arms control law.
• At least 5 years professional experience in a public international law field or in diplomacy, including in multilateral processes, preferably in the disarmament field.
• At least two ICRC field missions, or equivalent field experience with other humanitarian organisations.
• Strong knowledge of the ICRC and the International Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement, with ICRC HQ experience an asset.
• Project management experience an asset.

Desired profile and skills?

• Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.
• Impeccable communication skills, in particular oral and written English, and ability to understand French; mastery of another UN language an asset.
• Excellent research, analytical and organisational skills.
• Clarity, rigor and speed in drafting and revision of legal and technical texts.
• Excellent diplomatic and representational skills, and political judgement.
• Ability to process, gain an overall understanding of, and synthesise in a manner comprehensible for non-specialist audiences, basic technical information from a range of relevant disciplines (e.g. military, medical, and scientific).
• Curiosity, flexibility and open-mindedness.
• Sense of initiative and the ability to work independently.
• Openness to dialogue and ease in inter-personal communication.
• Strong humanitarian motivation.

Additional information

• Location :                          Geneva
• Type of contract :               Open-ended
• Activity rate :                      100%
• Length of assignment :       2 years, extendable
• Estimated start date :         01/05/2018
• Application deadline :      Monday, 26 February 2018