Europe Legal Program Coordinator

About IRAP

The International Refugee Assistance Project (“IRAP”) is the first organization in the United States to provide free and comprehensive legal representation to refugees through the registration, protection, and resettlement processes. We are a dynamic and growing legal, policy, and advocacy organization that works to develop and enforce a system of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons around the world.

IRAP operates offices in New York, Jordan, and Lebanon. Our legal services are supplemented by a corps of pro bono lawyers from leading U.S. and international law firms and multi-national corporations, and law students who have created IRAP chapters at 29 universities in the United States and Canada.

IRAP believes in action, accountability, innovation, and candor. We are nimble, collaborative, and nonpartisan, and believe in the power of individuals to change their own circumstances. IRAP was founded in 2008 by a group of law students with a vision to change the status quo of global refugee processing in order to assist the most vulnerable refugees. IRAP has grown tremendously over the past year and is currently in the process of spinning off from our umbrella sponsor, the Urban Justice Center, and becoming an independent 501(c)(3) organization. We are also in the process of piloting programming in Europe and Africa and engaging in advocacy regarding creation and expansion of new complementary pathways to safety for refugees.

Opportunity

As part of its piloting of new programming, as well as its ongoing scoping of potential future involvement in refugee representation in Europe through collaborations with local NGOs, IRAP is seeking a Europe Legal Program Coordinator to coordinate IRAP’s work in Europe and Africa. The position will be based in Berlin with frequent travel within Europe and possibly other locations. The position will report to IRAP’s Director of Alternative Pathways.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual interested in refugee, human rights, and immigration/international law to be part of a growing organization focused on advancing refugee rights. Specifically, the Europe Legal Program Coordinator will be involved in scoping, designing, and piloting innovative legal representation projects for refugees in Europe and Africa and, in collaboration with the Director of Alternative Pathways, in expanding IRAP’s representation of refugees in complementary pathways, including asylum and humanitarian visa programs in European states.

Responsibilities

• Supporting initial setup of planned pilot programs in Greece focused on Dublin III family reunification and asylum representation and advocacy, including:
  • On-site in Greece, working with partners to develop and implement case screening and identification tools, intervention criteria, case representation templates, and other internal procedures for representation of individuals in asylum and Dublin III family reunification cases in multiple locations in Greece
  • Customizing, adapting, and implementing IRAP’s case management system to be utilized by IRAP’s collaborating partners in Greece
  • Working with partners in Greece to implement and streamline information collection for advocacy purposes
  • Piloting applications of remote pro bono legal support in connection with IRAP’s collaborations in Greece
• Scoping and supporting new pilot programs to expand access to legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees in Greece, Germany, the United Kingdom, and potentially other countries in Europe
• Supporting IRAP’s Alternative and Complementary Pathways department’s ongoing outreach to potential operational and referral partners in Europe and Africa
• Building out IRAP’s knowledge and materials regarding complementary pathways in Europe, including:
  • Legal and factual research regarding existing complementary pathways, including through coordination with NGOs and government agencies in Europe
  • Designing training materials and delivering training to IRAP staff and pro bono partners regarding representation of clients in complementary pathways
  • Creating resources regarding available complementary pathways to be shared with NGO partners to facilitate case identification and referral to IRAP
• Supporting IRAP’s ongoing individual casework representing refugees in complementary pathways, including:
  • Supervising in-house and pro bono legal teams conducting individual representations in complementary pathways cases (and individually representing clients in such pathways)
  • Developing IRAP’s internal resources, including case screening procedures, instruction guides, and templates for complementary pathways representations
  • Building referral networks with NGOs (both NGO-to-IRAP and IRAP-to-NGO) assisting clients in complementary pathways and related services (psychosocial support, housing, etc.)
• Serving as a thought partner to IRAP’s Director of Alternative Pathways and Policy Director regarding expansion of IRAP’s individual representation and advocacy work in Europe
• Track refugee- and asylum-related legislation and litigation developments in European governments and EU bodies for advocacy purposes
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Law degree required (law degree from European university preferred).
• Previous experience with refugee legal assistance.
• Previous experience with project management.
• Ability to think creatively and strategically about programmatic expansion.
• Experience supervising volunteer or pro bono attorneys is a plus.
• Dedication to refugee issues worldwide.
• Ability to be flexible in a fast-paced and high-pressure work environment.
• Must be highly organized and motivated, able to work independently, able to multi-task and manage a high volume workload, and have excellent time management skills.
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience and comfort working with diverse populations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
• English being the working language of IRAP, fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in one or more of the following languages highly preferred: French, German, Italian, Arabic, and/or Farsi.

Application Instructions

Please submit a cover letter, resume, short writing sample (3-5 pages), and a list of three references using the application form available here. Review of materials will begin on 9/5/18 and will continue until the position is filled.

IRAP is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from diverse candidates. The salary for the position will be based on TVÖD (the collective agreement for public service in Germany).