Programme Coordinator (Legal Aid) - Readvertised

Contract

This is a DRC - National contract. More about DRC - National contracts.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement-affected populations on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs, and host populations both within Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova, and wider Europe. Since late February 2022, nearly 4 million Ukrainians and third-country nationals have crossed the border to Poland. As part of its neighboring country's response, DRC is establishing an operational presence in Poland to support displaced populations through a partnership with civil society organizations and national NGOs, duty bearers, and other actors.

DRC Poland has currently formal partnerships with five Polish NGOs leading in the field of legal aid to conflict-affected persons and protection of human rights. Through these partnerships as well as directly, DRC will also contribute to a Regional Digital Legal Aid Programme and support cross-border legal aid provision in close collaboration with DRC Ukraine. With the support of the Protection Manager, the Programme Coordinator will be responsible to consolidate existing bilateral partnerships into a legal aid program and strengthen DRC’s cross-border collaboration on legal aid in Europe.

About the Job

The role of the Programme Coordinator (Legal Aid) will have a country focus and ensure compliance with DRC procedures and guidelines within the country, with a specific focus on areas where DRC partners operate (Gdynia, Lublin, Warsaw, Wroclaw). The incumbent will also contribute to the development of country strategies, which will be translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks as well as provide support and/or technical guidance to country operations while overseeing country activities specific to the provision of legal aid.

Project Coordination and Implementation

• Provide needs-based support to DRC’s partners on the implementation of and reporting on agreed legal aid projects.
• Document projects’ progress, achievements, learning, and areas of support/adaptation in collaboration with partners.
• Based on partners' inputs and DRC programmatic data/information, consolidate overviews of trends related to protection risks, legal aid needs, and barriers in accessing services including legal aid.
• Coordinate contribution to the development of the Regional Legal Aid Platform by DRC Poland and partners especially related to the monitoring of legislation, legal analyses in relation to legislation in Poland, and implementation of the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
• Ensure links between partners’ interventions other DRC Poland interventions and DRC legal aid programs in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
• In close consultation with DRC’s partners identify opportunities and areas of added value for the consolidation of bilateral partnerships into a Legal Aid Programme especially related to outreach, legal awareness raising, advocacy, legal analyses, legal aid provision, and referrals.
• Monitor the legal environment, draft and/or contribute to or consolidate legal analyses and support the development of related information and advocacy products developed by DRC or through coordination mechanisms.
• Develop awareness-raising materials and other communication products.
• Develop activities aimed at knowledge exchange between lawyers/paralegals and human rights defenders from Poland and other relevant countries.
• In collaboration with the Programme and Quality Assurance unit support partners in conducting monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning.
• Coordinate budget monitoring, financial management, and expenses control of the Legal Aid Programme, including compliance with minimum DRC and donor requirements.
• Maintain the project risk registry and escalate high-risk areas to senior management.

Accountability and Reporting

• Develop and implement program monitoring tools.
• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives within relevant project programs as well as strengthen the effort to document the impact of activities.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement.

Program Development and Strategy

• Represent DRC and take active participation in sectoral and cross-border legal aid working groups and other relevant coordination mechanisms.
• Identify opportunities for engagement with academia and private sector/pro bono lawyers in support of the program's objectives and sustainability.
• Identify recommendations on technical assistance and capacity exchange and lead their implementation with the support of relevant staff.
• Oversee knowledge sharing among partners, DRC Poland, and DRC in neighboring countries/wider Europe, document programmatic learning, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs.
• Contribute to the development and growth of the DRC Protection program and feed into country-wide strategy development.

About You

To be successful in this role we expect you to have a minimum of 4 years of proven experience in NGO/UN projects, ideally working with partners. Moreover, we also expect the following:

• A Master's degree in law (strongly preferred), political or social science, or other relevant fields.
• Experience in the area of legal aid, protection, and/or human rights.
• Experience in working with implementing partners, networks of expert organizations, and human rights organizations.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors).
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, program tools, proposals, strategic documents, etc.).
• Full professional proficiency in English, Polish, and/or Ukrainian.
• Experience working with Monitoring and Evaluation.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with DRC’s vision and values.

We Offer

Contract length: November 2022 - May 2023, with the possibility of extension depending on the availability of funding. Band: Non-Management, G Duty base: Warsaw, with extensive travel to the region. Start date: ASAP We offer a competitive salary and benefits in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National Staff.

Application Process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV in English**. Applications sent by email will not be considered.** Closing date for applications: November 1st, 2022 Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we, therefore, encourage you to apply as soon as possible. For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo