LAW is an independent, non-profit organisation comprised of human rights lawyers working in fragile and conflict affected areas in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. We have a particular focus on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, natural resource exploitation, rule of law and accountability, and transformative justice, working to bring justice to those who need it most.

LAW’s ground-breaking work has been included in a number of UN and Member State government reports and has received international media coverage, including in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, Voice of America, BBC News, Sky News, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post and Foreign Policy.

Rohingya Programme

The use of brutal sexual violence, including rape, gang-rape, mass gang rape, sexual slavery, forced nudity and sexualised torture against the Rohingya has consistently been identified as a hallmark of conduct of the Myanmar army (Tatmadaw) during ‘clearance operations’ following 25 August 2017, and a factor leading to the displacement of more than 700,000 Rohingya from northern Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh. LAW works to empower Rohingya women and men to address sexual and gender based violence in their community.

Some of the key highlights of the programme include victims submission to the International Criminal Court; supporting Rohingya survivors to attend the Hague for the Gambia v Myanmar International Court of Justice Case. The presence of the refugees in the court room was explicitly highlighted by the Gambian legal team during proceedings. LAW supports Shanti Mohila - a network of more than 400 Rohingya women and girls located in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, having been displaced from northern Rakhine state in Myanmar during 2017 ‘clearance operations’ by the Myanmar military and has supported the participation of a representative of Shanti Mohila in the March 2019 Human Rights Council in Geneva. LAW works closely with male survivors of sexual violence and transgender Rohingya groups.

The position will be based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh with travel. He/she will work closely with LAW’s Executive Director, administrative and financial staff and with LAW’s programme partners, taking the lead on exciting legal projects and be given a large degree of autonomy, room for creativity and space to develop the projects.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Reports to: LAW Executive Director

Duration: 12 months subject to funding

Direct Reports: x 5

Location: Cox Bazar, Bangladesh

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week

Role Overview and Responsibility:

The Programme Manager will manage the project and donor grants ensuring the programme is running smoothly and effectively in compliance with LAW and national obligations including engaging with partners in the region to ensure the delivery of the programmes and managing the teams. The post holder will perform duties in accordance with the responsibilities outlined below:

Leadership and Programme Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key actors including governments, partners, community groups, INGO’s and the UN;
• Leading on international justice mechanisms addressing the Rohingya crisis;
• Ensure projects are implemented in accordance with proposals, budgets, LAW policies, procedures and donor regulations;
• Lead and coordinate policy, research, legal advocacy efforts and identify strategic cases and other legal interventions;
• Ensure that all donor deadlines for reporting and revisions are respected;
• Oversee the Bangladesh programmes in the field, ensuring high quality programming and robust monitoring and evaluation methodologies and that learning is integrated into project design and development;
• Develop and lead on LAW’s work with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,
• Design national strategy and action plan ensuring alignment with the LAW global strategy and theory of change;
• Develop an advocacy strategy and design products that can be shared with both internal and external stakeholders, based on evidence gathered from the programmes;
• Build the capacity of partners, providing them with technical expertise in planning, monitoring, fundraising, M&E and security, safeguarding and other relevant skills;
• Coordinate with LAW’s Senior Management Team, and other programme managers as needed.

Finance Management and Accountability

• Develop a fundraising strategy to identify opportunities to ensure the sustainability and expansion of programmes;
• Prepare budgets and oversee programme expenditure, ensuring accurate projections of spend and implementation of expenditure plans;
• Ensure compliance with LAW policies and procedures and donors’ regulations.

Advocacy and Communications:

• Develop the profile and visibility of the programme and represent LAW on national and regional platforms;
• Establish networks with local NGO and Government bodies and participate in coordination mechanisms at a regional level;
• Coordinate and ensure that website and social media content related to the programmes is up to-date and engaging audiences;
• Contribute to LAW’s advocacy tools, including factsheets and the LAW Annual Report;
• Develop and implement a high-level advocacy strategy in line with global priorities that engages national, regional institutions and the international community.

People Management

• Lead the team effectively ensuring high calibre staff are recruited and retained;
• Create an enabling environment for innovation and high performance, ensuring staff are appropriately supervised, develop work plans and engaged in training and development opportunities;
• Ensure the Bangladesh office is compliant with all relevant legal requirements relating to employment law as well as safety, security, health and safety regulations.

Benefits Package

This is a project funded position for which a full and attractive package commensurate within the nature of the position will be offered including; allowances, 25 days annual leave per annum, public holidays, R&R (rest and recuperation), cost of fight at the start / end of your contact and private medical insurance. The contract will be renewable on the basis of performance and availability of funds.

How to apply

If you are ready for your next challenge to create international collaboration and can bring with you the technical legal knowledge, programme management, and fundraising experience look no further! Join our highly committed team and have an amazing opportunity to work closely with the Rohingya Community, advocate for them and support international justice processes whilst working alongside leading legal professionals.

Please send an email with a CV and statement of interest (neither exceeding 2 pages of A4) in English to recruitment@legalactionworldwide.org. The subject of the application should read ‘Bangladesh Programme Manager’.

Deadline for applications: This position is on rolling basis - LAW will be scheduling interviews as the applications come in therefore please apply in the first instance.

Start date: June 2021 - Immediate start

Only shortlisted candidates who meet the criteria will be invited for interviews.

• LAW is an equal opportunity employer
• Women lawyers with experience representing at-risk clients are particularly encouraged to apply.

To learn more about us visit our website: www.legalactionworldwide.org.

Job Email id: recruitment(at)legalactionworldwide.org