Salary: £73,171 pa +benefits
We have an excellent opportunity for a Legal Adviser to join our Rule of Law Section within our Governance and Peace Directorate.
The Rule of Law Section (RoL Section) is one of several departments in the Governance and Peace Directorate (GPD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The GPD supports Commonwealth member countries in advancing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development through the building of effective democracy, good governance, rule of law and human rights frameworks (i.e., laws, policies, practices and institutions). In addition to providing law and policy advice to other departments in the Commonwealth Secretariat, the RoL Section (a) oversees the provision of technical assistance to Commonwealth member countries; (b) facilitates the building of consensus on a range of rule of law, justice and public international law matters of mutual interest to member countries; and (c) fosters the building of peer-to-peer and other multilateral cooperation and support frameworks with the objective of building effective rule of law and justice frameworks.
Reporting to the Head of RoL, the post-holder will lead on the development and implementation of strategies and projects, respectively, in support of Commonwealth member countries’ efforts to build and maintain effective rule of law and justice frameworks. Over the next four years, the RoL department is prioritising projects that support Commonwealth member countries’ efforts to realise their goal of ensuring equal access to justice for all (SDG 16), including through the eradication of laws that promote discrimination against women and girls, and the identification of solutions to the problems of unsustainable case backlogs, high costs, complexity and delays inherent in most Commonwealth countries’ justice systems.
Responsibilities of the Legal Adviser
The Legal Adviser is expected, among other responsibilities, to:
- Collaboratively develop – using systems-analysis and other planning tools – innovative solutions and robust support programmes to support the building of effective rule of law and justice frameworks in the Commonwealth.
- Take responsibility for the results-based management of projects and leadership of project teams, including on project design, implementation, reporting and evaluation.
- Lead and facilitate the review and development, among others, of relevant policies, legislation, rules of procedure, best practice guidance, and Model Laws/Provisions.
- Provide relevant, accurate and timely advice to the Office of the Secretary-General, other departments in the Commonwealth Secretariat and relevant external stakeholders.
- Contribute and commission articles to be published in the Commonwealth Law Bulletin, and lead efforts to create and use relevant e-journals that advance the goals of building effective rule of law and justice frameworks in the Commonwealth.
- Consult and liaise with senior officials in law ministries in Commonwealth member countries, accredited organisations, and other key stakeholders to determine the scope of work and parameters of assistance required to strengthen rule of law and justice frameworks in the Commonwealth.
- Prepare policy and briefing papers for the periodic meetings of Commonwealth Law Ministers and Senior Officials, and service the meetings.
- Adhere to the Gender Equality values of the Commonwealth as enshrined in the Charter and Secretariat’s Gender Equality Policy.
- Perform any other duties that may be required from time to time.
Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the responsibilities for this position.
To be considered, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Qualified to practice law as a barrister, solicitor, attorney, or legal practitioner in a Commonwealth jurisdiction.
- A post-graduate degree in a relevant legal discipline from a recognised university.
- At least ten (10) years’ post-qualification experience in government, private legal practice, academia, intergovernmental bodies, or non-governmental bodies.
- Experience of strengthening rule of law and justice frameworks and institutions through capacity building programmes, technical assistance projects, and consensus building initiatives involving senior government officials and other key stakeholders.
- Experience of development law issues at the national level or in an international organisation and of leading policy development, including high-level political negotiations.
- Experience of direct engagement with governments and other key stakeholders, managing politically nuanced work at the highest level and building effective partnerships and professional relationships.
Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the experience required for this position.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 member governments and provides guidance on policymaking, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. Covering letters should be structured to address the key criteria required in the person specification, giving clear examples.
To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.
Closing date: 19 November 2021 at 17:00 GMT