Position:  Legal Officer (1)
Job Location: Aden with regular field travel to South Al-Hudaydah, Al-Dhale'e, Abyan, Marib, Hadhramout and Shabwah
Report to: Senior Reporting Officer – Senior Protection Officer
Deadline: 18/05/2022

Background

FMF is a non-profit and non-governmental organization aiming to provide health, nutrition, food security, and protection services as a humanitarian response to the escalating socio-economic situation in Yemen since 2012.

FMF will implement a UNHCR-funded project entitled: ‘Protection and CCCM activities to IDPs and conflict-affected PoCs in South Yemen’ to respond to and address the protection needs of IDPs, Returnees and conflict-affected communities in South Al-Hudaydah, Al-Dhale'e, Abyan, Marib, Hadramoot and Shabwah.

Position Summary

The Legal Officer is in charge of all the activities related to the legal component of the project for addressing legal issues for IDPs, Returnees, and the Host community. The Legal Officer supports the field lawyers in the access to documentation and in the coordination with the Civil Registration Authority. In addition, the position holder provides another relevant coaching on the job and building capacity of field lawyers for smooth implementation of legal activities.

Position description/ key responsibilities:

• In coordination with Activities Coordinators and protection officers, ensure work supervision of and provision of guidance for field lawyers to provide legal support to the targeted population through accessing to documentation, legal counseling, legal mediation/representation, and providing legal information sessions.
• Ensure lawyers assist people of concern in need of civil documentation with the information and administrative work needed for issuing IDs.
• Guiding lawyers to work closely with IDPs, to identify particularly vulnerable legal individuals in order to develop plans and means to assist them.
• Collection of application forms from lawyers and checking the quality of documentation before submitting them to the Civil Registration Authority. Upon issuance of IDs, maintain to check and distribute IDs to beneficiaries in the areas of intervention with the help of lawyers.
• Regularly liaise and coordinate with Civil Registration Authority, including meetings attendance when needed, for smooth implementation of IDs extraction.
• Support lawyers to prepare a work plan for raising the awareness activities on legal issues/topics.
• In coordination with Activities Coordinators and protection officers, prepare work plans for lawyers to provide training and capacity building about protection issues, rights of IDPs, and community-based approaches to CBPNs.
• Assure the support of lawyers to assist the field staff in the identification of people in need of civil documentation and engage with protection monitoring teams to conduct protection monitoring of human rights violations.
• Conduct regular field visits to assess the legal protection needs and concerns of the targeted population, with particular attention to especially vulnerable persons, and closely monitor the work of lawyers and provide feedback.
• With the support of data management staff, maintain an excel database to ensure that statistics and other reports are produced on timely basis;
• Compile weekly, monthly narrative, and quantitative data and information to share reports on legal-related protection trends and incidents faced by people of concern and define potential means to address legal issues;
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Position requirements 

• A university degree in Law Human Rights, International Law or related field.
• 2 years of experience working with international NGOs, particularly in the protection sector.
• Experience in supervising staff in challenging situations, carrying out awareness raising sessions, protection monitoring, analyzing information provided and drafting reports.
• Ability to monitor and analyze legal data and generate relevant and accurate reports.
• Native Arabic and strong English skills are essential.
• Strong knowledge and skills of computer.
• Readiness to commit and adhere to the values, mission and vision of FMF.
• Respect confidentiality of data and information
• Attention to details and ability to communicate professionally and effectively - practical and problem-solver.
• Able to ensure quality delivery in stressful environment and to adhere to deadlines.
• Ability to deal with heavy work pressure.