Project Officer At PILnet

ABOUT PILNET

PILnet is an international non-governmental organization that creates opportunities for social change by unlocking law’s full potential. With a global reach and regional programs in Asia, Europe, and Eurasia, PILnet builds networks and collaborations of public interest and private sector lawyers, who employ their knowledge and expertise to strengthen civil society and serve the world’s unrepresented and vulnerable. PILnet not only obtains high-quality, free legal assistance for civil society organizations (CSOs) when they urgently need it, but also helps to create lasting, sustainable, and mutually beneficial partnerships between lawyers and organizations.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Global Project Coordinator, the Project Officer will support the coordination of an initiative called Mobilizing the Global Legal Community to Protect and Find Solutions for Refugees and Others Forcibly Displaced.

At the inaugural Global Refugee Forum in 2019, more than 80 private and public sectors actors – including legal and community empowerment organizations, law-firms, bar associations, corporations and refugee rights organizations – came together to collectively pledge to support efforts to protect and find solutions for refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, and other forcibly displaced persons. The signatories agreed to fulfill their Pledge commitments in solidarity with each other and other stakeholders as part of a multi-stakeholder and partnership approach. Those that joined the “Mobilizing the Global Legal Community to Protect and Find Solutions for Refugees and others Forcibly Displaced” – commonly known as the GRF Legal Community Pledge – made a diverse range of commitments to improve access to justice for those displaced. Amongst these, the private sector signatories to the Pledge committed to providing over 129,000 hours of free legal assistance to displaced communities and the civil society that works with them each year – a figure that was exceeded by 30% in 2020.

Together with a Core Group of NGOs, PILnet coordinates support for those that have joined the Pledge.
Under the supervision of the Global Project Coordinator, the Project Officer will apply his or her technical skills, education and experience to:

• Manage a global clearinghouse/matching mechanism to facilitate the matching of pro bono hours with projects addressing the unmet legal needs of those impacted by forced displacement;
• Support the Global Project Coordinator to coordinate the work of the Core Group and relevant subgroups, including providing backbone/secretariat support such as the scheduling and note-taking of meetings;
• Support the organization of related events such as workshops, trainings and roundtables;
• Support the outreach to pledgers and new stakeholders especially refugee-led organizations;
• Ensure the successful and timely implementation of all activities as part of the project and according to grant proposals;
• Support the project’s monitoring and evaluation processes;
• Contribute to narrative project reports for funders and other internal/external purposes;
• Keep abreast of developments relevant to the project; and
• Other tasks as requested by the Global Project Coordinator.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree in law, political science, international relations, public administration or related field. Preference will be given to applicants with a law degree. Training or a degree in refugee law is a plus.
• Minimum 1 year of relevant work experience, preferably in a legal nonprofit focused on supporting refugees and others forcibly displaced.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Spoken and written proficiency in Spanish, French, Arabic is a plus.
• Strong interest in public interest law, refugee law, social justice and human rights. • Project management experience and a record of delivering activities on time. • Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to set and execute multiple activities simultaneously.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage competing priorities while maintaining a professional approach.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent people skills, including networking, organizing, negotiating, and inspiring.
• Working knowledge of performance evaluation techniques and key metrics. • Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Excel, Outlook, Access, etc.) and Google Apps.

Candidates should ideally be based in Hong Kong but PILnet is open to consider a remote working arrangement and suitable candidates are therefore encouraged to apply. PILnet also strongly encourages candidates with a refugee background or other lived experience of statelessness or displacement to apply for this position if they have the necessary work authorization.

Salary and title will be commensurate with experience. The position is subject to confirmation of funding.