Job Description
Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a Legal Aid Specialist to support the USAID funded Ain Shohayota Activity. The goal of the Activity is to promote people-centered justice through increased public participation, inclusivity, and data-driven approaches to strengthen the justice system. This role is only open to citizens of Bangladesh. This is a full-time role in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The position will be based in Dhaka and is likely to require substantial travel within Bangladesh. The ideal candidate will be a qualified lawyer with extensive experience leading training on subject including legal aid, access to justice, and other laws of Bangladesh. The candidate should also have experience working at the local level to promote access to justice, particularly through donors or civil society organizations. The Legal Aid Specialist will be asked to support all three of the components with this Activity, namely i) increasing demand for responsive justice services, ii) promote pro-bono legal aid services, and iii) build and utilize an evidence base to strengthen justice services.
Essential Job Duties:
- Support training with government officers, members of the judiciary, law students, civil society representatives, and local leaders, including preparing training materials and leading practical and interactive sessions on specific aspects of the law including legal aid, mediation, access to justice, and other related topics.
- Analyze and prepare proper recommendations for any follow-up training.
- Track and coordinate the Activity’s trainings on legal aid.
- Provide assistance with organizing events, including identifying training participants.
- Support the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to analyze the effectiveness of the trainings and workshops and work to identify ways to improve outcomes.
- Oversee the implementation and reporting of the Activity’s eight subgrantees, including conducting regular field visits.
- Provide regular mentorship to subgrantees and training participants to increase utilization of the skills in practice.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with lawyers and judicial officers working at the national level and in the Activity’s focus districts as well as community leaders.
- Contribute to the Activity’s reports, including the weekly report, bi-weekly snapshot, and quarterly and annual reports.
- Support other team members undertaking activities at the local level.
- Provide necessary support and collaboration with relevant departments, including Finance, Operations, Procurement, and MEL.
- Identify potential issues, risks and challenges that may impact to delivery of activities/results and develop timely follow-up actions to mitigate them.
- Provide necessary support to research and assessments conducted by the Activity.
- Synthesize lessons learned from field operations and share them with senior management team to promote Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) approach in current and future programming.
- Engage in regular coordination meetings with the Senior Management Team and other Component Managers.
- Other similar responsibilities DI might request.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in law and enrollment in the Bangladesh Bar Council
- Extensive knowledge of legal aid, ADR, and access to justice in Bangladesh, with a preference to someone with experience leading training in these sessions with government and/or civil society.
- Experience building the capacity of government, members of the judiciary, local level leaders, and civil society organizations
- Deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by women and other vulnerable groups in Bangladesh when accessing justice.
- Proven record working effectively with lawyers, law students, GoB, and judiciary partners.
- Highly organized and able to prioritize multiple tasks.
- Very comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, Excel, Bangla composing skills, internet navigation, etc.).
- Flexible. Ability to adjust responsibilities and duties as the project grows.
- Ability to multi-task with strong commitment to meeting deadlines.
- Proven integrity and thorough attention to details are inherent to this position.
- Strong organizational skills, rigorous attention to detail, and problem-solving abilities needed to perform effectively in a demanding position.
- Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team to achieve complex results under strict deadlines.
- Demonstrated commitment to ethics, transparency, and accountability in program implementation.
- Excellent spoken and written English and Bangla.
Reporting:
- This position reports to the Technical Director.
Application Process:
Interested applications must submit a CV and Cover Letter by December 31, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified applicant is identified. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. DI will only contact candidates of interest.
Democracy International maintains the highest ethical standards. We are committed to prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All our positions are subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.
About the Organization
DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 80+ countries.
DI welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for DI employees. DI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at DI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.