Legal Affairs Manager

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Background

Under the supervision of the PRoL Coordinator, the Legal Affairs Manager will serve as a central technical lead, providing strategic guidance and oversight to IRC’s legal protection teams in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. This role will ensure the delivery of high-quality legal assistance and strengthen legal protection programming and advocacy efforts at the local, regional, and national levels. Additionally, the Legal Affairs Manager will represent IRC within the National Protection Cluster and the Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) Working Group, ensuring compliance with established standards and effectively coordinating IRC’s position on legal matters while fostering collaboration among key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Protection Programming & Technical Leadership

• Provide technical support and guidance to IRC's legal protection teams based in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, ensuring consistent application of legal aid standards and protection principles.
• Ensure quality legal service delivery, including individual legal assistance, legal awareness, and strategic litigation efforts.
• Strengthen legal case management and intake procedures, ensuring alignment with IRC’s protection principles and risk-based rather than vulnerability-based targeting.
• Lead the revision and updating of SOPs on legal aid provision, ensuring they remain relevant, effective, and aligned with evolving legal contexts
• Ensure the application of SOPs on legal aid provision across field locations
• Working with local legal aid providers and government agencies to improve access to justice.
  
  

Technical Supervision & Capacity Strengthening

• Provide technical oversight to the (Senior) Social and Legal Advocacy Officer and Legal Officers, ensuring the integration of legal assistance and advocacy efforts.
• Support PRoL Managers on-site in overseeing legal staff and providing technical backstopping.
• Design and conduct training, mentoring, and on-the-job coaching to enhance the capacity of IRC legal teams and partners.
• Lead learning sessions and best practice exchanges to strengthen legal casework and strategic litigation approaches.
  
  

Advocacy & Policy Engagement

• Strengthen the link between protection monitoring, advocacy, and policy efforts, ensuring that legal findings inform broader protection strategies.
• Lead the development of policy briefs, evidence-based recommendations, and advocacy positions based on Protection Monitoring (PM) data.
• Coordinate legal advocacy efforts at local, regional, and national levels, in partnership with the Senior Advocacy Manager, ensuring that systemic legal barriers are addressed through collaborative engagement.
• Ensure active engagement in the Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) Working Group, contributing to legal policy discussions and reforms.
• Represent IRC in coordination forums, working groups, and inter-agency legal discussions to promote legal protection priorities.
• Contribute to the IRC Strategy Action Plan and the IRC Advocacy Strategy, ensuring legal protection and advocacy efforts align with the organization’s broader goals
• Engage with international legal and human rights organizations to amplify advocacy efforts and share best practices.
  
  

Program Implementation & Compliance

• Contribute to the full project cycle (design, implementation, monitoring, reporting) for legal protection interventions.
• Ensure that legal programming aligns with IRC’s Strategy Action Plan (SAP), donor requirements and protection frameworks.
• Support legal teams in case documentation, data collection, and analysis, ensuring compliance with confidentiality and protection standards.
• Ensure the integration of legal protection into IRC’s multi-sectoral programming by working closely with Protection Monitoring and Protection Case Management streams within PRoL, as well as with the Child Protection (CP), Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), Economic Wellbeing and Basic Needs (EWBN), and Health departments to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach.
• Provide technical support to partners implementing legal and advocacy components, ensuring alignment with Partnership Principles.
  
  

Key Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law, Human Rights, International Relations, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in legal aid provision, human rights law, protection programming, or legal advocacy.
• Strong understanding of Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) rights, refugee/IDP legal frameworks, and humanitarian protection principles.
• Demonstrated experience in technical supervision of legal teams, policy advocacy, and legal program design.
• Proven ability to engage with national legal frameworks and advocacy efforts at local and national levels.
• Experience in capacity-building of legal teams, including training and mentoring legal professionals.
• Strong communication, coordination, and leadership skills, with the ability to navigate complex legal and humanitarian settings.
• Proficiency in English and Ukrainian.
  
  

Working Environment

• The role will involve regular coordination with field legal teams in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa.
• Periodic travel to field locations may be required to provide technical support and oversee implementation.
  
  

Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.