Greece: Asylum Advisor

Job Title: Asylum Advisor

Duty Location: Athens

Employment Type: Full- Time

Length of Contract: 3 months

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC Hellas’ Emergency Protection program looks to ensure that crisis-affected populations have an improved access to life-saving and humanitarian services, rights and entitlements. This will be achieved through an integrated approach to protection, which includes information sharing, awareness-raising on rights and entitlements, and specialized programing for vulnerable groups including case management. This project focuses on support for Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC), through their identification and working with partners to support tracing and restoring family links, providing transit shelters in which specialized support including case management.

SCOPE OF WORK:

Brief description of the position’s role within the Project(s): The Asylum Advisor will provide advice on immigration and refugee law, specifically pertaining to Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC), as well as on tracing and restoring family links, immigrant and non-immigrant visas, naturalization, overseas refugee processing, parole to resolve complex legal, procedural and technical immigration and refugee issues and problems, both domestically and overseas, and on custody of unaccompanied children, including fostering. The Legal Advisor will provide assistance relating to UASC in negotiating refugee applications and processing, and facilitating referrals to existing legal aid networks as appropriate.

The Asylum Advisor will collaborate closely with the protection managers and the Senior Protection Coordinator in the identification of recurring legal challenges and assist in the development of information material for the target population. The Advisor will provide regular reports and briefings to the project’s Child Coordinator and Legal Advisor on case number/types and progress of persons seeking support for the asylum claim and the access to durable solutions. He/she will maintain complete, accurate, and confidential client records for review by the Senior Protection Coordinator. Throughout his/her work, the Legal Advisor will ensure that principles of confidentiality and ethics are upheld throughout the program implementation.

Who this position reports to: The Asylum Advisor will report to the project’s Child Protection Coordinator, with technical supervision by the Legal Advisor.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Grant Planning & Implementation

• Resolve and provide counsel on highly complex legal, procedural and technical issues pertaining to UASC applications/petitions, immigrant and non-immigrant visas, naturalization, and overseas refugee processing.
• Conduct ongoing mentoring and training on related immigration and refugee law and procedures to IRC staff and partners.
• Research and draft legal memos on UASC-related immigration and refugee laws, policies, and procedures for dissemination to the Program.
• Under the direction of the project’s Child Protection Coordinator and technical supervision of the Legal Advisor, develop and implement new policies and procedures to reorganize and restructure the provision of legal services, case management, training, and quality assurance.
• Advise on and where appropriate facilitate the movement of refugees and overseas refugee processing for high-profile and/or sensitive cases to resettlement countries.

· Provide accurate advice to staff and partners, and where required beneficiaries, in accessing personal documentation and relevant procedures. In selected cases, provide assistance in accessing these documents by administrative support and/or accompaniment to administrative authorities.

· Maintain complete, accurate and confidential records of client assistance when applicable.

Coordination & Representation

· Collaborate closely with the project’s Child Protection Coordinator, Protection managers and the Legal Advisor on case identification, and on the identification of administrative needs; work closely with the project and wider protection team on the development of information material on administrative requirements and processes;

• Participate in local or national working groups related to UASC issues and law.

· Initiate linkages with national legal aid service providers for the referral of cases that may require additional legal support;

· Undertake/participate in liaison, coordination, and information sharing activities with national NGOs, international organizations, donors and government;

· Work closely and coordinator with IRC logistics, finance and grant staff to ensure timely and complaint program activities and expenditures; including active participation in grant opening/closing and review meetings.

Grant Monitoring & Reporting

· Contribute to IRC and donor reports as per set schedules (monthly, quarterly and annually) on grant activities, indicators and achievements.

· Contribute to grants writing and proposals.

Program Development

· Assist in the collection of data, assessments and proposal development for the sector.

Other

· Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Professional Standards

· All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

REQUIREMENTS:

· University Graduate, degree in Law (preferred)

· 3-5 years professional experience practicing law, preferably in administrative law and civil documentation or legal assistance/pro bono legal work

· Proven abilities in developing workplans, data collection and analysis and performance monitoring

· INGO experience preferred

· Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well

· Fluency in English and/or Greek required. Preference will be given to candidates with fluency in the following languages: Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Kurdish.

WORK ENVIRNOMENT:**

Travel and other requirements: office hours; frequent travel on the field.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

· Send us the latest version of your resume in English to IRCGreece.Jobs@rescue.org until July 8.

· Interviewing will be done over Skype.

-Only EY Citizens can apply.