International Refugee Assistance Project
About the IRAP Europe Team
IRAP Europe is made up of 16 staff members, including a team of 11 who provide legal aid to clients in Family Reunification and Humanitarian Visa procedures through direct legal services and partnerships with local NGOs and pro bono law firms. Working primarily from our office in Berlin, Germany, our staff directly represent clients in French, German, and Swedish procedures. Our international practice gives us a unique view of structural hurdles and inconsistencies in family reunification processing, and in addition to providing direct legal aid, we seek to address these issues through advocacy and litigation. To learn more about our team’s family reunification work, see here.
Opportunity
IRAP is seeking to hire a parental leave cover for the position of a Supervising Attorney to oversee the team’s German family reunification work, supervising a Staff Attorney and two caseworkers and coordinating the team’s work to challenge systemic issues in refugee family reunification, including through litigation.
The Supervising Attorney will also be expected to maintain their own caseload of German family reunification cases. Casework will primarily be done remotely, as IRAP clients are located throughout the world.
The position is limited to 9.5 months, starting ideally from May 2023.
Responsibilities
- Supervising a Staff Attorney and two caseworkers representing clients in German family reunification cases by: (1) reviewing and and providing input on drafts; (2) providing input on legal arguments and strategy in individual cases; (3) coordinating and harmonizing the team’s strategy for challenging systemic issues in the family reunification process; (4) providing training and professional development opportunities; and (5) making recommendations for promotions and compensation adjustments, handling disciplinary issues, and responding to any grievances from staff
- Representing clients seeking family reunification to Germany at first instance and appeal levels
- Coordinating team’s workflow, including through coordination with case referral partners
- Coordinating with partner organizations on advocacy related to complementary pathways in Germany
- Coordinating team’s work on publications, expert opinions, training sessions and workshops, and resources for other legal representatives
- Coordinating team’s development of internal manuals, guidance materials, and Know Your Rights documents on relevant legal processes
- In collaboration with IRAP Europe’s Co-Director and other supervisors, planning and developing IRAP’s work, expansion, and profile in Europe
- Participating in IRAP-wide supervisory meetings and trainings
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- German law degree required (2. Staatsexamen); admission to the bar not required
- Minimum of two years of experience providing legal assistance to beneficiaries of international protection seeking family reunification to Germany
- Sound knowledge of German and European legislative framework and jurisprudence regarding family reunification of beneficiaries of international protection and human rights
- Experience supervising and/or mentoring caseworkers and attorneys
- Strong research, writing, and analytical skills
- Strong management skills, including caseload and workflow management and ability to provide strategic direction to independent practitioners
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills and prior experience interviewing and counseling clients in a legal setting
- Highly organized and flexible, able to multi-task and manage a high-volume workload, and excellent time management skills
- Sensitivity to client empowerment and to working with clients of all backgrounds, including LGBTI clients, survivors of trauma, and other vulnerable populations
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite
- Excellent written and spoken English and German skills required; excellent skills in other languages (particularly Arabic, Farsi, French, Somali, Swedish, Tigrinya) a plus but not required
Location: The candidate will work in IRAP’s office in Berlin.
Compensation
The annual salary range for this position is €71.235 – €84.592, commensurate with experience.
IRAP’s benefits vary across office locations, and IRAP seeks to offer equitable and generous benefits to all employees. Benefits for IRAP’s employees in Germany include:
* Supplementary company health insurance for staff
* Berlin transport pass (A, B, C)
* Daycare reimbursements
* A wellness reimbursement twice per year
* Generous professional development opportunities
* 25 annual vacation days
* Office closure December 25-January 1
* Approximately 20 additional paid office closures throughout the year (incl. Public holidays)
How to apply
To apply click Here
Deadline: 31 May 2023