National Lawyer

General Background: Mobile Justice Teams (MJTs) are groups of local and international experts and practitioners collaborating with and in support of local justice actors, such as Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) and Regional Prosecutor Offices (RPOs), to advance Ukraine’s capacity to investigate and build complex command-level cases into international crimes through tailored support and the institutionalisation of international standards and best practices. The MJTs are organised across thematic areas to address context-specific and cross-cutting legal issues. The teams work in the most affected regions of Ukraine to provide advisory and case-building support, focusing on supporting prosecutors and investigators in their investigations and prosecutions.

Full / Part-time: Full-time

Location: Ukraine

Reporting To: MJT Lead

Purpose & Objective

The National Lawyer contributes to the team working on a specific category of international crimes (e.g. crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression) or a designated thematic area within the team’s mandate (e.g. air strikes, detention-related crimes, pillage of essential resources, SGBV, crimes against and affecting children, occupation-related crimes).

Responsibilities

• Undertake legal, factual research and jurisprudence review.

• Ensure delivery of project objectives.

• Contribute to developing standard operating procedures, tools and methodologies, providing strategic advice on investigations and case-building, and delivering tailored capacity-building initiatives.
• Support the team lead/deputy lead with maintaining regular contact with primary beneficiaries (e.g. OPG, RPOs, National Police of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine) to identify evolving needs and coordinate the support efforts.
• Support the team lead/deputy lead with maintaining a regular dialogue with other actors, including international organisations and local CSOs, to foster meaningful collaboration, avoid duplication and promote complementarity and harmonisation of support.
• Support the team lead/deputy lead with the development and implementation of the team’s visibility and strategic engagement plan, in coordination with the Legal Outreach Coordinator, the Communications Lead, and other teams to ensure continuous public engagement with the team’s work.
• Prepare and review legal documents including legal analysis, advisory notes, memorandum, submissions to UN agencies etc.
• Attend meetings and other interactions with relevant stakeholders. Contribute to the planning and preparation for such meetings.
• Provide assistance during field missions, as required.
• Support with the planning and coordination of field missions, public events, roundtables.
• Support and contribute to the ongoing development of the team’s work by identifying potential areas for future activity and collaboration, consistent with strategic priorities.
• Perform other tasks as requested (or authorised) by the MJT Lead and reasonably foreseen under the scope of work.

Experience, Knowledge & Skills

• Ideally, 4+ years of relevant work experience in the field of law, especially in international, criminal, or human rights law.
• Degree in law (LLB mandatory; LLM preferred).
• Proven research / analytical experience.
• Practical experience working with Ukrainian justice actors, preferably within a national or international prosecution team.
• ICL / IHL experience, ideally in a practical application.
• Knowledge of the Ukrainian justice system, as well as criminal and criminal procedure legislation.
• Practical experience developing and delivering capacity-building activities.
• Flexible and creative; able to work in an unstructured, changeable & fast-moving environment, proactive, anticipating problems, and solutions orientated.
• Practical thinker and willing to support all aspects of a national investigative/prosecutorial strategy.
• Ability to identify emerging opportunities, think creatively, and develop strategic partnerships that strengthen coordination and promote visibility.
• Administratively competent; able to manage competing demands.
• Practical experience in working with highly sensitive material and an ability to demonstrate the requisite skill in storing, sharing, and working with such material.
• Fluency in English and Ukrainian, written and verbal skills.
• Fluency or competency in Russian is desirable.
• The ability to travel to the affected regions of Ukraine is desirable.

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV and a short cover letter (in English) to Application Form — Junior National Lawyer by the 9th November 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.