IRC: Legal Assistant-Der Ezzor – Damascus

Background/Context:

The IRC has operated in Syria since 2012, providing protection, health, economic recovery, and early childhood development programs in Idleb, Aleppo, Ar-Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Deir ez-Zor, with new programs expanding into Hama, rural Damascus, and Homs. With a team of over 700 members, the IRC has established trust and strong community relationships, ensuring access and effective service delivery. It plays a significant role in Syria’s NGO, donor, and coordination forums, holding key positions and adapting to the evolving context.

With the new realities under the new government, as of December 2024, the IRC has deployed a team to Damascus to set up operations and engage in coordination structures for newly accessible areas across Syria—including parts of NES, NWS, and other previously unreachable locations in South and Central Syria,

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Protection

The IRC has been delivering protection programs in the northwest since 2013 and in the northeast of Syria since 2014, focusing on Protection/Rule of Law (PRoL), Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), and Child Protection (CP). These efforts include specialized case management, PSS, protection monitoring, service mapping, and advocacy. Collaborating with partners, IRC improves access to protection services, raises community awareness, and strengthens referral pathways. Protection capacity building, community outreach, and rapid response through mobile protection teams have also been provided since 2017.

Job Overview/Summary:

This position will be based in Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, with a focus on supporting the implementation of Protection Rule of Law (PRoL) programs in Northeast Syria. The IRC is scaling up its PRoL portfolio in the region, including the addition of legal assistance activities. The Legal Assistant will play a key role in supporting and expanding the legal component of IRC’s protection programming. They will directly support vulnerable refugees, IDPs, and host community members to access their legal rights through awareness sessions, individual counselling, and legal assistance. In addition, the Legal Assistant will contribute to protection monitoring activities and support referrals to specialized services as needed. The Legal Assistant will report to the IP Prevention Officer.

Major Responsibilities:

The Legal Assistant will directly implement legal support in IRC areas including:

Provide mobile legal assistance and counseling to vulnerable beneficiaries unable to access their rights independently, including those from Women and Girls Safe Spaces, Child Protection, and Health programs under an integrated approach.

Conduct mobile field visits within communities and camps according to monthly work plans.

Carry out protection monitoring activities using household-level assessments, key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and direct observation to identify protection risks, trends, and needs.

Facilitate referrals to specialized services based on identified needs, ensuring safe, timely, and confidential referral pathways.

Input and update beneficiary data into legal case management tools, and periodically disaggregate and analyze data gathered during legal assistance and protection monitoring activities in paper or electronic filing systems.

Map existing legal services and administrative bodies in the area and regularly update this mapping to support referrals and service provision.

Research and update regulations, laws, and legal articles to assist with the preparation of reports, case files, and legal advice, particularly related to civil documentation and Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) laws, procedures, and practices.

Maintain regular communication with clients by keeping them informed of case progress and ensuring follow-up on legal and protection-related issues.

Coordination:

Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders including other NGOs, civil society groups, authorities, and UN agencies

Develop and continuously update a service mapping system detailing available services and assistance in IRC areas of operation

Ensure that other IRC sectors are efficiently and confidentiality referring cases to the team based on selected criteria’s

Other:

Other relevant duties as assigned by the supervisor to support the implementation of the program

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

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: IP Prevention Officer.

Indirect Reporting: Senior PRoL Manager, Protection Information Management Office
Internal contacts: IRC protection staff, Senior IP Managers

External contacts: Local INGO and NGOs and community focal points

Job Requirements:

Educational background in Law; bachelors Masters degrees

A lawyer with at least two years of experience in similar field

Understanding of international human rights and local laws.

Personal qualities: Team player, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well.

Fluency in Arabic required; English preferred.

Desired:

At least 1 year of NGO experience

Good computer skills such as: MS Word, Excel, Power point.