Legal Advocacy Coordinator

Brief description of the organization

Yazda is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2014 in response to the genocide committed by the self-declared Islamic State (“IS”) against the Yazidis and other communities in Iraq and Syria. Since its inception, Yazda has worked with local and international partners to provide Yazidi survivors, IDPs, and refugees with humanitarian, accountability, and advocacy services in their post-genocide recovery. Yazda has been working in Iraq since October 2014 and operates out of the main offices in Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and out of the Sinoni office in Sinjar in Nineveh Province. Yazda is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States and is registered in Erbil, Baghdad, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Australia

Project Background

The project “Beyond documentation: Strengthening Accountability and Justice for ISIL Crimes” aims to advance justice and accountability for ISIL crimes against Yazidis and other affected communities by supporting criminal accountability in third states while working on the root causes of the genocide and advocating for justice, accountability both nationally and internationally, the exhumation of mass graves and the return of the missing in Iraq.

Project Job Purpose

The Legal Advocacy Coordinator will support the documentation project and will lead Yazda’s advocacy work in direct collaboration with the Executive Director and the Program Coordinator, particularly focusing on legal advocacy to support the prosecution of ISIL members and national and international advocacy on transitional justice in Iraq.  

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Program Coordinator, the Legal Advocacy Coordinator is expected to fulfill to following duties:

Legal and Documentation Work

• Support Yazda’s efforts to achieve criminal accountability for crimes against Yazidis in international and domestic courts.
• Lead the development of case files on ISIL perpetrators and prepare reports for domestic and international advocacy by analyzing survivor and witness testimonies and crime scene evidence.
• Coordinate with law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial teams from third-party states, sharing information and evidence to support investigations and prosecutions of ISIL members.
• Conduct field-based and theoretical legal research; draft a range of legal documents, including position papers, reports, and legal briefs.
• Strengthen evidence collection and archiving processes, ensuring compliance with international standards, particularly for survivor interviews.

Advocacy Work

• Lead Yazda’s survivor-centered and trauma-informed advocacy initiatives, aligned with strategic objectives.
• Focus advocacy efforts on Yazda’s key priorities, including the return of missing persons, expediting mass grave exhumations, improving security in Sinjar, advancing criminal accountability, and ensuring full implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law.
• Provide support to the Executive Director and the Program Coordinator in engaging and coordinating with relevant stakeholders, including community members, government authorities, survivors, international and local NGOs, and coalition groups working on transitional justice in Iraq.

Reporting

• Document and report on all legal advocacy activities, ensuring programmatic targets are met.
• Contribute to donor reports, proposals, and budget development for activities related to legal advocacy.

Administrative and Other Tasks

• Perform all duties in accordance with internal procedures and the code of conduct, including operational tasks such as raising purchase requests (PRs) and completing timesheets.
• Undertake any additional tasks as assigned, provided they fall within the scope of the project’s mandate.

Requirements

Minimum experience: Minimum five years of relevant professional experience as an advocacy manager/coordinator or in a similar position in an NGO.

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree in law, political science, social sciences, or any relevant field. Lawyer preferred.

Required travel: Regular travel to Sinjar and other locations in Iraq and internationally.

• Master’s degree in law, human rights, international relations, political science, social sciences or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Strong understanding of international law, including human rights law and international criminal law.
• Proven experience in leading advocacy initiatives, with a particular focus on transitional justice (criminal accountability, reparations, truth-telling, guarantees of non-repetition) required.
• Knowledge of survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches to advocacy. Absolute respect of confidentiality and informed consent.
• Experience in legal research and drafting legal documents preferred.
• Excellent writing skills and proven experience in drafting advocacy materials including reports, letters and articles.
• Good inter-personal skills and ability to coordinate staff from different backgrounds and working from different locations.
• Knowledge of the Iraqi context and the crimes committed against the Yazidi community required.
• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• Experience in drafting donors’ reports preferred.
• Fluency in English (required)
• Knowledge of French, German, Dutch, Arabic, Kurdish, or other relevant languages is an asset.