AMERA , Director of Legal Programming

VACANCY: DIRECTOR OF LEGAL PROGRAMMING Application Deadline: February 23, 2012

Africa & Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) is seeking a Director of Legal Programming (DLP) for its refugee rights program in Cairo, Egypt.

Working under the supervision of the Country Director, the DLP is responsible 1) to develop and supervise effective and adequate programming for AMERA-Egypt’s Legal Aid activities and 2) to manage the smooth operation and effective delivery of the Protection, Refugee Status Determination, Durable Solutions, and Community Facilitator services for refugees seeking asylum in Egypt. The DLP responsibilities include ensuring that AMERA’s quality standards in service provision are accomplished and providing supervision and support for all casework, with particular attention to vulnerable and complex cases. The DLP ensures that AMERA’s procedures and protocols are followed in order to ensure systematic service delivery. The DLP liaises and represents AMERA among partner organizations as required and supports AMERA’s advocacy strategies by seeking opportunities to advance AMERA’s efforts. The DLP is additionally responsible for ensuring the provision of training for all new staff and volunteers.

Responsibilities:

1. To supervise and collaborate with other members of the Senior Management Team and Team Leaders as required in the recruitment, training and supervision of paid staff and volunteers, ensuring that the teams operate effectively and efficiently and provide accurate and accessible information as required.
2. To appraise and support staff under direct supervision.
3. In cooperation with other members of the Senior Management Team, to ensure that staff and volunteer policies are up-to-date and operational across the organization.
4. To identify training needs and ensure regular training to meet the needs of staff as well as the teams as a whole.
5. In cooperation with other members of the Senior Management Team, to organize and oversee training for all new staff members and volunteers and to direct the provision of continuing education and professional development for the staff of other partner organizations..
6. To oversee regular team meetings and personal supervision sessions for members of the Durable Solutions, Protection, Refugee Status Determination and Community Facilitator teams.
7. To provide strategic leadership to staff members by developing a comprehensive plan for the Durable Solutions, Protection, Refugee Status Determination and Community Facilitator services provided by AMERA.
8. To work with teams to develop clear, accurate and comprehensive systems for implementing and recording all client contact, intervention, and follow-up.
9. To work closely with other members of the Senior Management Team to develop increased integration of all services and the general well-being of the organization.
10. To provide supervision for all teams including monitoring caseloads and overall programming by organizing individual supervision with team leaders individually.
11. To support Team Leaders in emergency interventions and vulnerable clients in risk.
12. To analyse trends and patterns and develop new initiatives according to the teams’ capacity, community needs and AMERA’s mandate.
13. To continue to develop already-established relationships with UNHCR, IOM, NGOs, CBOs and local service providers.
14. To participate in community and UNHCR projects and committees in order to strengthen services and increase public awareness of asylum seekers and refugees.
15. In collaboration with the Country Director, to liaise with donors and seek out funding opportunities.
16. To manage diverse funding activities, as required by the Country Director, including budget oversight, grant writing and reporting.
17. To support the Country Director in the development and implementation of AMERA’s overall strategic plan.
18. To provide monthly statistics and reports to the Country Director relating to programme activity; programming and staffing challenges; opportunities for programme development; and records on progress towards strategic plan implementation.
19. To oversee the management of the budgets of the Durable Solutions, Protection, Refugee Status Determination and Community Facilitator services and to communicate budgetary needs to the Country Director and Office Manager.
20. To assist in the development and implementation of the annual budget, providing departmental financial reports as required by the Country Director.

Qualifications: 1. English being the official language of the UNHCR Cairo as well as AMERA’s office, the DLP must be fluent in both oral and written English. Arabic is an advantage. 2. A Master’s degree – or demonstrated equivalence - in Law is required; experience working in human rights, with refugees and/or migrants preferred. 3. Knowledge and experience providing services to marginalized and vulnerable populations required. 4. A track record of closely supervising the work of team members and providing necessary follow-up. 5. Highly developed written and verbal communication skills. 6. A demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, supervise, guide, support and discipline team members as well as cooperate with peers. 7. Experience in organizational planning. 8. Budget management experience. 9. Basic understanding of UNHCR's services and processes. 10. Supervisory experience with a diverse staff. 11. Experience of fundraising 12. Project management experience from planning through evaluation. 13. Knowledge of Human Rights-based approaches.

How to apply:

Please send applications via email to vacancy@amera-uk.org by February 23 and include: 1) Cover letter 2) Resume/C.V.

In the subject line of your email, please include your last name and “DLP application”