Legal Protection, Specialist, HIAS Romania

at  HIAS Inc

POSITION SUMMARY

This role aims to provide legal support and guidance to refugees, forced migrants, and third-country nationals in Romania. This role will also involve provision of AID to refugees, asylum seekers, and other forced migrants through the provision of individual asylum counseling and casework, research in support of individual representation provided by lawyers before the Romanian authorities and courts, group asylum information presentations, assistance with family reunification, issues of discrimination, labor abuse, human rights abuse, and another protection-related advocacy

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:

• An undergraduate or graduate degree in a relevant field (e.g. international law, human rights, refugee law, international relations, political science)
• Extensive experience in supporting legal cases.
• Min. of 5 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent drafting, analytical, and communication skills.
• Experience in documenting asylum seekers and refugee cases before civil and criminal judicial proceedings
• Knowledge of international refugee law, human rights law, and application preferred.
• Knowledge of country conditions in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, and other refugee-producing countries preferred.
• Ability to flexibly adapt to a changing legal, emergency-response environment.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

• Romanian – preferably fluent (native)
• English and France – excellent oral and written
• Arabic is a distinctive advantage.

DISCLAIMER

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills required or permanent location. Location is subject to change based on programmatic needs. Flexibility is essential as we grow and develop. The successful candidate must be comfortable in a fast-paced, changing work environment with many crucial deadlines. All team members may be required to perform duties outside of their normal work hours of responsibilities as needed.

ABOUT US:

Over one hundred years ago, the Jewish community founded HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, our founders were guided by the traditions, texts and history of the Jewish people—a history of oppression, displacement and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence because of who they were, and HIAS remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, our clients at HIAS come from diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, as do our staff. We bring our experience, history and values to our work across five continents, ensuring that refugees today receive the vital services and opportunities they need to thrive.
HIAS is a learning community, committed to diversity and inclusion. We do our work with integrity, accountability, transparency and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We seek employees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join our teams located in the United States and across the globe. People who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experiences of forced displacement or immigration are all encouraged to apply. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our vision, mission and values.

• Represents clients by attending registration, admissibility, family reunification, and asylum interviews.
• Draft asylum and family reunification case submissions and other case materials.
• Draft case profiles for cases of discrimination or labor abuse cases.
• Supports Romania lawyers who represent clients before civil and criminal court proceedings.
• Compiles biographical data, persecution stories, and evidence to produce comprehensive case submissions.
• Conduct interviews with individual refugees, third-country nationals, and families.
• Communicate with the authorities regularly regarding updates on cases and changes in procedures.
• Advocates for client access to due legal procedures.
• Provides legal information and counseling (group and/or through individual sessions) to refugees and migrants on asylum, refugee law, family reunification procedures, and proceedings before civil and criminal courts.
• Attends meetings and builds relations with legal and other partners.
• Refers to refugees and forced migrants to assistance from partners, as needed.
• Mentors and assists volunteer attorneys from around the world.