Job Vacancy: Legal Officer
Programme/Dept.: Operations
Reports to: Operations, People & Culture Manager
Supervision: Interns
Duty Station: Nairobi Office, with regular travel to the field
Job duration: 2 years
ABOUT TI-KENYA
Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya) is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to contribute to a transparent and corruption-free society. TI-Kenya is one of the autonomous chapters of the global Transparency International movement that is bound by a common vision of a corruption-free world. TI-Kenya has established Regional Offices in Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa and Nairobi to enhance its presence and impact in these regions. The Regional Offices incorporate the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) established in collaboration with partners as a strategic initiative aimed at empowering citizens to actively participate in the fight against corruption and demand for accountability.
JOB SUMMARY
The jobholder is tasked with proving sound legal advice to the institution in regard to both internal and external legal affairs. (S)he will be charged with coordinating public interest litigation cases, leading legislative drafting and reviews, drafting legal opinions and other relevant documents, conducting legal reviews of key documents, and undertaking legal research. The legal officer will also work closely with the Communications team to support strategic, high-level advocacy and media interventions.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Coordinate Public Interest Litigations
• Oversee/Conduct legal research, drafting, review and filing of pleadings, legal opinions and legal documents;
• Oversee drafting and filing of pleadings in the appropriate courts;
• Attendance of any litigation matters in court and tracking of key court processes including updating of court dates.
2. Legal advice
• Give accurate and timely counsel to the Executive Director, Management Team and Staff on legal matters;
• Support the drafting and review of contracts, internal policies and other organisational documents requiring legal review;
• Provide legal advice on institutional compliance to relevant laws and regulations;
3. Legislative drafting and review
• Coordinate the drafting and review of all corruption related legislation amendments or proposed laws;
• Coordinate submissions including oral presentations for memoranda and legal opinions drafted on legislative amendments and proposed laws.
4. Strategic Advocacy and Public Communications
• In liaison with the communications unit, support strategic, high level advocacy and media, and other public-centred interventions;
• Support institutional advocacy and reform initiatives;
• Translate TI-Kenya research findings into legal reform initiatives and advocate for their adoption;
• Coordinate the development and review of advocacy strategies related to TI-Kenya legal interventions;
• Write well thought out publishable articles every two months for management’s consideration focusing on anti-corruption;
• Maintain an active presence on social media that is interfaced with TI-Kenya’s presence in line with the organisation’s social media policy and guidelines, to advance anti-corruption advocacy;
• In conjunction with the Communications department, initiate and participate in mainstream and social media engagements focusing on pertinent corruption issues.
5. Strategic Planning and Development, Programme Management and Reporting
• Oversee legal programmatic interventions including quality control;
• Responsible for the development, implementation and reporting of all aspects of legal programmes in line with TI-Kenya’s mandate, and strategic plan;
• Support the development and effective implementation and reporting of the legal interventions in the TI-Kenya Strategic Plan;
6. Coordination, Networking and External Relationships
• Identify and support the development of collaborative legal initiatives with likeminded institutions.
• Establish and coordinate constructive and sustainable networks/partnerships with relevant partners.
7. Good Practice and Institutional Learning
• Provide support to the development of structured opportunities to facilitate internal and partner learning on best legal practices;
• Support the development of sustainability plans and strategies for legal interventions by TI-Kenya.
8. Resource Mobilisation & Budget Management
• Develop and track budgets, and monitor programme expenditure against budgets for legal interventions;
• Take lead in the development of resourcing strategies for legal interventions;
• Lead social enterprise and local resource mobilization efforts in line with the objectives of legal interventions.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• A Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB)
• Diploma in law from Kenya School of Law
• At least 5 years’ post qualification experience in public interest litigation and in designing and implementation of governance projects
• In-depth understanding of court processes and procedures
• Ability to carry out legal research
• Highly analytical and meticulous
• Prior experience supervising staff and short-term experts/consultants.
COMPETENCIES
• A person of high integrity that will model TI-Kenya’s core values;
• A strong commitment to the aims, objectives, and values of TI-Kenya;
• Good communication, and presentation skills – verbal and written;
• Strong interpersonal / relational skills;
• Good appreciation of advocacy and public engagement
• Computer literate (word processing, spreadsheets, database management);
• Demonstrated merit in work performance and results;
• High level of good judgment.
• Good report writing skills;
• Ability to multi-task, work within given deadlines/schedules and attention to detail;
• Excellent analytical and organisational skills.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested and qualified candidates MUST complete the questionnaire by clicking the link: https://forms.gle/1NDm3cA8zgdrFmYi9
The deadline for receiving applications is COB, 14th July 2024.
Safeguarding: TI-Kenya holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment and Abuse (SEAH) in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. The organisation has strict policies which outline the expected behavior, code of conduct and responsibility of all persons acting on behalf of TI-Kenya, including policies to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. If selected, we will perform a background check on you and request that you submit a police certificate of good conduct. By submitting your application, you commit to act in compliance with TI-Kenya’s values, policies, and processes.
DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policy: All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to ethnicity, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic that has no bearing on the ability to perform the required job duties. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Due to the high volume of applications, we receive, only shortlisted candidates who qualify to the next recruitment stage will be contacted.
Data Protection: By submitting your application, you consent and irrevocably authorise TI-Kenya to use your personal data to further process your engagement with the organisation.
Disclaimer: Please note that TI-Kenya does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process and we do not recruit through recruitment agents. Do not attach your testimonials or certificates.