The International Legal Foundation (ILF), a leading global advocate for the right to counsel for indigent accused, and a provider of legal aid services in post-conflict and transitional countries, is hiring a Research Officer to contribute to its work worldwide. Driven by the belief that every person accused of a crime, no matter their ability to pay, deserves to be represented by a well-trained lawyer, the ILF currently has public defender programs in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Tunisia and the West Bank. In addition to its ground-up work establishing the right to defense, the ILF also performs high-level world-wide advocacy, pushing countries, international institutions, and donors to prioritize legal aid as a fundamental humanright.
We are seeking a Research Officer to play a vital role in developing the ILF’s ability to engage in data-driven, evidence-based advocacy on global access to justice issues. Using recognized research methodologies and new areas of research, the Research Officer will be expected to gather and analyze data on access to justice, including defense representation, and present findings in an impactful way to a range of audiences.
Research Officer Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordinate with the ILF’s Managing Director, Program Directors and Senior Outreach and Advocacy Officer as well as the ILF country offices worldwide to determine research objectives;
- Design, advise, and lead the creation of overall ILF research strategy , and provide frequent project updates on progress of implementation of research plan;
- Develop innovative research projects based on the work of the ILF legal aid offices in post-conflict and transitioning countries, and the ILF’s global advocacy efforts;
- Support special research projects in response to direct assignments and requests;
- Design, advise and lead the collection, standardization and analysis of data from ILF legal aid offices around the world, as well as from other resources and assisting ILF legal aid offices in using case management systems to engage in effective data collection;
- Help the ILF identify global trends in access to justice and legal aid provision, and suggest ILF research projects relevant to these trends and issues;
- Suggest software that will improve the ILF’s ability to conduct research, including visualizing and interpreting data;
- Draft research reports and present findings to both global and national audiences;
- Identify potential funding possibilities for new and expanded ILF research projects, and work with the ILF’s Managing Director to draft research funding proposals;
- Assist in maintenance of ILF databases, and the ILF’s use of data on its website.
Research Officer Requirements and Qualifications
- Experience across a wide variety of social science research methods (quantitative and qualitative) and with a substantive background in an area of research related to indigent defense (e.g. criminal justice, criminology, political science, sociology, social work, etc);
- Experience evaluating program impacts;
- Experience in an environment working on or developing policy;
- Experience working with lawyers;
- Well-developed IT skills and the ability to make and link data sets and to adapt to new software;
- Bachelor’s degree in social science field required, Master’s preferred;
- Extensive and proven experience in field of research, including the development of written work and presentation on research conducted;
- Extensive knowledge of various methods for research;
- Experience using statistical analysis software;
- Proficient using Microsoft Suite;
- Knowledge and commitment to the ILF’s goals and values;
- Effective communicator both orally and written
Please submit your resume and cover letter by April 20th to:
HR Director at [email protected] or 315 West 39th Street, Room 507, New York, New York 10018.
No telephone inquiries please. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.