MINELRES: ERRC: Legal Director vacancy announcement

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <errc@errc.org> 



The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), the leading legal advocacy
organisation on behalf of Roma in Europe, is looking for a Legal
Director to manage and guide its Legal programmes.

The ERRC is a public interest law organization which defends the human
rights of the Roma (Gypsies) throughout Europe and serves as a legal
resource center for advocates working in this field.  The ERRC pursues
its objectives by engaging in legal defense, research, monitoring and
reporting, education and advocacy.  The ERRC legal defense programme
conducts litigation, pursues legal advocacy, and engages in legal
training for Roma rights advocates.

The Legal Director, based in Budapest, Hungary, develops and implements
legal strategy in the field of Roma rights; supervises the work of staff
attorneys, legal collaborators and consultants, and oversees a docket of
human rights litigation on behalf of Roma throughout Europe; drafts and
reviews legal submissions to international judicial fora; assists local
counsel in litigating before domestic courts; forges and nourishes links
with a broad network of public interest attorneys, NGOs, and
inter-governmental monitoring organs; designs legal training programs
for lawyers engaged in Roma rights advocacy; and reviews ERRC
publications for their legal accuracy. Reporting to the Executive
director, the Legal Director assists in management, budgeting, staffing
and the establishment of organisation-wide priorities. The Legal
Director is responsible for maintaining the ERRC Legal Advisory Network
and for keeping abreast of emerging trends in the fields of human rights
and anti-discrimination law.

The successful candidate will have:

1) A track record of significant human rights and anti-discrimination
test litigation experience before international courts/bodies including
the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg;

2) Extensive litigation experience and excellent understanding of the
legal systems and human rights/anti-discrimination legislation in
Europe;

3) A demonstrated capacity to develop and apply successfully innovative
legal strategies;

4) Excellent English language legal writing skills, and fluency in both
written and spoken  English; good working knowledge of at least one
Eastern European language would be an advantage;

5) Strong management and interpersonal skills.

Prior work experience with public interest law organizations focusing on
impact human rights and anti-discrimination litigation is a distinct
advantage. A diverse and extensive network of non-governmental,
governmental and professional contacts in Europe is a plus.

Salary and Benefits: Competitive, depending on experience.

Applicants should submit a cover letter and detailed curriculum vitae,
together with an English-language legal writing sample and a list of
three references, before February 24, 2005, by mail or e-mail to:

         Ms Azam Bayburdi
                 Executive Assistant
                 European Roma Rights Center
                 H-1386 Budapest- 62
                 P.O. Box 906/93
                 Hungary
                 Tel. +36 1 413 2200;
                 Fax (36-1) 428-2356
                 E-mail: azam@errc.org

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Interviews of
short-listed candidates will take place in Budapest on March 7.