Jobs, Internships, and Volunteering

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The Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA) is seeking a full-time, legal consultant to work with our Human Rights and the Environment Program.  The position is open to experienced attorneys from any country in the Americas who have worked on international human rights or environmental law in a Latin American context.  Candidates must show a clear commitment to public interest work, and have excelled in their professional and academic careers.

AIDA is a nonprofit, non-governmental, environmental law organization that works throughout the hemisphere to strengthen people’s ability to guarantee their individual and collective right to a healthy environment, via the development, implementation, and effective enforcement of national and international law.  The Human Rights and Environment program combines advocacy in human rights and environmental law to protect the right to a healthy environment and other human rights.  We work on cases and projects protecting vulnerable communities from harms related in particular to large dams, mining, global climate change, and other severe environmental threats.

Primary Responsibilities:

·         Assist the Co-Executive Directors in setting the over-all strategy and direction for the Human Rights and the Environment Program, including establishing objectives and goals, identifying new cases and projects, and developing and implementing work-plans;

·         Develop, coordinate, and pursue strategic litigation, both internationally and domestically, relating to environmental degradation that affects human rights;

·         Provide expert advice on international human rights and environmental law;

·         Conduct legal research and write and review reports, briefs, and other documents related to ongoing advocacy efforts;

·         Work with other organizations to plan, design, and implement legal strategies to establish key precedents in, and promote compliance with, environmental and human rights law;

·         Advocate before international bodies including the OAS and the UN, regional governments, and international financial institutions, and participate in conferences and meetings;

·         Supervise the legal work of junior attorneys, interns, and volunteers.

Secondary Responsibilities:

·         Assist with communications work to publicize cases, projects, and precedents, including writing press releases, website descriptions, blogs, or articles, and representing AIDA before the media; 

·         Assist with institutional fundraising efforts, preparing reports and proposals related to the work;

·         Contribute to AIDA’s legal education and capacity building initiatives in the hemisphere, including coordination with domestic partners throughout the region, developing training workshops and materials, and mentoring attorneys and organizations;

·         Participate in organizational development and internal capacity building efforts.

Requirements:

·         National or international graduate degree in law (or undergraduate degree in law combined with postgraduate studies in another field) and professional legal license from home country;

·         Minimum three years of relevant work experience in legal practice related to human rights and/or environmental issues;

·         Knowledge of international human rights and environmental law and legal mechanisms, particularly the rules of procedure and complaint mechanisms of the Inter-American System of Human Rights and of UN human rights mechanisms;

·         Knowledge of home country’s administrative, environmental, and constitutional law;

·         Familiarity with regional issues related to human rights and the environment, and the social context of such issues in distinct countries of the region; Experience working directly with communities affected or threatened by environmental degradation a plus;

·         Fluency in spoken and written English and Spanish; Knowledge of Portuguese preferred.

Desired qualifications:

·         Demonstrated commitment to public interest work and values aligned with AIDA’s mission;

·         Excellent communication, time management, organizational, and work planning skills;

·         Ability to consistently meet multiple deadlines and work under pressure;

·         Clear, professional writing style and presentation skills;

·         Demonstrated initiative, leadership, and ability to think strategically, and to develop creative and out-of-the-box solutions;

·         Self-motivated with an excellent capacity for teamwork;

·         Cultural sensitivity, good political judgment and the ability to work effectively in dynamic, cross-cultural settings with people from diverse economic, social, and political backgrounds;

·         Availability for significant travel.

Terms and conditions:

Location: Preferably in either Mexico City, Mexico; or Bogota, Colombia.

Salary: Negotiable, salary will be competitive based on cost of living and experience

Contract: Independent consultant for 1-year term, with possibility of renewal

Hours: Full time

Application materials:

·         Cover letter, indicating applicant’s interest in the position, relevant experience, and why the applicant would be a good fit for the program and for AIDA

·         Updated résumé or CV

·         Short English writing sample (couple page max.)

·         Short Spanish writing sample (at least one writing sample should demonstrate legal reasoning and research)

·         Contact information for three references (at least one from a recent employer)

·         Applicants should send materials to: aida@aida-americas.org (please mention “HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANT” in the subject line).

Application Deadline: MARCH 31st, 2012

DATE FOR BEGINNING CONTRACT: June 1^st, 2012

(Please note: This is a rolling admission and therefore we will make a job offer as soon as we have identified a qualified candidate.  Please apply as soon as possible.)