Legal and Policy Officer – Iraq (National)

Department: Operations

Duty Station: Baghdad

Contract Type: Part time (75%)

Contract duration: 12 months

Direct report: Thematic Advisor

Grade: Officer

*Only Iraqi citizens or candidates holding a valid work permit for Iraq will be considered.*

Mission

Geneva Call is a neutral and impartial non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting respect by Armed Groups and De Facto and/or Provisional Authorities (AGDAs) for international humanitarian norms in armed conflict and other situations of violence, in particular those related to the protection of civilians. Geneva Call focuses its efforts on banning the use of anti-personnel mines, protecting children from the effects of armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence in armed conflict, working towards the elimination of gender discrimination, protecting civilian infrastructure, and ensuring humanitarian access.

Role

The Legal & Policy Officer provides legal and policy support to the Iraq mission, leading the contextualization and adaptation of legal and policy outputs to support programme implementation. The role focuses on ensuring that legal and policy outputs are adapted to local contexts and responsive to a complex and rapidly evolving conflict environment, ensures coherency and quality of locally used and adapted legal and policy outputs, and strengthens the capacity of field teams, partners, and relevant external actors through training and facilitation.

The position is based in Baghdad with regular travel to field locations.

Work relations

The Legal and Policy Officer reports to Thematic Advisor and has a technical reporting line to the country director, and to the Head of Policy, Research, and Legal Unit (PRL). The role works closely with the Head of programmes, programme staff, MEAL and PRL to ensure alignment with Geneva Call’s legal and policy positions, quality standards, and engagement approaches.

Externally, the role supports engagement with national authorities, partners and other relevant stakeholders, to support programme implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Legal and policy

• Adapt legal and policy outputs, such as analysis, guidance notes, training materials, engagement tools, and dissemination materials to local contexts and to diverse audiences to support programme implementation
• Review the coherency and quality of locally used and/or developed legal and policy outputs to ensure alignment with Geneva Call approaches and standards, and flags gaps or inconsistencies
• Provide support on thematic legal and policy questions in alignment with the mission’s thematic priorities
• Support engagement with relevant external stakeholders with legal and policy input, including local authorities and donors
• Propose improvement to legal and policy outputs, tools, and approaches based on local experience
• Provide legal and policy input for internal and donor reporting
• Support the integration of gender and intersectional perspectives into legal and policy outputs, including engagement tools, training modules, and dissemination material

Research

• Contribute to research projects with legal and policy input to research methodologies, data collection, and analysis

Training and Capacity Strengthening

• Train and support field staff and partners on international humanitarian law and human rights and thematics in alignment with the mission’s thematic priorities.
• Contextualize and adapt awareness raising, training, and training of trainer modules for local contexts and programme needs
• Promote consistent application of Geneva Call’s legal and policy approaches and standards across the field team
• Provide on the job mentoring to field teams and partners to strengthen legal and policy integration into programme implementation

Engagement tools and approaches

• Support the design and adaptation of engagement approaches, methodologies, and tools to fit the local context
• Support compliance assessments or evaluations of commitments and associate activities with legal and policy input

Local law monitoring

• Monitor relevant local legal and regulatory developments and flag potential implications for Geneva Call’s operations and programme implementation
• Support the mission’s compliance with applicable local legal frameworks by providing input and analysis as required.

Requirements

Education (Essential)

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in Law or related field (e.g. international relations, political science)

Education (Desirable)

• Master’s degree in international law, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights Law, International Relations or a related field; or equivalent certified training

Experience (Essential)

• At least 6 years of overall work experience, including 2 or more relevant legal and policy work experience
• Familiarity with local legal frameworks applicable to INGOs

Experience (Desirable)

• Experience working in humanitarian or conflict-affected environments
• Experience engaging with armed groups and de facto and/or provisional authorities
• Experience in designing and delivering training to diverse audiences
• Familiarity with gender and intersectional approaches in International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights or Protection of Civilians framework

Job related competencies and technical skills

• Strong analytical, research, and legal interpretation skills
• Excellent writing, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and operate in complex environments

Organisational competencies

• Understanding and respect for humanitarian principles and Geneva Call’s vision, mission, values, and confidentiality
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Collaborative, team-orientated and solutions-orientated approach

Language (Essential)

• Full professional proficiency in Arabic and English, written and spoken.

Language (Desirable)

• Knowledge of Kurdish is a plus.

Additional information

• Testing and interviewing will be used as a form of screening.
• Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory professional references.
• Additional background checks may be required.

Why join Geneva Call?

Geneva Call consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. Geneva Call is an inclusive working environment for all staff. Applications are particularly encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion and disability.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the protection of civilians in armed conflict by advancing Geneva Call’s humanitarian mission in Iraq. As a Legal and Policy Officer, you will support humanitarian engagement with conflict-affected communities and armed actors, contribute to legal and policy analysis, and play a key role in promoting respect for international humanitarian norms in a dynamic and challenging environment.

For Application: Please only submit your CV and cover letter, by August 27th, 2026, by following the application link:

application link

Our HR team will meticulously evaluate your profile in line with the requirements of the post you have applied for. Since we receive a good number of applications for all the positions Geneva Call advertises, it is not possible to communicate the results of our decisions with every candidate individually. Therefore, only the short-listed candidates will be contacted by the HR team to invite them for written test – and the steps afterwards if they qualify i.e., interview and other assessments as deemed appropriate.

By submitting your application, you consent to Geneva Call sharing your CV internally, where necessary, for the purposes of assessing your suitability for current or future employment opportunities.