Short Description
Reference Number: Legal Officer
Salary Grade: B2
Report to: Operational Legal Coordinator
Duty Station: Yangon (frequent travel to subsites)
Application Deadline: 3/07/3036
Start date: As soon as possible.
What we do
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. Established in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Please visit www.icrc.org for more information.
Purpose
The ICRC Legal Unit is looking for a Legal Officer to be based in it’s Yangon Office. Under supervision, instructions and guidance from the Operational Legal Coordinator, the Legal Officer advises the Legal Department on International humanitarian law (IHL) and other national or international legal matters. S/he initiates and formulates strategies to address identified issues, with particular focus on ICRC’s operational needs. S/he carries out research on and analysis of specific legal matters.
Accountabilities & functional responsibilities
- Provide legal advice on national and international frameworks, focusing on IHL and operational needs.
- Draft legal analyses, notes, and reviews for delegation documents, activities, and management inquiries.
- Monitor national legal developments, IHL implementation, and conflict classification to advise on delegation positioning.
- Develop and execute strategies for IHL promotion, implementation, and dissemination.
- Conduct independent research on political and legal issues, synthesizing findings into a trackable database.
- Undertake field missions to deliver legal support, guidance, and training to sub-sites and field teams.
- Build and maintain a mapped network of partners (authorities, armed forces, civil society, academics, etc.).
- Represent the delegation externally, including meetings, conferences, and official correspondence preparation.
- Deliver IHL presentations to diverse audiences and contribute to translation of legal documents (English–Myanmar).
- Monitor contextual developments and ensure internal departments are updated on relevant changes in the national legal framework. .
Our values
- At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.
Reports to (role)
- Operational Legal Coordinator IHL
People management responsibilities
No
Scope & impact
- Contributes to formulating and achieving delegation objectives in the contexts covered.
- Participates in the annual planning and budget exercise (Planning for Results) and monitors implementation of the legal aspects and promotion of IHL.
Relationships
- Internally, interacts/cooperates within the delegation and, as relevant, with the Regional Legal Coordinator/Adviser or Operational Legal Coordinator/Adviser.
- Externally, interacts with partners/contacts, including international organizations, dealing with relevant legal and thematic issues (e.g. lawyers, bar associations, the judiciary, parliament, the Attorney-General's Department, relevant UN agencies, international and national NGOs, prison working groups, etc.), and with academic circles.
Certifications / Education required
- University degree (Master's or equivalent) in International Law, IHL, Human Rights Law, or a related legal field, with specialized training in IHL, international criminal law, or refugee law strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated academic foundation in legal research, legal writing, comparative legal analysis, and the intersection of national and international legal frameworks.
- Minimum 2 professional legal experience with an international organization, NGO, government body, or in armed conflict/emergency contexts.
- In-depth knowledge of IHL and Myanmar's domestic legal framework; fluency in English and Myanmar (written and spoken) with legal drafting and translation proficiency.
- Willingness to undertake frequent field missions and proven ability to engage diverse stakeholders (government, military, civil society, academic, religious circles).
- Strong presentation, facilitation, and report-writing skills, plus proficiency in Microsoft Office.
