The Legal Strategies, Innovation and Research (LSIR) Department is looking for an enthusiastic, resourceful, and highly organized legal fellow with a commitment to reproductive rights issues to engage in a variety of legal research and writing projects. LSIR serves as the central focal point for innovation, legal strategy development, global alignment, and thought leadership within the Programs Department. The legal fellow may be based out of any of the Center’s offices where they have work authorization (Bogota, Colombia; Geneva, Switzerland; Nairobi, Kenya; New York, New York; or Washington D.C.) in a hybrid model of 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home.

This fellowship will provide the successful candidate with an in-depth understanding of the key reproductive rights issues at the global and regional levels, strong legal research and writing skills, and experience using legal advocacy and international human rights law to advance reproductive rights around the world.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Legal Strategies, Innovation & Research Legal Fellows support the Center’s global priorities and are responsible for legal and policy analysis on a variety of global reproductive rights issues, including by:

Conducting legal and policy research and analysis on international and regional human rights law, as well as comparative national-level law;

Assisting in the development and drafting of fact sheets, articles, and other advocacy documents positioning reproductive rights as fundamental human rights;

Supporting thought leadership initiatives to advance key reproductive rights issues globally;

Conducting legal research and analysis on national-level abortion laws to advance the Center’s groundbreaking World Abortion Laws Map;

Engaging with legal experts across the Center to support the development and operationalization of legal principles on key reproductive rights topics, including abortion, maternal health, assisted reproduction and capacity and consent;

Providing technical assistance to other teams at the Center, as well as to partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders, and;

Using editing skills to assist with blue booking and fact-checking of reports, petitions, shadow letters, and other documents, as needed.

Qualifications: 

Candidates with a degree in law and knowledge of international and regional human rights law are eligible to apply. Candidates should have demonstrated interest and experience in sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equity and/or health rights. The candidate should be capable of complex legal analytical work and possess excellent writing, editing, research and oral advocacy skills.

Fluency in Spanish or French is a plus, but not required

Don’t meet every single requirement? At the Center, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Behavioral Competencies:

Develop & Manage Self & Others: Takes ownership of individual growth in order to achieve full potential; recognizes the value of team members and helps them develop their full potential while also achieving set objectives.

Collaboration (People First): Works intra- and/or cross-departmentally to support the goals and overarching strategies of the Center and its strategic plan.

Feedback (Improve & Innovate): Actively engaged in feedback cycles: Gives and requests feedback to and from peers, supervisors and direct reports about work products, behaviors, values, style, and approaches with a view on how this impacts self, other individuals, and teams.

Accountability: Follow-through on each commitment made to individual contributors, teams and partners and proactively informs others of any delays that occur along the way.

Work Competencies:

Project Management: Works effectively on project teams in order to achieve long-term project goal and objectives.

Problem Solve & Make Decisions: Identifies, analyzes and resolves existing and anticipated problems, using common sense to make timely decisions in order to reach the best solutions for the organization.

Internal/External Focus: Anticipates internal and external partner’s needs; assesses requirements and identifies new solutions that align with overall goals and objectives of the organization.

Communication & Influence: Communicates with and influences others to gain agreement and commitment to the strategic goals of the organization.