Organisational Context

The Office of the Prosecutor (“OTP”) is an independent organ of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”). It is responsible for examining situations under the jurisdiction of the Court where genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes appear to have been committed, and carrying out investigations and prosecutions against the individuals who are allegedly most responsible for those crimes.

The Gender and Children Unit sits within the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) and consists of core staff, seconded colleagues, and a small number of interns. The Unit focuses on gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children, providing technical support to all OTP teams and building their capacity with respect to these thematic areas. It contributes to preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecutions of these crimes and supports the development and implementation of relevant policies, protocols, guidelines, and practice tools. The Unit’s capacity-building efforts include the facilitation of staff trainings, coordination of an internal focal point network across Unified Teams, and support to OTP colleagues utilizing relevant practice tools. Finally, GCU supports the development of key relationships with relevant external actors (e.g., UN entities, international and local NGOs) to enable cross-pollination of best practices and knowledge sharing.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head, Gender and Children Unit, the Legal Officer will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• To provide legal and advisory support to the Office in the implementation of relevant OTP Policies and practical guidance, including the preparation of legal memos particularly related to Crimes Against and Affecting Children (CAAC);
• To provide case-specific legal advice and support to the Unified Teams particularly with respect to CAAC, including in the development and review of mission plans, investigation plans, and preparation of filings;
• To contribute to the development and implementation of CAAC-focused training curricula, analytical, and practice tools across Unified Teams;
• To directly support Unified Teams with short-term deployment to support CAAC-specific investigative, analytical, or trial-related efforts;
• To keep abreast and inform the Office, as appropriate, of new jurisprudential and practical developments with respect to CAAC;
• To assist with building awareness related to CAAC work across OTP, including through coordination of relevant aspects of the OTP Focal Point network and assisting with supervision of GCU interns and Visiting Professionals
• To contribute to GCU’s ongoing monitoring and evaluation efforts to ensure robust implementation of relevant Office Policies;
• To liaise with external networks on issues relating to CAAC and to ensure relevant OTP colleagues benefit from these external resources, activities, and opportunities;
• Perform other duties as required.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree in Law, is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years (7 years with a first level university degree) of relevant professional experience related to the investigation and prosecution of crimes against and affecting children is required.
• Demonstrated experience in organizing and delivering technical trainings focused on working with children, highly preferred.
• Experience with PEACE model of interviewing and key principles related to the forensic interviewing of children would be a desirable asset.

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Strong background in legal research and writing, required.
• Strong research and analysis skills (factual and legal);
• Substantial familiarity with relevant ICC jurisprudence and OTP Policies, particularly the 2023 Children’s Policy and the 2023 Policy on Gender-based Crimes;
• Familiarity with human rights instruments and relevant international guidelines related to children’s rights in the context of legal processes;
• Understanding and application of concepts of intersectionality and trauma-informed approaches in the context of the investigation and prosecution of international crimes;
• Excellent drafting and argumentative skills;
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills;
• Strong computer and IT skills;
• Strong planning and organizational skills;
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work effectively under tight deadlines;
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds
• Tact, discretion and accuracy in handling confidential information;
• Professional and personal integrity.

Knowledge of languages:

Fluency in either of the working languages of the Court, English or French, is required.. Working knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another official language of the Court would be considered an asset (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish).