Senior legal counsel jobs in Oxford, oxfordshire

VIDERE

Videre is an award-winning, UK-registered NGO that exposes human rights abuses and holds perpetrators to account. We work directly with communities in stressed environments, equipping networks of activists and community leaders with the technology and training necessary to safely capture visual documentation of political violence, human rights violations, and other systemic abuses. Our aim is to ensure that the concerns and knowledge of affected communities drive advocacy, policy, and legal action.

POSITION SUMMARY

This is a critical senior role in the organisation, reporting to the Senior Director-Programming. The role is responsible for managing the organisation’s programmes across 2 locations in Sub Saharan Africa and South East Asia, line managing three people. The position provides leadership on direct programming for community-led investigations and evidence gathering as well as our CSO partnership programme in two geographies. The Head of Programmes works closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) on critical areas including fundraising and strategic development.   

The priority for this role is the safe and high quality performance of projects. The balance between ‘doing’ and ‘managing’ in this role varies depending on available resources for each project, and the ability to create competent teams to delegate to.

Location: UK, France, Nairobi or Thailand preferred. Remote applicants considered.

Package: Pay is dependent on location.  The UK salary of £62,000 plus pension contribution will be converted using ICSC scales. All locations receive 28 days annual leave, counselling support and annual wellbeing days.

Start date: 1st September

Duration: 7 months with possibility of extension

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Leadership and Delivery

• Working closely with the Senior Director- Programming, lead the development and implementation of programme strategy and annual plans, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and priorities.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the Project Teams for both direct investigations and local CSO partnerships, ensuring programmes are delivered safely, effectively and to a high standard.
• Act as a member of the Management Team, contributing to organisational planning, decision-making, continuous improvement and cross-organisational initiatives. 
• Work closely with the Senior Director – Programming and other colleagues to identify organisational risks, opportunities and areas for improvement. 
• Work closely with the Head of Development and SMT to contribute to proposal development, programme design and concept note drafting in support of organisational fundraising efforts.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with donors and programme partners throughout the project lifecycle, supporting effective communication, reporting and programme delivery.
• Ensure all aspects of programme design and delivery promote diversity, equity, inclusion and responsible partnership practices.

Civil Society Partnerships and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide strategic oversight of the organisation’s civil society partnership portfolio and approach in two geographic areas.
• Oversee staff responsible for partnership implementation to design, implement and continuously improve partnership and capacity strengthening activities, ensuring they have the guidance, resources and support required to deliver high-quality work.
• Ensure partnership activities are aligned with programme objectives, organisational strategy and donor commitments.
• Contribute to the development of organisational methodologies, learning and good practice relating to partnership working and capacity strengthening.

People Leadership

• Lead, support and develop a high-performing, inclusive and collaborative team culture.
• Provide ongoing management, coaching and mentoring to direct reports, including through annual performance reviews and regular development conversations.
• Support staff wellbeing and duty of care, ensuring teams have access to appropriate support and resources.
• Work with managers and staff to identify and facilitate learning and professional development opportunities.

Financial Management

• Oversee programme budgets and spending strategies, ensuring resources are managed effectively and in line with organisational priorities.
• Monitor programme expenditure and forecasts, ensuring appropriate financial oversight and accountability.
• Ensure compliance with organisational financial procedures, procurement requirements and donor regulations.
• Support the development of programme budgets for new funding proposals and organisational planning processes.

Security, Risk and Compliance

• Contribute actively to organisational security and risk management processes.
• Ensure programme activities are delivered in accordance with organisational policies, security procedures and compliance requirements.
• Support teams to identify, assess and manage operational, programmatic and security risks.
• Maintain oversight of security considerations affecting staff, investigators, partners and programme participants.
• Promote a culture of risk awareness, responsible decision-making and proactive risk management.
• Ensure the safety and quality of operational practices, including data collection, information management, secure data storage and transfer.

Skills, Experience and Characteristics

Essential

• Professional writing and speaking in either English or French, with at least effective operational efficiency in the other language (B2 or above).
• Experience managing teams or individuals across multiple international locations
• An understanding of risk management methodologies and experience applying them
• An understanding of human rights and a strong belief in their indivisibility and interdependence
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks effectively to meet deadlines and deliver high-quality results.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including experience working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams and building relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and effectively to diverse audiences.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, with the ability to respond to changing priorities and requirements.
• Commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of work.

Preferred

• Experience with human rights research, investigations or legal cases
• Experience with filming or documentary making
• Strong technology / IT skills and/or aptitude
• Experience with fundraising or confidence in public speaking and presenting

Application Process & Timeline

• Please submit your CV (maximum two pages) and a cover letter (maximum 400 words) describing your suitability for this position.
• Applications will close on Tuesday 7th July
• Interviews will be conducted remotely.
• We intend to complete the recruitment process by 31st July
• The successful candidate should be available to start work on Tuesday 1st September.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background. We acknowledge that people from certain backgrounds are under-represented in the human rights sector and we are committed to doing what we can to correct this. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities that we serve. Therefore, we are particularly keen to receive applications from people who identify with minority and/or underrepresented groups (whether on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status). We also value diversity in terms of personal and professional experience; believing that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create stronger and more creative working environments.