NDI Legal Advisor Job in Somalia

Legal Advisor

The National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) Somalia program is seeking a Legal Advisor to be a seconded consultant to the Office of the Speaker of the National Federal Parliament of Somalia, the House of the People (HoP). 

The Legal Advisor will provide technical assistance and advice to the Speaker and Members of Parliament (MPs) on both the parliament’s internal practices and on the substance of legislation before the HoP. This is a six-month assignment based in Mogadishu.

TOR:

• Respond to requests from the Speaker to review and provide advice regarding legislation, rules, and, regulations introduced/and or issued by the executive branch of government Serve as a liaison for the Speaker with the executive branch on technical aspects of legislation before the HoP.
• Advise the Speaker and the House Affairs Committee regarding laws passed by the HoP to ensure they are consistent with the Provisional Constitution as well as international treaties and conventions to which the government of Somalia is a signatory.
• Advise the Speaker and the House Affairs Committee regarding that the HoP is acting in compliance with the Provisional Constitution and its internal Rules of Procedure and provide advice on the use of the HoP’s Rules of Procedure.
• At the request of the Speaker, liaise with representatives of the Federal Member States of Somalia, civil society representatives, representatives from international organizations, and other interested parties on the technical aspects of legislation being or to be considered by the HoP.
• Assist parliamentary committees and other MPs in drafting legislation or scrutiny of draft laws and formulation of amendments and track issues that arise during the course of the assignment that may require legislative action.
• Write memorandums, briefing documents, and reports related to the above duties and responsibilities and provide briefings to the Speaker and other parliamentary members.
• Assist NDI team in tracking the progress of the HoP towards benchmarks for democratic legislatures and submission of weekly report on the work done to NDI.

Qualifications:

• Law degree; in addition, Master in Law (LL.M.) in comparative law or constitutional law preferred. 
• Minimum ten (10) years of relevant work experience with legislative bodies as an employee or consultant. 
• Experience with drafting and reviewing legislation related to constitutional implementation. 
• Experience with constitutional design issues including issues related to federalism.
• Experience in post-conflict settings highly preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required.
• Fluency in English required, fluency in Somali strongly preferred.

Kindly submit your application online to kssadmin@ndi.org no later than Tuesday, March 19 2013.The position is to be filled immediately. No phone calls please.