Community Advocate Consultant (Netherlands)

Reports to: Team Lead – Case Building

Location(s): The Netherlands (remote)

About the Consultancy:

The Community Advocate consultant will conduct SJAC’s outreach activities in the Netherlands, including networking with Syrian victims and activists as well as the development of relationships with local and Syrian NGOs and human rights groups. He or she will increase awareness of SJAC’s mission and goals and engage with community leaders to emphasize the importance of participating in the outreach events. The community advocate will work to conduct targeted outreach with marginalized groups in their communities, while also conducting documentation activities through interviews with relevant witnesses.

SJAC anticipates that the selected candidate will work approximately 20 hours per week.

General Duties:

• Promote awareness of victims’ rights and the participation of Syrians in national justice mechanisms in the Netherlands
• Conduct interviews with witnesses and survivors/victims of violations and collect other first-hand documentation as appropriate;
• Publicize SJAC’s events through local job centers, places of worship, community centers, libraries and other venues, with attention to the inclusion of marginalized communities. They will also engage with community leaders to emphasize the importance of participating in the outreach events;
• Increase awareness of universal jurisdiction prosecutions in The Netherlands among Syrian communities and contribute to SJAC’s universal jurisdiction publications;
• Track activities and news for UJ cases and investigations in The Netherlands.
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with human rights groups and activists in the relevant country (the Netherlands);
• Attend weekly team meetings and maintain frequent communication with SJAC’s Team Lead – Case Building on all activities and updates relevant to the project;
• Follow SJAC’s ethical standards and SJAC’s security policy, in order to conduct the work with no harm to persons or to data;
• Refer survivors to other service providers for relevant support (e.g. psychosocial support, legal representation, etc);

Qualifications:

• University degree required. A degree in humanities/social sciences is preferred, and knowledge of human rights and international law is an added asset;
• Fluency in Arabic (including Syrian Arabic dialects) and proficiency in Dutch is required. English is an advantage;
• Knowledge of Syria and the Syrian conflict is preferred;
• Excellent communication (verbal and written), as well as the ability to network and liaise effectively with a wide range of potential stakeholders at all levels both within local and national groups and with the Syrian community;
• Experience conducting documentation interviews is preferred;
• Ability to exercise tolerance, respect and sensitivity in communications with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Experience in gender-sensitivity and SGBV-sensitivities is an asset;
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications;
• Ability to function professionally and effectively with co-workers and supervisors.

SJAC is a diverse organization made up of 40+ team members around the globe. We pride ourselves in our ability to implement programming that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of all Syrians, and believe that our own team’s diversity of viewpoints and experiences helps us to achieve that goal. We encourage all interested applicants to apply, regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age.