Paralegal and Interpreter Project Officer

Innovative Human Rights NGO Seeks

Paralegal and Interpreter Project Officer

About Asylum Access

We are human rights advocates who support forcibly displaced individuals and communities as they reclaim their rights, agency and power.

Our unique combination of legal empowerment, policy advocacy and global systems change creates conditions in which refugees can live safely, move freely, work legally and go to school. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that honors refugees’ freedom, dignity and autonomy, and empowers them to make choices about their own lives.

Asylum Access’ global team and family of local civil society organizations advocate to make human rights a reality for refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our national organizations are led and staffed primarily by community members in those countries, and there is strong mutual trust and respect between us and our clients. On the international stage, we work with established institutions to shift the global system to better uphold and promote refugees’ human rights. We can help catalyze and lead systemic transformation because, uniquely among NGOs in the refugee response sector, we focus exclusively on rights and governance.

Department Description

The Legal Services Team at Asylum Access Thailand (AAT) plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive legal support and assistance to refugees. The primary responsibilities of this team include:

• Ensuring refugees have access to justice and protection: The Legal Services Team works to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of refugees by facilitating their access to legal remedies and safeguards.
• Supporting refugees during the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process: The team provides essential guidance and support to refugees navigating the complex RSD procedures, helping them navigate the system effectively.
• Informing refugees about the National Screening Mechanism (NSM): The Legal Services Team is responsible for educating refugees about the NSM, its processes, and their rights and options within this framework.

The Legal Services Team is overseen by the Legal Services Coordinator and includes the team of Legal Status, Protection,  Interpreter and Paralegal, Screening and Intake, and  Volunteer Legal Advocates.

Position Description

Under the guidance and supervision of the Legal Services Coordinator, the Paralegal and Interpreter  Project officer’s main responsibility is to oversee paralegals' projects with the aim to empower paralegals to know, use and shape the laws.  In consultation with the Legal Services Team, the Paralegal and Interpreter Project Officer will ensure that paralegals are able to engage with and support the urban refugee communities in Bangkok, increasing their access to legal protection. The Paralegal and Interpreter Project officer will work closely with the Protection and Legal Status Sub Teams to integrate  paralegals   into   legal case management and other tasks as assigned by legal advisors. In addition to, the Paralegal and Interpreters Project Officer response to ensure that interpreters provide good quality interpretation and translation services for all teams at AAT. The position will develop capacity building plans and training to increase the quality of interpreters and the program.

​​Key Responsibilities

Paralegal Project Management  (40%):

• Plan and implement the detailed  annual work plan for paralegals project
• Provide monthly forecast of paralegal project’s expenses in accordance with the annual work plan and budget
• Empower and strengthen capacity of paralegal members in the areas of domestic and legal framework, community organizing and mobilizing, leadership and facilitation skills and case management to be able to assist legal advisors and Protection team.
• Identifying relevant training topics and trainers as needed,   assess paralegals’ needs, and undertake collaboration efforts with other organizations;
• Engage with paralegal members to design agenda and materials for meeting and  training, in consultation with Director of Programs;
• Lead  the recruitment process for new paralegals, as guided by HR rules and regulation
• Continuously develop, review and improve   the paralegal training program
• Providing inputs to donor reports or future proposals;
• Coordinate with and contribute to relevant internal  projects and team e.g. ARPR Project,  Refugee leadership Project, Community Engagement Team and Policy Advocacy and Communication Team. ;
• Organize regular paralegals meetings,  ensuring they  have safe space to provide  reflection and feedback for further development of paralegal programs. Ensure the use of M&E tools to capture the impact on paralegals’ capacities and the impact at community levels.
• Ensure participatory approach in engaging with  paralegal members
• Other tasks as assigned by a supervisor

Interpreter Project Management (20%)

• Supervise the Interpreter Program Assistant to implement program with quality, as following:
  • Ensure that interpreters and clients are booked for activities.
  • Ensure that interpreters record on their timesheet on a daily basis.
  • Coordinate written translations requests and review them for their quality.
  • Ensure that interpreters attend the office on time and work to the high standards required by AAT.
  • Manage administrative paperwork for interpreters program
• Ensure sufficient number of interpreters of different languages and genders;
• Be a hiring lead for new interpreters when needed in consultation with the Director of Program and HR;
• Develop capacity building plan and training to increase the quality of interpreters and the  program together with Interpreter Assistant;
• Develop monitoring tools in consultation with Director of Program in order to track the performance of the program and plan for improvement accordingly;
• Support the development of and help to implement an interpreter glossary.

Case Management (20%):

• Support and monitor paralegals to conduct, refer, and provide technical support on case management to paralegals together with advice from legal advisors;
• Support Team Leads to monitor Protection/Legal Status/SIA-Paralegal case docket and case referral;
• Join  case management meeting as appropriate and;
• Coordinate between AAT legal teams and paralegals team and ensure effective communication between these teams;

Supervision role (20%)

• Supervise paralegal and interpreter assistants and ensure that the work is implemented with quality according to the plan;
• Support paralegal and interpreter assistant for the capacity building and provide technical guidance as required.

Reports to:  Legal Services Coordinator

Essential Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; post-secondary education in a related field (e.g law, political science, or social science) an asset).
• At least 2 years experience of case management, community mobilization, and leading the project.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Google Suite (Docs, Sheets).

Salary and Benefits

The Paralegal and Interpreter Project Officer will receive a monthly payment of THB 35,000 per month and other leave days.

Hours and Location of Work

The Paralegal and interpreter Project Officer is a one year contract based in our office in Bangkok, Thailand.  Candidates should be aware that some flexibility regarding working hours is required in order to take calls and meetings outside of standard office hours.

Asylum Access is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value the expertise of those who have experienced displacement, and encourage people with such lived experience to apply.

For more information about our organization, visit www.asylumaccess.org_._

Keywords

ParalegalInterpreterProject OfficerLegalCommunityManagementCapacity BuildingCase ManagementCommunicationInterpersonal Skills