Investigator (Starvation Mobile Justice Team)

Global Rights Compliance (GRC) is an international legal foundation focussed on bringing perpetrators to justice for atrocity crimes. We have a presence in the Hague, London, Washington, and Kyiv.

GRC in Ukraine works in support of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) through deploying several Mobile Justice Teams (MJTs) which assist the PGO in all aspects of investigation, case building and prosecution. Our headquarters for this project are in Kyiv, Ukraine. GRC’s MJTs operate throughout Ukraine in areas of interest to the OPG.

Prosecution and Investigation Track: GRC possesses unrivalled expertise and granular knowledge of the OPG and its ongoing investigations and prosecutions. GRC, is the only international organization consisting of ICL lawyers that has been consistently in Ukraine since 2015 working with the PGO and CSOs to document international crimes. We have a team currently in Ukraine; language proficiency, an intimate knowledge of the operating environment; and trusted relationships with all the critical justice actors, governmental bodies, CSOs and relevant stakeholders. The blend of our technical expertise in Ukraine and subject matter expertise is unique.

Our Ukraine team has, over time, acquired an intimate knowledge of the conflict operating environment, and built trust-based relationships with all criminal justice system actors, relevant governmental bodies, CSOs and international partners. Our blend of technical expertise, knowledge of the Ukraine context/conflict and language proficiency is unrivalled, and is without doubt our unique selling point.

Starvation Track: GRC possesses unrivalled expertise and granular knowledge of the crime of starvation, derived from a dedicated portfolio of analysis, accountability and investigative work conducted over the past four years. GRC, is the only international organization consisting of ICL lawyers that has been consistently in Ukraine since 2015 working with the OPG and CSOs to document international crimes. We have a team currently in Ukraine; language proficiency, an intimate knowledge of the operating environment; and trusted relationships with all the critical justice actors, governmental bodies, CSOs and relevant stakeholders. The blend of our technical expertise in Ukraine and subject matter expertise in relation to starvation is unique.

GRC has conducted several similar starvation investigations using OSINT experts and contractors, using those findings to develop legal submissions and pursue innovative accountability initiatives. These have been focussed on Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Tigray primarily.

SMJT Scope: The SMJT will commence on 15 January – full time for 2 years. It will have three principal investigative focusses (i) the siege of Mariupol; (ii) the legality of the naval blockade of the Black Sea Ports in the context of starvation; and (iii) broader patterns of attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population across Ukraine.

OBJECTIVES

GRC is looking for a senior ICL investigator with a complimentary range of specialisms/experiences covering the spectrum of tasks arising in war crimes prosecutions, including inter alia, POW debriefs, imagery analysis, comms/cyber intercepts, informant handling, fire/arson, military documents/intercepts, exhumation/post-mortem, major incident management and OSINT.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Providing leadership within the MJT effort to enhance national investigative capability
Driving the implementation of the new national investigative strategy
Becoming the focal point for specific investigative techniques relevant to international crimes
Maintaining an awareness of capabilities, requirements and donor offers within those technique areas
Developing the mindset of investigators to see ‘national crimes’ in an ‘international crimes’ context
Promoting the requirement/means to aggregate individual incidents into pattern- or command-cases
Incorporating multiple investigative approaches to ensure the broadest possible collection of evidence
Establishing and ensuring procedures for disciplined chain of custody requirements
Offering practical guidance for securing and processing major/large crime scenes
Conceptualising, planning and leading field visits and investigation support missions
Identifying investigative shortcomings and developing/delivering training/mentoring to rectify the issue
Giving assistance to other MJT members as required

ATTRIBUTES

Mandatory

5-15 years of relevant investigative experience in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide
Experience of leading large and complex investigations
Ability to work effectively with the whole range of criminal justice actors
Flexible and creative; able to work in an unstructured, changeable & fast-moving environment, proactive, anticipating problems and solutions orientated.
Not requiring detailed guidance to get started; can be given a ‘desired outcome’ and figure out the action areas required to reach it
Practical thinker, able to break down and pursue the elements required to operationalise a strategy
Administratively competent; able to manage competing urgent demands. Fluency in English
Practical experience of working with highly sensitive material and an ability to demonstrate the requisite skill in storing, sharing and working with such material.

Desirable

Experience of working in a post-Soviet country / legal system
Practical experience working with justice actors
Practical experience working in the field with an international commission of inquiry or fact-finding mission.
Experience in humanitarian access violations and related IHL violations and crimes
Fluency or competency in Ukrainian or Russian
Experience working within a legal team at one of the international ad hoc tribunals

How to apply

Please submit your CV and covering letter to jobs@globalrightscompliance.co.uk by 5 December indicating the position you are applying for in the email subject.