International Criminal Court (ICC)

• Location
  The Hague, Netherlands
• Sector
  Non Profit
• Experience
  Mid Career

Position description

Organisational Context

The Gender and Children Unit sits within the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) and consists of core staff, seconded colleagues, and a small number of interns. The Unit focuses on gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children, providing technical support to all OTP teams and building their capacity with respect to these thematic areas. It contributes to preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecutions of these crimes and supports the development and implementation of relevant policies, protocols, guidelines, and practice tools. The Unit’s capacity-building efforts include the facilitation of staff trainings, coordination of an internal focal point network across Unified Teams, and support to OTP colleagues utilizing relevant practice tools. Finally, GCU supports the development of key relationships with relevant external actors (e.g., UN entities, international and local NGOs) to enable cross-pollination of best practices and knowledge sharing.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Coordinator for Gender-based Crimes and Crimes Against and Affecting Children, the Head of Unit will perform the following duties:

• Manage and supervise the work and the staff of the Gender and Children Unit;
• Work with the Senior Coordinator and relevant colleagues to develop and disseminate practical tools relating to the investigation and prosecution of gender-based crimes and crimes committed against and affecting children, including review and updating of relevant sections of the Operations Manual;
• Identify priority areas for learning and organize capacity-building opportunities for all Unified Teams to strengthen their awareness of modern scientific knowledge as well as their practical and legal skills related to gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children;
• Provide advice and technical assistance to all Unified Teams regarding mission plans, interview plans, evidence reviews, etc., and ensure the quality of assistance provided by other GCU staff;
• Monitor compliance and update senior management on the implementation of relevant OTP policies, including the Policy on the Crime of Gender Persecution Policy (2022), the Policy on Gender-based Crimes (2023) and the Policy on Children (2023) as well as relevant portions of the Operations Manual;
• Coordinate with relevant bodies within the Court to ensure coherent and supportive approaches to witnesses engaged by OTP, including their access to psychosocial support;
• Support the development and maintenance of internal networks focused on gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children (e.g., the OTP focal point system) and contribute to relationship-building with relevant external partners as requested;
• Oversee the Unit’s core administrative functions, including heading regular GCU staff meetings; submitting weekly and monthly updates regarding GCU activities; collecting data critical to the monitoring and evaluation of Policy implementation across OTP; overseeing allocation of relevant financial and human resources; ensuring the onboarding and support of secondees, interns, visiting professionals, etc.;
• Develop and maintain systems that maximize the Unit’s efficiency, transparency, and accessibility;
• Advise and support senior management on issues of gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children, as needed.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

• An advanced university degree in law is required. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of seven years (nine years with a first level university degree) of relevant progressively responsible professional experience in investigating, prosecuting and/or dealing with legal and policy issues with special focus on international crimes, is required;
• Experience in investigation and prosecution of gender-based and crimes against or affecting children is required;
• Experience working in relevant international organizations, national judicial or law enforcement institutions would be considered a strong asset;
• Experience in providing technical support to investigators and prosecutors, particularly on gender- or child-related issues, would be a strong asset;
• Familiarity with scientific knowledge regarding psychosocial support interventions, impacts of trauma to victims and witnesses of international crimes, and risks of vicarious trauma is desirable;
• Familiarity with concepts of gender theory, intersectional approaches, and policy implementation would be an advantage;
• Managerial and leadership experience is required;
• Experience in building a cohesive, productive, and healthy work environment would be a strong asset.

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Knowledge of jurisprudence and policies relevant to the gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children;
• Familiarity with International Tribunal procedures and administrative processes;
• Excellent drafting and research skills and the ability to communicate technical advice and reports in a clear and concise manner;
• Exceptional planning and organisational skills, including managing, prioritising and working with tight deadlines in a very dynamic environment;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Ability to interact with external colleagues and partners with tact, cultural competence, and diplomacy;
• Strong analytical and IT skills;
• Ability to keep strict standards of confidentiality and security;
• Ability to foster a healthy, cohesive, inclusive team culture;
• Professional integrity.

Knowledge of languages:

• Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, French or English is required. Working knowledge of the other is an asset. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish) would be considered an asset.

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