Job Location: Tala (Satkhira) with frequent travel across project working areas
Job Context
- Uttaran is an NGO working in Bangladesh since 1985 to uphold rights and entitlements and to improve the socio-economic condition of the poor and disadvantaged community people. Uttaran is a people-centered organization using a rights-based approach to alleviate poverty, diversify livelihood opportunities and empower poor communities of Bangladesh.
- Uttaran is inviting applications for the vacant position titled – Legal Aid and Advocacy Officer for the Uttaran under the project - Empowering Civil Society for Climate Justice and Environment Protection. This position will lead strategic initiatives to safeguard environmental human rights, secure land and water governance, and ensure legal redress for climate-vulnerable communities, CSOs, and EHRDs. She/he will manage the integration of frontline community realities with legal remedies and policy advocacy by directing legal aid mechanisms, panel lawyer coordination, and high-level LGI engagement.
Reports to: Project Coordinator
Key Responsibilities:
Legal Support & Access to Justice
- Set up, manage, and oversee community legal aid referral and counseling mechanisms for climate-vulnerable populations, CSOs, and frontline Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs).
- Provide legal advice, conduct initial screenings, and facilitate mediation for land rights disputes, illegal waterlogging issues, and environmental rights violations to NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, CSGs, and other community groups and organizations.
- Liaise with panel lawyers, District Legal Aid Committees (DLAC), and local administration to support litigation, bail, or formal case filings when local remedies are exhausted.
- Maintain confidential legal case files, registers, and case management systems to track legal aid support and court progress.
- Facilitate implementation of the Legal Aid and Access to Justice Component of the project
- He/she will responsible for case receives from the field and case distribution to the panel lawyers of Uttaran in lower and higher court both.
- He/She will work through guidance with Uttaran legal aid committee and will heavily engage with the GoB legal aid cell at district level
- Develop specific manuals for criminal justice defenders and materials explicating difference between legal aid, informal justice, and criminal defense as methods to increase access to justice in collaboration with the senior management staff of this project
Policy Advocacy & Network Building
- Lead local and regional policy advocacy efforts focused on land rights, water governance, Tidal River Management (TRM), and climate justice.
- Organize multi-stakeholder dialogues, roundtables, and public hearings with Local Government Institutions (Union Parishads, Upazila administration) and national line departments.
- Build strategic alliances and maintain linkages with civil society networks, legal aid organizations, environmental networks, and media representatives.
- Contribute to the drafting of evidence-based policy briefs, position papers, and issue memos to inform ongoing policy reforms and national governance discussions.
- Civil society mobilization through functioning different committees (such as pani committee, Bhumi committees)
Liaise with local authorities to ensure coordination
- Advise on building synergy between CSOs, government institutions, and other stakeholders working in the field of legal aid provision
- Capacity Building & Community Mobilization
- Conduct legal literacy and human rights awareness sessions for CSOs, CBOs, youth groups, and community platforms.
- Train local climate activists and EHRDs on environmental legal frameworks, social accountability mechanisms (SAT), and basic legal safety protocols.
- Coordinate public awareness campaigns, mass mobilization events, and solidarity platforms for community climate rights.
- Shalish demonstrate at field level for staff capacity building.
- Provide technical advice for implementation of legal aid activities and reform to maximize impact and
- ensure realization of expected outputs
Monitoring, Compliance, & Reporting
- Prepare analytical weekly, monthly, and quarterly legal and advocacy progress reports for the Project Coordinator and consortium co-applicants.
- Monitor local policy dynamics, environmental regulatory updates, and legal risks affecting project areas and partner CSOs.
- Ensure strict adherence to organizational safeguarding, PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), and legal ethics across all field activities.
Safeguarding and Compliance
- Ensure compliance with Uttaran's Code of Conduct, Safeguarding, PSEA, Child Protection, Gender Equality, Anti-Fraud, and organizational policies.
- Promote accountability to affected populations (AAP) in all project interventions.
- Ensure ethical conduct and confidentiality while working with vulnerable communities.
Other Responsibilities
- Perform any other duties assigned by the senior management in support of organizational objectives
