Project Lead & Legal Advisor

Global Rights Compliance (GRC)

About Us

Global Rights Compliance (GRC) is an international legal foundation that uses international law in novel ways to pursue justice and accountability for international crimes and grave human rights violations. With its headquarters in the Netherlands, GRC provides legal advisory services, capacity building and strategic advocacy support to key justice actors and CSO stakeholders in different contexts.

Since 2021, GRC has been working with North Korean-focused local CSOs to support efforts in pursuing justice and accountability for the victims of a range of crimes committed by the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (DPRK) regime. So far, GRC has supported local partners in identifying and accessing the different justice and accountability pathways available and in developing accountability and advocacy strategies to engage international justice actors, creating momentum towards international action for future accountability efforts against the DPRK regime.

Currently, GRC is implementing DPRK-focused projects with local and international partners, aimed at investigating and uncovering the structures and networks of state-sponsored forced labour affecting North Korean nationals, as well as incidents of transnational repression committed by the DPRK regime globally. The GRC DPRK team delivers specialised documentation, legal analysis, capacity building, engagement and advocacy initiatives through the projects to promote accountability for North Korean survivors.

We are looking for a The Project Lead/Legal Advisor who will oversee the smooth running and successful implementation of the DPRK programs at GRC. The role will cover the full spectrum of tasks, including leading investigations and legal analysis on human rights violations and international crimes, effective engagement and advocacy with external partners and internal teams, and program management in line with donor requirements.

Duty Station: Remote with limited travel required

Contract Duration: 7 Months (Fixed Term – Maternity Leave Cover)

The Role

Provide overall strategic direction to the team in coordination with the Division Directors.
Lead in the preparation and implementation of the work plan and project deliverables, ensuring all project targets are met in a timely and compliant manner.
Oversee the design and implementation of strategies to document and investigate forced labour and transnational repression affecting North Korean nationals.
Conduct legal analysis on documented human rights violations under relevant international law frameworks and provide advice on the legal characterisation of actions by the DPRK regime.
Lead on the drafting and preparation of legal reports, submissions and complaints to UN human rights bodies, sanctions regimes and/or other legal/human rights mechanisms where relevant.
Work closely with OSINT partners to meet investigative and project objectives.
Develop and deliver survivor-centred international advocacy and engagement initiatives such as workshops, events and high-level meetings, including with justice, government and UN stakeholders.
Contribute to risk analysis and ethical frameworks for engaging with survivors, witnesses, and defectors.
Ensure effective skills transfer to local partners and internally through training and mentorship.
Ensure effective communication and coordination with project partners and external stakeholders, as well as internally across GRC programmatic and operation/administrative teams.
Effectively supervise the DPRK team through delegating tasks, overseeing the high-quality and compliant implementation of project deliverables including donor reporting, and maintaining a supportive environment that fosters growth.
Any other programmatic or administrative tasks required to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

Your Background

Law degree (LLB or JD) required, with a LLM or relevant advanced degree desired.
Minimum 5 years of relevant legal practical experience in human rights law, international criminal law or international humanitarian law required, with experience documenting international crimes desired.
Demonstrated understanding of and prior experience working on the North Korean context and related human rights and/or accountability issues is required.
Prior experience working on forced labour and/or transnational repression issues strongly preferred, particularly in the Asian region.
Demonstrated understanding of international law and international legal mechanisms, as well as UN human rights structures and sanctions frameworks.
Strong legal research and drafting skills, with demonstrated experience preparing legal submissions and reports.
Experience designing and implementing investigative strategies and working with OSINT providers is strongly desired.
Experience designing and delivering survivor-centred advocacy strategies targeting government, justice and UN stakeholders.
Experience developing and implementing capacity building initiatives with local and international NGOs.
Demonstrated experience in project management, delivering targets within approved timeframes and in line with donor regulations.
Capacity to manage sensitive information in line with best practice and ethical standards.
Highly motivated and proactive, and able to communicate sensitively with stakeholders from different contexts and backgrounds.
Fluency in English required;
Korean and/or Russian language proficiency desired