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Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Legal Officer

StARS (St. Andrew's Refugee Services)
  • Location
    Cairo, Egypt
  • Sector
    Non Profit
  • Experience
    Early Career / Mid Career
  • Apply by
    Sep-27-2025
  • Posted
    Yesterday
  • Location Type
    Onsite

Position description

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Call for Applications: Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Legal Officer

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.

StARS’ Mission:Driven by a commitment to solidarity and human dignity, StARS works both as displaced people and for displaced people to support the resilience and leadership of individuals and communities in their pursuit of an enhanced quality of life.

StARS’ Vision:StARS envisions a future where displaced people and the societies they join stand in solidarity, recognizing the strength and leadership of refugees. In this world, the displaced thrive with dignity, claiming their rights and enriching our shared human experience.

Standard of Professional Conduct:StARS and all its staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in StARS’ Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Policy, and PSEAH policy.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion:StARS is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. StARS expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.

We servepeople from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website:www.stars-egypt.orgor our Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Description of the Program

The Refugee Legal Aid Program provides advice and representation to refugees seeking recognition by UNHCR through refugee status determination procedures in Egypt, assists refugees in accessing durable solutions to safe third countries, and supports its clients to address protection risks they face in Egypt. StARS’ services include a full-service centre dedicated to meeting the education, protection, support and advocacy needs of unaccompanied children and youths in Cairo. The Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program is seeking a Legal Officer to work as part of a small legal team to provide specialized legal representation and advice to the unaccompanied children and youth refugee population.

Role

Under the supervision of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers, the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Legal Officer is responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to refugee children and youth clients in matters related to their refugee status determination procedures and protection matters. This includes: assessment of initial requests for assistance; the screening of clients to identify those of heightened vulnerability, specific protection or durable solution need, legal complexity, or strategic importance; accompaniment of clients to refugee status determination interviews at UNHCR; preparation of detailed written statements addressing accounts of persecution in countries of origin; and drafting legal briefs in support of refugee claims in appeal and reopening procedures, as well as drafting referrals to UNHCR’s Child Protection Unit. The Legal Officer is also expected to contribute to advocacy efforts regarding the urban refugee population and to support with training volunteer staff. The Legal Officer is a member of a team of approximately 8 legal staff and reports to the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator. The Legal Officer will be primarily based in StARS’ center for unaccompanied children and youth in Mohandeseen, Giza, and will focus on providing legal services to children and youth clients living in greater Cairo.

Responsibilities

All duties are carried out under the supervision of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers.

Legal and Technical

      • Provide general legal counseling and assistance to unaccompanied children and youth regarding UNHCR registration, refugee status determination, protection, and durable solutions.
      • Conduct workshops and individual screening and intake interviews with unaccompanied children and youth seeking representation in refugee status determination matters.
      • To prepare unaccompanied children and youth for registration and refugee status determination interviews and represent clients in such interviews as needed.
      • Conduct individual screening and intake interviews with unaccompanied children and youth for advice and interventions in protection and durable solutions matters, and to draft resettlement referrals as appropriate.
      • Serve as an on-call resource for unaccompanied children and youth seeking legal advice on a walk-in basis, providing counseling to clients on matters spanning the spectrum of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program’s work.
      • Undertake country of origin research in support of individual claims and for general organizational research purposes and to maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program’s clients.
      • Maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR policies and procedures.
      • Assess extra-legal client needs and work collaboratively with other StARS programs or refer to external organizations as appropriate, keeping in close communication and cooperation with StARS Unaccompanied Children and Youth caseworkers for counseling and follow up.
      • Undertake comprehensive case management practices including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client, and keep detailed notes of all casework activities.
      • Adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Staff Handbook, and the StARS Code of Conduct.

Programmatic

      • Attend an initial intensive three-week orientation and training program.
      • Attend and contribute to Refugee Legal Aid Program team meetings.
      • Assist the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers in development and implementation of team policies and procedures.
      • Build and maintain relationships with StARS’ unaccompanied children and youth psychosocial and education staff.

Finance and Administration

        • Undergo probation and regular performance appraisals.

Communication and Reporting

      • Communicate regularly with the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within the Refugee Legal Aid Program.
      • To promote information-sharing within the Refugee Legal Aid Program and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.
      • Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will be a refugee, asylum seeker or from a forcibly displaced community but candidates of all backgrounds will be considered. The candidate should be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society, will have a demonstrated interest in working with children and youth, and a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.

Essential qualifications

          • English being the official language of UNHCR Egypt and StARS, the Legal Officer must be fluent in oral and written English.
          • Master’s degree in a related field (international development, international law, development studies, Middle East Studies) OR a qualified lawyer in any jurisdiction (J.D., LLB or equivalent) OR a minimum of one year of experience in representing refugees in refugee status determination, protection, or durable solutions processes OR two years of experience providing direct representation to indigent people in any setting.
          • Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
          • Ability to work in a team as well as individually.
          • Legal research and drafting skills, including proven ability to draft client testimony and legal analytical argument.
          • Ability to exercise sound legal judgment, well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
          • Understanding of the complex protection needs of refugee children and youth, the importance of specialized and holistic service provision, and of advocating for children and youth, survivors of violence, trafficking, torture, and SGBV.
          • Commitment and sensitivity toward refugees and displaced unaccompanied children and youth, including a range of interviewing skills for dealing with challenging scenarios.
          • Ability to live and work in a fluid security environment.

Desirable Characteristics

          • Fluency in Arabic or a refugee language is an advantage.
          • Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines and procedures.
          • Knowledge of the general protection situation and vulnerabilities of refugees in Egypt.
          • Knowledge of the general situation of the countries from which StARS’ clients originate.
          • Experience working with children and young people.
          • Life and work experience in the Middle East or Egypt or with an urban refugee population and in low resource settings.

Working Hours:The Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Legal Officer is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Reporting to:Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Senior Legal Officer.

StARS salaries are standardized per position according to a pay scale and are not negotiable based on the individual experiences and qualifications of the candidate. StARS salaries are competitive with the local market. Position salary will be discussed at the shortlisting and interview stage.

This position is subject to a three-month probationary period, at which time the employee’s performance will be reviewed and probation may be extended.

Closing date for applications:27 September 2025

Anticipated Starting date:2 November 2025

Application instructions

Please send your Cover Letter and CV and brief legal writing sample using the subject line “Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Legal Officer”.All applications should provide contact information for two professional/academic reference (referees will only be contacted after interviews).

Note:Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.

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