Duration: 12 months, from June 2023

Job purpose:

Al-Quds University’s Community Action Center (CAC) is seeking to appoint a Legal Researcher for the Advocacy Unit, to help with expanding its network, assist in its ongoing work, and explore new venues and opportunities for lobbying and advocacy.

In close collaboration with the rest of the advocacy unit team, and under the supervision of the advocacy unit coordinator, the Researcher will play a key role in ensuring the overall objectives of the unit are met, and in particular, she/he will conduct research and draft different documents on violations of human rights and the application of international humanitarian law in the occupied and illegally annexed eastern part of Jerusalem.

About Community Action Center:

Established in 1999, and located in Jerusalem’s old city, the Community Action Center (CAC) is a semi-autonomous organ of Al-Quds University. It is a human right’s center that serves Palestinians in East Jerusalem through two different units: the legal services unit and the advocacy unit. The legal services unit at CAC, consists of certified practicing advocates specialized in Israeli law, provides free legal aid and counseling to Palestinian Jerusalemites in the fields of residency revocations, child registration restrictions, family reunification restrictions, social welfare, and various collective punishment measures, and It operates within the framework of Israeli laws since Israel occupied and illegally annexed East Jerusalem in 1967. The advocacy unit, on the other hand, works within the frameworks of IHL and IHRl before different international audiences, and from its inception in 2016, it has been covering four core themes: Forcible transfer, collective punishment, the use of excessive and lethal force and the status quo in Jerusalem’s holy sites.

Project Overview:

Through an array of activities, which include, inter alia, ongoing work with the diplomatic community based in Palestine and elsewhere, active participation in the UN human rights council and ongoing engagement with its different mechanisms and other UN mechanisms such as the UN Commission of Inquiry and the UN Treaty Bodies – the international advocacy unit aims at challenging the discriminatory nature of the Israeli apartheid regime, through addressing accountability and the rule of law.

Within the framework of this project, CAC is mainly interested in expanding its networks and advocacy venues and conducting lobbying and advocacy (L&A) trips that aim to target new international audiences. The successful candidate will assist CAC’s international advocacy officer in the ongoing work of the unit, which includes preparing reports, submissions, communications, and other relevant documents based on CAC’s archived data, and will also be tasked with exploring new partnerships and expanding CAC’s networks with new potential allies and partner organizations based abroad, which can support CAC’s advocacy work and new objectives on the international level. He/she will prepare for L&A trips that will target new audiences within the framework of this project. The preparations for the L&A trips will include establishing communications and planning impactful interventions with potential partners and other allies and setting up meetings with relevant decision-makers and policy influencers in the targeted countries.

Essential Criteria (Personal Requirements)

1- Good Undergraduate degree in Law or related field covering Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law and/or International Criminal Law.

2- B.A. or a Master’s degree in Law (LLM or M.A.) or related field covering Human Rights and/or International Humanitarian Law.

4- At least 1 year of relevant research experience in academia and/or civil society, demonstrating analytical skills and ability to communicate research to different audiences.

5- Demonstrable knowledge of key issues in Human Rights and/or International Humanitarian Law in Palestine.

6- Proven interest in Jerusalem.

7- Excellent communication skills.

8- Proven ability to write high-quality academic and/or policy outputs for international audiences.

9- Ability to work individually and as part of a team juggling competing demands and deadlines.

10- Ability to build and develop professional relationships and participate in internal and external networks.

11- Ability to contribute to broader management and administrative processes as part of the team.

12- Demonstrable commitment to human rights standards, equality and diversity, and ability to embed those standards throughout all aspects of their work.

13- Demonstrable high level of intercultural sensitivity.

14- Full professional proficiency in English and Arabic (written and spoken).

15- Good Hebrew language skills (desirable).

16- Experience in conducting fieldwork and/or interviews and related research ethics (desirable).

17- Experience in conference organization (desirable).

Major Duties (Job Description)

Under the day-to-day supervision of the advocacy unit coordinator, and in close collaboration with other team members, the successful candidate will focus on the following tasks, including (but not limited to):

• In close collaboration with other team members, contribute to the design and implementation of research activities, and actively participate in the successful delivery of project objectives.
• Establish the necessary communications with allies and partner organizations, expand CAC’s networks internationally, and contribute to the designing and planning of the A&L trips of the international advocacy officer to new international stakeholders.
• Desk-based research of legal sources, academic writing, policy reports, and other materials pertaining to violations of human rights, international law, international humanitarian law relating to Palestinian Jerusalemites, within the broader Palestinian context and Apartheid framework
• Conduct primary research and other fact-finding work on the international law violations and humanitarian vulnerabilities affecting Palestinian Jerusalemites, in close collaboration with other team members.
• Contribute to other research and project tasks in collaboration with the team.
• Proactively identify opportunities to present research findings to academic and policy audiences in Palestine and internationally.
• Collaborate closely and constructively with the teams of professionals involved in the project, including legal professionals, interns and volunteers.
• Contribute to routine administrative tasks to ensure the project is delivered on time and to budget.

To apply:

Candidates are requested to apply via e-mail to

The application must include the following documents (in English):

1- A resume/ CV (max 4 pages)

2- A sample of one publication or any other written paper in English

3- 2 reference letters, preferably touching upon the skills required for this job (can be sent following the deadline)

4- A cover letter (max 2 pages) illustrating how you meet the essential criteria and what you would bring to the team.

Please direct informal enquiries (in English) via the following email: (1) hr@alquds.edu (2) jobs@cac.alquds.edu by 10/06/2023

CAC reserves the right to only contact a short-listed group of applicants for interview.