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 seeking a Junior Legal Adviser who will support the successful implementation of the DPRK projects at GRC, through researching and documenting human rights violations, conducting legal analysis, drafting submissions for accountability mechanisms, and delivering impactful advocacy strategies with local partners.

Duty Station: Remote with limited travel required

Contract Duration: 12 Months

The Role

• Conduct legal research on and analysis of human rights violations in relation to forced labour and transnational repression affecting North Korean nationals.
• Draft and prepare legal reports, submissions and complaints to UN human rights bodies, sanctions regimes and/or other legal/human rights mechanisms where relevant.
• Monitor and analyse developments in international law relevant to forced labour and accountability (e.g., ICJ/ICC jurisprudence, state practice).
• Support and carry out stakeholder engagement exercises, including developing, preparing and facilitating workshops, multi-stakeholder events and training courses.
• Deliver project-related advocacy work, including launch events, roundtable discussions, briefing sessions.
• Align with other team members to ensure efficient working streams and timely completion of project deliverables.
• Any other programmatic or administrative tasks required to ensure the successful implementation of the project, including preparing donor reports and project updates, supporting logistics requirements for workshops and events**.**

Your Background

• Law degree (LLB or JD) required, with a LL.M or relevant advanced degree desired.
• 3-4 years of experience and practical knowledge in human rights law, international criminal law or international humanitarian law required, with experience documenting/researching international crimes desired.
• Demonstrated understanding of and prior experience working on the North Korean context and related human rights and/or accountability issues required.
• Previous work experience focused on forced labour or transnational repression issues strongly preferred.
• Strong legal research and drafting skills, with demonstrated experience preparing legal submissions and reports.
• Good understanding of international legal and UN mechanisms, preferably with a good view of emerging human rights trends in the DPRK and Asia.
• Good knowledge and practical experience in human rights advocacy and engagement with a variety of institutional and individual stakeholders.
• Experience in conducting capacity building activities with civil society organizations.
• 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.

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV and Cover Letter in English to Application Form – Junior Legal Advisor by 20 May 2025.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.