Resettlement Program, Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Call for Applications: Resettlement Program, Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth

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 serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Project Description: Refugee Legal Aid 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 resettlement to safe third countries, and advises refugees on protection matters.

StARS has established a full-service center dedicated to meeting the education, protection, support and advocacy needs of unaccompanied children and youth in Cairo. The Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth works as part of a growing Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid team alongside a team of legal staff providing specialized legal representation and advice to the Unaccompanied Children and Youth refugee population in their UNHCR process.

Role

Under the supervision of the Resettlement Program Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator, the Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth is responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to unaccompanied children and youth refugees in matters related to protection and resettlement. This includes: assessment of initial requests for assistance with resettlement; the screening of cases to identify those of heightened vulnerability fitting UNHCR’s resettlement criteria; drafting referral documents in support of claims for resettlement; and providing advice to unaccompanied children and youth refugees in all matters related to protection and resettlement through drop-in services. The Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth is also expected to contribute to advocacy efforts regarding the unaccompanied children and youth refugee population and to train volunteer staff.

Responsibilities

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

Legal and Technical

• To develop and supervise the screening and intake of potential clients for representation in protection and resettlement matters.
• To prepare a required number of referrals per month.
• To maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR policies and procedures in protection and resettlement matters.
• To assist in the preparation of protection and resettlement referrals to UNHCR.
• To identify cases appropriate for expedited consideration by UNHCR and to draft such requests.
• To provide general legal counseling and assistance to unaccompanied children and youth refugees regarding their applications for registration, protection, and resettlement before UNHCR.
• To identify domestic legal needs of Unaccompanied Children and Youth and prepare referrals to UNHCR.
• To undertake country of origin research in support of individual claims and for general organizational research purposes. To maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of StARS’ clients.
• To assess extra-legal client needs and refer to other StARS teams or external organizations as appropriate.
• To undertake comprehensive case management practices including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client, and keeping detailed notes of all casework activities.
• To adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Policies and Procedures Manual, and the StARS Code of Conduct.

Programmatic

• Attend an initial intensive several-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 Resettlement 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

• To undergo probation and regular performance appraisals.

Communication and Reporting

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

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated interest in working with children and youth. She or he will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society. She or he will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.

Essential Qualifications

• English being the official language of UNHCR Cairo and StARS, the Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth 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 the resettlement or Refugee Status Determination processes OR two years of experience providing direct representation to indigent people in any setting.
• Excellent legal research and drafting skills, including proven ability to draft client testimony and legal analytical argument.
• Ability to work in a team as well as individually.
• An understanding of the complex protection needs of refugee children and youth, and importance of specialized and holistic service provision, and of advocating for children and youth, survivors of violence, trafficking, torture, and SGBV.
• Ability to exercise sound legal judgment, well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
• A demonstrated commitment to and sensitivity toward vulnerable or displaced people, particularly 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 significant 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 Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth 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: Resettlement Program Coordinator, Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator, Senior Legal Officer, and 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.

Closing date for applications: 10 March 2026

Anticipated Starting date: As soon as possible

How to apply

To apply: Please send your Cover Letter and CV and brief legal writing sample to applications@stars-egypt.org using the subject line “Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youth”. 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.