Senior Project Assistant - Ankara

Place: Ankara, Turkey

Position: Senior Project Assistant

Duration: 01.08.2025 – 31.12.2025

Reference Number: Ankara2025-20

Project: Promotion of Access to Justice by International Protection Applicants, Status-holders and Temporary Protection Beneficiaries in Turkey

The applications should be submitted to [email protected] no later than July 11th, 2025 by indicating reference number and additional documents required.

Only the short-listed candidates will be contacted.

1. Background

Currently, over 3.7 million Syrians under temporary protection and over 350.000 international protection applicants and statute holders from different countries live in Turkey. This large group, which is seeking protection in Turkey with various legal statutes, may face different legal problems in daily life. These people can be a party to legal disputes from decisions such as refoulement, which can directly affect one’s right to life; to divorce, domestic violence and work-place accidents. It is important that these people, majority of whom are facing economic difficulties, are supported in access to justice.

“Promotion of Access to Justice by International Protection Applicants, Status-holders and Temporary Protection Beneficiaries in Turkey” aims to ensure the access of international protection applicants, statute holders and persons under temporary protection, who are a party to a legal dispute, to qualified legal assistance.

Activities within the Project will be conducted under 3 components and under the first component:

Within the scope of the legal aid component of the project, the legal aid activities carried out by 57 Bar Associations that align with the project's priorities are financially supported.

ln this respect, the attorney fees, litigation expenses, notary expenses, including issuance of power of attorney, translation and interpretation, as well as the lawyers' transportation costs to visit their clients are being covered and the automation system is being operated in order to enable financial transactions to the lawyers and to cover the expenses of the above outlined items.

Lawyers participating in actions eligible for payment under the project are required to complete the project-specific training programs. As of 2025, the project continues its operations in 57 Bar Associations, with the participation of over 10,000 lawyers.

2. Objective

The objective of this position is to support the implementation of the project and to contribute to the communication and cooperation among partners; in order to reach the project outcomes.

3. Responsibilities of the Project Assistant

The Project assistant will be responsible of the following duties:

• To collect, record and preserve information on the Project activities and to do reporting
• To prepare status and progress reports, to conduct routine communications
• To assist the preparation of required material to be used in discussions and meetings
• To monitor the main standards and indicators related to the measurement and evaluation of the project performance
• To follow the implementation and performance of project outcomes through work plans, progress reports, budget, financial reports and expenditures
• To be in communication and cooperation with the UTBA and the UNHCR regarding the implementation of the project
• To follow the required organizational arrangements
• To carry out other tasks

4. Organizational Framework

The physical working environment of the senior project assistant is provided by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA). The senior assistant will report to the UTBA, and work in close coordination and cooperation with other project staff and partners. The incumbent will sign an employment contract of definite duration with the UTBA, and will be employed within the International Relations and EU Centre.  

5. Required Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree (min 7 years) in related fields such as International Relations, Political Science, etc.
• At least 7 years’ experience in related fields
• Computer skills
• Fluency in Turkish and English
• Experience in projects funded by the UN, donors and/or NGOs is an asset.
• Experience with ORACLE, PeopleSoft based software (ATLAS) is an asset.
• To have completed military service for male applicants

Notes:

• Internships are not considered work experience. 
• Compulsory military service is not considered work experience.
• Experiences gained prior to undergraduate education are not considered work experience.

6. Additional Documents Required

• One-page letter of intent explaining the relevance to the position
• CV including related work experience and at least two references

7. Evaluation

The candidates meeting the minimum requirements within the terms of reference will be short-listed. The short-listed candidates will be called for an interview. The interviews will be conducted in English/Turkish.