The Legal Officer will also work with the Director of Strategic Litigation and Advice where legal policy and strategic litigation intersect.

Key responsibilities

Legal and policy analysis

• Produce high-quality analysis of immigration, economic migration, asylum and nationality law and policy.
• Monitor developments in legislation, case law and policy, including secondary legislation and guidance.
• Prepare written briefings, updates and summaries for members, trustees and external stakeholders.
• Support the Director of Policy & Advocacy in the development and delivery of ILPA’s legal strategy.

Parliamentary and influencing work

• Support ILPA’s parliamentary work, including monitoring legislation and parliamentary business.
• Draft consultation responses, briefings and evidence submissions.
• Assist in engagement with parliamentarians, officials, peers and external organisations.
• Support the organisation of meetings and briefings with MPs, peers, civil servants and sector partners.
• Contribute to ILPA’s influencing activity through written and oral advocacy.

Member engagement and sector support

• Liaise with ILPA members to gather evidence and practice insight to inform policy positions.
• Support ILPA’s thematic working groups, including attending meetings and progressing agreed actions.
• Respond to and triage member enquiries, directing issues to appropriate working groups or colleagues, and escalating complex queries as needed.
• Promote knowledge-sharing across the immigration and advice sector.
• Prepare agendas and papers for meetings, and take/circulate minutes and actions points.

Legal project delivery

• Ensure project outputs are delivered on time and to the required standard.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and funder reporting where required.
• Provide general administrative support to the legal team, including coordination for external meetings, taking and sharing minutes, organising correspondence, and storing materials timely and safely.

Information management and publications

• Ensure legal and policy information is accurately stored, organised and retrievable.
• Work with the Content and Communications Manager to ensure accuracy and clarity of published legal content, and draft the legal section of ILPA’s weekly newsletter, and parts of the Annual Report.

Organisational contribution

• Support cross-team working with training, content and litigation colleagues.
• Contribute to organisational planning, learning and continuous improvement.
• Undertake other duties consistent with the seniority of the role.

Accountability and relationships

Reports to: Director of Policy & Advocacy

Key working relationships:

• Legal Officer
• Legal Project Officer
• Director of Strategic Litigation and Advice
• Content and Communications Manager
• Training Manager
• Membership Engagement Manager
• Chief Executive and Trustees

Person specification

Essential

• Appropriate post-qualification experience in UK immigration, asylum and nationality law, or equivalent expertise demonstrated through substantial legal practice or policy work at an equivalent level;
• Substantial knowledge and experience of UK immigration, economic migration, asylum and nationality law;
• Strong legal and policy analysis and drafting skills;
• Ability to communicate complex legal information clearly;
• Experience of parliamentary or government engagement;
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a high volume of work, competing deadlines, and shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment;
• Experience of member, stakeholder or practitioner engagement;
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with partners across the sector;
• Commitment to ILPA’s charitable objectives.

Desirable

• Knowledge of parliamentary process and legislative scrutiny;
• Experience supervising or supporting junior colleagues;
• Experience of project management or grant-funded work;
• Experience of using different software, including WordPress, Salesforce and Campaign Monitor.

How to apply

To apply, please complete:

• ILPA Application Form
• ILPA Equalities Monitoring form

And submit these with your CV to recruitment@ilpa.org.uk

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Olivia at (recruitment@ilpa.org.uk)

This vacancy advert may be taken down from our job board earlier than the stated deadline if a high standard of applications is received.

We welcome applications from everyone and particularly encourage applications from people whose backgrounds, experiences or circumstances are under-represented in our workforce, including people with lived experience of migration and people with a disability. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, including at senior grades. To reduce bias in our shortlisting process, ILPA operates an anonymised application process. If for any reason you prefer to apply in a different format, or require adjustments to the process, please get in touch.