Careers
To work at ISLP is to be part of a collaborative, dedicated, and mission-driven team. Our leadership and board are committed to the professional growth and development of all ISLP staff and interns.
Current Openings
Consultant Program Officer – Latin America
Position Announcement
(Part-time, Remote)
About ISLP. The International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that mobilizes international pro bono legal expertise to promote the rule of law and advance accountable, just and sustainable economic development. Our client-partners comprise governments, civil society organizations, and social enterprises. ISLP’s work spans more than 60 countries annually, primarily in the Global South, and engages more than thirty law firms and hundreds of volunteers. ISLP has a 25-year track record as an independent and politically neutral organization. We are a registered 501(c)(3) with a Candid Platinum Rating for Transparency.
How we work. Our client-partners are primarily civil society, government, and social enterprises. All projects are carefully vetted and scoped, driven by client needs, and grounded in trust-based partnership. ISLP has a lean core team based in the United States (New York and Washington) and Africa (Lagos, Nairobi, Harare, and Johannesburg). ISLP’s program team is primarily responsible for identifying and developing opportunities for ISLP to deliver expertise, cultivating local partnerships, and managing project implementation. To achieve outsized impact and our widely recognized multiplier effect, ISLP leverages an expansive network of lawyer volunteers, including attorneys from top-tier law firms, academics, and independent experts, who contribute specialized pro bono legal support in a range of practice areas and sectors.
What we do. Representative engagements for ISLP partner-clients include: negotiation support and direct representation on legal transactions; law reform and regulatory review and drafting support; capacity building and knowledge exchange, including workshops, convenings, and toolkits; legal research and analysis; and publications.
Our thematic focus areas include:
- Accountability and Transparency
- Civil Society Resilience
- Energy and Natural Resource Management
- Freedom of Expression and Media Law
- Innovative Finance and Social Enterprises
- Investment and Trade
- Responsible Technology
- Taxation
More information about our work and impact is available on our website, www.islp.org.
Position Overview
ISLP seeks a consultant on its program team to cultivate stakeholder networks and support implementation of its activities in Latin America. The consultant will manage legal technical assistance projects, support volunteer attorney engagement, and serve as a primary point of contact with counterparts and stakeholders in the region. This position does not involve direct legal representation/services to clients.
The focus over an initial period of approximately three months will be project management of discrete matters to support Latin American governments primarily related to mining and infrastructure development (e.g., public private partnerships and project finance).
This is an immediate-fill, part-time contract position for an initial term of six months and the possibility of extension and/or expansion of scope. The level of effort is estimated at approximately 5-10 hours a week for the first 3-4 months, expected to increase to an average of 20 hours a week. The consultant will report to ISLP’s Director of Programs.
Professional-level fluency in Spanish and English is required. Fluency or strong working proficiency in Portuguese is a significant advantage.
Responsibilities
The consultant will:
- Work closely with senior-level lawyer volunteers, clients, and partner organizations (e.g., government ministries and agencies in the Latin America region) to identify legal needs and craft impactful scopes of work for ISLP engagements;
- Provide project management support, including maintaining regular communication and coordination among stakeholders and ISLP and ensuring timely follow-through on commitments;
- Review and/or draft documents including terms of reference, memoranda of understanding, contracts, grant agreements, and engagement letters;
- Research and prepare due diligence memos on countries of programmatic interest to ISLP;
- Research and prepare project proposals, including narratives and budgets;
- Regularly communicate with clients and volunteer attorneys to ensure proper and timely project implementation;
- Evaluate and report on projects, using relevant monitoring and evaluation processes and metrics;
- Provide support and oversight as needed for programming activities such as webinars or in-country workshops;
- Supervise externally produced research, including comparative analysis of relevant legal frameworks across Latin American jurisdictions;
- Cultivate networks (government institutions, development agencies, foundations, CSOs, incubators, social enterprises) in Latin America;
- Participate and contribute to fundraising initiatives, including drafting and editing grant proposals;
- Cultivate and engage ISLP’s network of lawyer volunteers on discrete projects; and
- Prepare reports, meeting summaries, and other written materials as required.
Qualifications
Required:
- Law degree, with admission to practice in at least one jurisdiction preferred;
- Minimum five years of professional experience, including experience in commercial law, ideally in one or more of the following practice areas: project finance, extractives, natural resource management and/or energy law;
- Excellent professional fluency in Spanish and English (written and spoken), demonstrated through professional experience;
- Experience working in or on Latin America, with strong familiarity with local context;
- Sound judgment, strong analytical skills, superb professionalism and polished drafting, including day to day correspondence;
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a remote, fast-paced work environment;
- Experience with international organizations, development programs, and/or pro bono legal initiatives; and
- Demonstrated experience with high-stakes matters involving senior decision makers, ideally including government officials.
Strongly preferred:
- Experience with infrastructure and/or mining transactions;
- Existing networks among legal practitioners, bar associations, CSOs, or government legal offices in the region;
- Familiarity with working in or with international law firms and international lawyers;
- Fluency or strong working proficiency in Portuguese.
Contract Terms
This is a part-time contract position. The time commitment is estimated at an average of approximately 5-10 hours a week for the first 3-4 months, expected to increase to an average of 20 hours a week. The initial contract term is six months, with the possibility of renewal subject to performance and available funding.
Hourly compensation will be commensurate with experience and location.
Application Instructions
Interested candidates should submit the following:
- Resume
- A cover letter describing your relevant experience, your connection to Latin America, and your Spanish and Portuguese language proficiency
- A writing sample in Spanish (legal memo, brief, or analytical document preferred)
- Three professional references with contact information.
This position is fully remote, with working location in North or South America preferred and the ability to align with Eastern United States hours required.
Please note that only complete applications will be considered. Please send your materials by email to jobs@islp.org with a subject line including the position title and applicant’s name (e.g., Program Officer – Latin America – Jane Doe.) Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and early application is encouraged.
We appreciate the time and interest represented in each application. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond individually to each application. Candidates selected to advance in the selection process will be contacted.