Senior Fellow in Citizenship and the Rule of Law

Salary:          £50,000 - £55,000 per annum, pro rata
Location:      Russell Square, London

Term:           February 2025 or as soon as possible – 31 August 2026, extendable if further funding is secured
Hours:          3 days/21 hours per week (0.6 FTE)

We are looking for a dynamic, inclusive and committed person with experience of education and/or civil society work and project management, to lead the Bingham Centre’s innovative programme of engagement with young people and the general public. The aim of this work is to build understanding of the rule of law, a vital aspect of citizenship in our modern society. 

 

The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law is part of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), a leading independent institute based in London.

The Bingham Centre’s focus area on Citizenship and the Rule of Law recognises that public understanding of the rule of law is vital to protecting and strengthening it. There needs to be a concerted effort to engage with the general public and particularly young people, who are likely to benefit tremendously from learning about the role of law and legal institutions in securing their rights and enabling fair and equal participation in civic life.

Through our activities in the field of Citizenship and the Rule of Law, which began in 2014, we have pursued this goal in several ways:

·         Developing materials for UK citizenship education: our award-winning classroom resource series, The Rule of Law for Citizenship Education, has reached more than 30,000 school students in 400 schools.

·         Participating in discussions on legal education and citizenship in a variety of settings, from conferences in the legal and teaching professions to meetings of the Solicitor General's Public Legal Education Committee under the previous government. Following the 2024 general election, the government has signalled a strong interest in public promotion of the rule of law, and this was one of the themes of the Attorney General’s 2024 Bingham Lecture.

·         Producing video and digital materials and undertaking online teaching. The Bingham Centre developed a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on Citizenship and the Rule of Law for the University of London. The MOOC and other online resources may be found on our Rule of Law Digital Hub.

·         Co-ordinating interactive school workshops, run by volunteers: we launched an innovative Public and Youth Engagement Programme, funded by the Sybil Shine Memorial Trust. The Programme has recruited volunteers who have run interactive workshops in UK schools on issues selected by the school students themselves.  

We are looking to appoint a strong candidate as Senior Fellow to lead our focus area on Citizenship and the Rule of Law, for a fixed period until 31 August 2026, with the possibility of extension if further funding is secured.  

The Senior Fellow will be expected to undertake the following duties, working in conjunction with a Researcher from within the Bingham Centre team, and volunteers undertaking pro bono activities:

·       Manage the Public and Youth Engagement Programme. 

o    Overseeing the recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers, who may be drawn from among students, recent graduates and/or practising lawyers through the pro bono programmes undertaken by their firms;

o    Promoting the online resources of the programme (see Background above), and working with the project’s Researcher to produce additional material (e.g. blogs and/or short videos on appropriate topics), with the first additions to be launched within the 2024-2025 school year;

o    Reaching out to schools to arrange workshops, including some during the 2025 summer term

o    Undertaking an internal review of the programme on commencement, and a full evaluation before the end of the 2024-2025 school year, and regularly thereafter

·       Engage with school and other institutions about Bingham Centre resources and programmes, including by:

o    Engaging with schools which are using, or considering using, the Bingham Centre’s Rule of Law for Citizenship Education resource materials, and are considering hosting Public and Youth Education workshops; 

o    Engaging with institutions running MOOCs or hosting online resources developed by the Bingham Centre.

o    Taking into account views received when reviewing the content and operation of the resources and programmes.

·       Maintain, develop and deepen relationships with stakeholders in the citizenship and public legal education fields, including by:

o    Interacting with stakeholders from government, academia, the teaching and legal professions, through meetings, conference presentations and reports, blogs and other written outputs;

o    Working with senior colleagues from the Bingham Centre and BIICL Development team to approach law firms and other prospective funders and supporters of our activities 

·       Plan and initiate new projects, and contribute to the development of projects by other colleagues, including by:

o    Developing new projects, which may involve collaboration with the stakeholders mentioned above; seeking and securing funding for such projects, in conjunction with the senior colleagues from the Bingham Centre and BIICL Development team.

o    Leading efforts to engage a wider public audience in the work of the Bingham Centre and BIICL, and, in particular young people and stakeholders outside the legal sector, including disadvantaged and traditionally excluded groups. This will involve helping other Bingham Centre and BIICL researchers to identify opportunities for their research to be incorporated into public and youth engagement activities, and vice versa.

Key working relationships will include:

·       Bingham Centre Director

·       BIICL Director of Marketing and Communications 

·       BIICL Development team

This post is offered until 31 August 2026, with the possibility of extension if further funding is secured. A salary package of £50,000 - £55,000 pa, pro rata, is expected, depending on qualifications and experience.  The post is offered at 0.6 FTE, so the salary for 3 days a week will be a maximum of £33,000. 

The successful applicant will demonstrate the following mix of experience, skills and attributes:

 

Experience

●      Working with young people or disadvantaged communities;

●      Teaching, campaign work or legal practice (experience in any one of these areas is essential, and a combination may be an advantage);

●      Managing projects, including liaising with multiple partners and civil society stakeholders; experience of monitoring and evaluation of projects would be an advantage.

 

Knowledge 

●      A degree in law, politics or a related field; for non-law graduates, demonstrable knowledge of the rule of law;

●      Sufficient knowledge of current affairs and the UK legal system to produce briefing papers for both students and teachers;

●      Broad awareness of rule of law issues outside the UK.

 

Competences

●      Excellent writing skills, and the ability to present material in an engaging and accessible manner (experience of preparing materials or reports for non-legal audiences may be an advantage);

●      Good organisational skills;

●      An enthusiasm for bringing people together;

●      Willingness to facilitate discussions featuring viewpoints with which you disagree;

●      Ability to use word processing, spreadsheet, basic websites and social media in a professional environment (primarily X and LinkedIn)

 

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on 15 January 2025. Applicants should send the following by email to the BreatheHR link:

·         A completed BIICL application cover form (available at www.biicl.org/vacancies) including the names and addresses of three referees (two of whom should be contactable prior to interview); 

  

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Jan van Zyl Smit, Director of the Bingham Centre (j.vanzylsmit@binghamcentre.biicl.org).

It is expected that interviews will take place in late January. 

BIICL and the Bingham Centre welcome applications regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We particularly encourage applications from individuals whose backgrounds are currently under-represented in law and politics.

In order to be considered for this role, applicants must currently have the right to work in the UK or be in a position to secure the right to work in the UK by the date of commencement of employment.

The successful applicant will be required to complete a DBS check (Enhanced) due to this project involving interaction with vulnerable people and children.