Project Manager – Access to Justice MDAC

Mental Disability Advocacy Center

Budapest, Hungary

Job title: Project Manager – Access to Justice 
Location: MDAC headquarters, Budapest, Hungary 
Reports to: Research and Monitoring Director
Responsible for: 0.5 Project Assistant, several project partners, interns 
Liaises with: Finance and Administration Director, other programmatic staff 
Salary and benefits: Commensurate with experience 
Job purpose: To manage a two year project on access to justice for children with intellectual disabilities and children with psycho-social disabilities

Project information

One of MDAC’s six human rights goals is access to justice. MDAC has been given a grant of 1million EUR from the European Commission carry out a two-year project entitled “Access to Justice for Children with Mental Disabilities”. The purpose of the “Project Manager – Access to Justice” is to manage this project, which aims to ensure access to justice for children with mental disabilities (term used to refer to children with intellectual disabilities and children with psycho-social disabilities), building on existing evidence and guidance relating to children and people with disabilities generally. The project addresses access to information, legal representation and assistance (e.g. intermediaries or interpreters), participation of children with mental disabilities in all stages of the legal process, protection of children with mental disabilities in judicial proceedings, privacy issues, and training for the judiciary and other relevant professionals.

• Development of a methodology for data gathering on access to justice for children with mental disabilities across the EU;
• Development of standards for access to justice for children with mental disabilities (in relation to protection of privacy, child participation, accessible information about access to justice options, legal assistance, legal representation, protective measures and special assistance) based on relevant research evidence and best available practice across the EU;
• Development of training and educational materials on access to justice for children with mental disabilities. These packages will be designed to be of relevance and potential use to professional bodies (including the judiciary and the police) and to universities;
• Advocacy actions to ensure that the methodology, the standards and the training materials are disseminated to and considered by policy-makers and civil society in all Member States, and at the EU level.

The project partnership includes ten university and NGO partners active in the fields of access to justice and/or work with people with mental disabilities in various Member States. The project is supported by an expert panel comprised of people with mental disabilities, their carers and experts from different fields.

Areas of responsibility

Programme management

1. Under the supervision of the Research and Monitoring Director (who acts as project director), the post-holder manages all aspects of the project;
2. Ensures project objectives are met and project activities are carried out in exact compliance with MDAC’s contractual obligations;
3. Develops and works to a strict timetable of actions;
4. Ensures smooth internal communication to all project participants, including a monthly project newsletter;
5. Holds to account and supervises project participants in all project activities ensuring strict contractual compliance;
6. Ensures budgetary compliance in close collaboration with the Finance and Administration Director
7. Develops project participant knowledge and skills;
8. Represents MDAC as required at project meetings and related conferences;
9. Ensures project learning feeds into MDAC’s overall programming and strategic planning;
10. Reports accurately and in detail on work achieved and planned;
11. Ensures that risks are planned for, identified early, discussed with senior management, acted upon and documented;
12. Participates in the development of the organisation, including fundraising;
13. Carries out any other tasks reasonably required by the supervisor.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate qualification in a social sciences discipline, law, or policy fields.

Desirable

• Management qualification;
• Qualitative research qualification.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Highly advanced written English language skills;
• Minimum three years relevant work experience working in the field of children’s rights and/or the rights of people with disabilities and/or access to justice including at least four of the following areas:
  • Developing secondary, desk research methodologies;
  • Conducting primary qualitative research;
  • Carrying out participatory action research;
  • Supervising other people carrying out research;
  • Editing the work of non-English speakers up to publication standard;
  • Managing projects using project management software;
  • Drafting policy briefs and other human rights advocacy submissions;
  • Reporting to the European Commission or other major funding body.

Desirable

• Interviewing children with disabilities;
• Dealing with research ethics bodies;
• Turning research findings into advocacy materials;
• Ability to communicate in a European language other than English.

Personal attributes and skills

The ideal person will have the following attributes and skills:

• Commitment to MDAC’s mission, vision and organisational values;
• Willingness to be based in Budapest and travel internationally occasionally;
• A commitment to engage in dialogue with a variety of stakeholders;
• Demonstrated analytical skills and someone who thrives in complexity;
• Strategic thinking and someone who seeks linkages between people and themes;
• Quick learner who thrives on multi-tasking;
• Outstanding writing skills to be able to make sense of complicated information and condense it into punchy outputs;
• A well-developed sense of when to bring matters to the attention of others;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills who is as comfortable on the phone as they are communicating electronically;
• Ability to deal with ambiguous external environments and a high-paced working environment.

To apply

This position is based in MDAC’s headquarters in central Budapest, Hungary. Applicants must be a citizen of a European Union Member State. The contract will be indefinite in law, but MDAC only intends to have this post-holder in place for the project duration. The contract is subject to a three month probationary period. The contract will be governed by Hungarian labour law. The post-holder will be paid a fixed amount in Hungarian forints and must pay Hungarian taxes, social security and other statutory contributions. 

MDAC is an equal employment opportunity employer and aims to ensure that all prospective and actual employees and consultants are treated equally, irrespective of actual or perceived disability, age, nationality (apart from in employing citizens of EU countries where specified), race or ethnicity, religious belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or other status protected by law. People with disabilities, including mental health service users and survivors of psychiatry, are encouraged to apply. MDAC has in place a reasonable accommodation policy for people with disabilities. 

The deadline for applications is 5pm CET, Monday 21 January 2013. First round telephone interviews (including a written element via email) will take place during the week of 28 January and face-to-face interviews will take place from week of 4 February. The successful candidate will start employment on Monday 1 April 2013. 

Applicants should send an email to JoinTheTeam@mdac.info with “Access to justice” in the subject line and attach:

1. A letter of interest (up to 800 words) addressed to the Executive Director. The letter should detail how the applicant is an ideal match for this post and should specifically refer to the job description and person specification.;
2. A full CV (specifying citizenship).;
3. An unedited English-language writing sample;
4. The names of two referees who may be contacted after the first round of interviews.

If any of the above is missing the applicant will be automatically rejected. If candidates wish to discuss this opportunity with MDAC staff they should do so by emailing mdac@mdac.info and addressing their enquiry to Rea Maglajlic, Research and Monitoring Director.