About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a globally recognized think tank with 3 decades of experience working to solve the world’s most pressing sustainable development challenges. We combine deep expertise in a wide range of issues with a collaborative approach to research, policy advice, and hands-on support to ensure these solutions are brought to life. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we are a diverse team of over 300 professionals working from offices in Canada, Switzerland, and other locations around the world.

Scope

The Economic Law and Policy sub-program on Investment Law and Policy aims to advance structural reforms of investment treaties, laws, and contracts that address the root causes of today's investment governance policy problems, while protecting governments' policy space and public budgets in the short term, limiting exposure to costly disputes, and creating room for structural changes. Indeed, achieving key sustainable development goals, such as poverty reduction, access to clean energy, social inclusion, and combating climate change, requires fundamental structural economic transformations—and specifically private and public investment that advance both human well-being and environmental sustainability. However, not all investments are designed to support these critical goals. One necessary precondition to ensuring quality investment that supports both people and the planet is the use of well-designed legal and policy frameworks. To advance this agenda, we develop research outputs, provide training and capacity support to relevant stakeholder groups, organize conferences and dialogues, and use various other approaches. Increasingly, our work involves a dedicated “virtual” component, both in terms of the events we deliver and the communications and outreach efforts we undertake. Our team includes lawyers and journalists, among others, who are located across various countries and world regions.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Vision, and Team Leadership

• Contribute to identifying challenges, emerging issues, and solutions.
• Promote a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and shared learning.
• Manage own time and inputs into projects so as to deliver research outputs on time and to budget.

Fundraising and Donor Relationships

• Support fundraising efforts by contributing to proposals for funding and business development materials
• Identify fundraising opportunities based on existing work or new ideas.

Research

• Undertake research and contribute to publications to raise awareness, build knowledge, and propose policy recommendations for investment treaties, national investment laws, and investment contracts reform.
• Develop and conduct capacity-building sessions for government policy-makers at the national and regional levels (along with civil society organizations) on investment governance, legal, and policy frameworks reforms.
• Undertake legal and policy review of existing investment legal and policy frameworks.
• Track, engage, and contribute to global and regional reform processes relevant for investment treaties, laws, and contract reforms.
• Keep up to date regarding emerging issues related to the workstream.

Communications and Outreach

• Contribute to the development of communications materials to communicate the workstream's work and its components to a broader audience.
• Present the workstream work at forums, conferences, and public events.
• Identify and maintain contacts with domestic and international project partners.
• Contribute to the organization and documentation of webinars, meetings, trainings, and public consultations as required.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of content for online networks, including quarterly newsletters and webinars.

Operations and Program Management

• Participate in project missions, arranging elements of missions as appropriate.
• Contribute to the organization and documentation of workshops, webinars, training, meetings, and public consultations, as required.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Education

• 3–5 years of relevant work experience in policy and/or research in the legal sector or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience, with demonstrated involvement in sustainable development issues.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proven experience in legal research.
• Excellent research and writing skills, including proven experience designing and carrying out policy-oriented research.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative data analytical skills.
• Working fluency in English and French
• Excellent computer skills, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and automated referencing software.
• Excellent organizational, presentation, and planning skills.
• Ability to travel internationally, particularly in Africa.
• Experience conducting technical assistance or capacity-building projects in developing countries would be an asset.

Behavioural Competencies (Essential)

• Confidence in working collaboratively with IISD staff, affiliates, partners, and consultants.
• An entrepreneurial approach to work, taking initiative within the team and ready to develop new skills, increase responsibility, and build experience in fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, managing workload and producing deliverables on time and within budget.
• Results-focused with an ability to prioritize and work quickly and accurately over a range of tasks.

• Contribute to identifying challenges, emerging issues, and solutions.
• Promote a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and shared learning.
• Manage own time and inputs into projects so as to deliver research outputs on time and to budget.
• Support fundraising efforts by contributing to proposals for funding and business development materials
• Identify fundraising opportunities based on existing work or new ideas.
• Undertake research and contribute to publications to raise awareness, build knowledge, and propose policy recommendations for investment treaties, national investment laws, and investment contracts reform.
• Develop and conduct capacity-building sessions for government policy-makers at the national and regional levels (along with civil society organizations) on investment governance, legal, and policy frameworks reforms.
• Undertake legal and policy review of existing investment legal and policy frameworks.
• Track, engage, and contribute to global and regional reform processes relevant for investment treaties, laws, and contract reforms.
• Keep up to date regarding emerging issues related to the workstream.
• Contribute to the development of communications materials to communicate the workstream's work and its components to a broader audience.
• Present the workstream work at forums, conferences, and public events.
• Identify and maintain contacts with domestic and international project partners.
• Contribute to the organization and documentation of webinars, meetings, trainings, and public consultations as required.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of content for online networks, including quarterly newsletters and webinars.
• Participate in project missions, arranging elements of missions as appropriate.
• Contribute to the organization and documentation of workshops, webinars, training, meetings, and public consultations, as required.

• Proven experience in legal research.
• Excellent research and writing skills, including proven experience designing and carrying out policy-oriented research.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative data analytical skills.
• Working fluency in English and French
• Excellent computer skills, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and automated referencing software.
• Excellent organizational, presentation, and planning skills.
• Ability to travel internationally, particularly in Africa.
• Experience conducting technical assistance or capacity-building projects in developing countries would be an asset.
• Confidence in working collaboratively with IISD staff, affiliates, partners, and consultants.
• An entrepreneurial approach to work, taking initiative within the team and ready to develop new skills, increase responsibility, and build experience in fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, managing workload and producing deliverables on time and within budget.
• Results-focused with an ability to prioritize and work quickly and accurately over a range of tasks.

• 3–5 years of relevant work experience in policy and/or research in the legal sector or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience, with demonstrated involvement in sustainable development issues.