Deputy Director, Legal and Governance

About Reprieve

Reprieve works with people whose circumstances have made them extremely vulnerable. Our aim is simple: to consign the death penalty and abuses carried out in the name of counter-terrorism or national security to history, drawing public and political attention to these past harms with a view to preventing them from occurring again.

In our view, you can best judge a society by how it treats prisoners, criminal defendants, and the far-flung targets of an ever-changing counter-terror policy. To us, the rule of law means little if we selectively apply it to people we agree with. It is for all of us. Liberty is always eroded at the margins.

Reprieve s staff is made up of courageous and committed human rights defenders. Founded in 1999, we provide free legal and investigative support to people facing the death penalty and those victimised by states abusive counter-terror policies rendition, torture, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killing.

We fight our clients cases in courts around the world; investigate their mistreatment; and advocate on their behalf, encouraging public and political debate of human rights issues.

Reprieve s main office is in Aldgate, London, UK. Reprieve also supports full-time Fellows, who work as lawyers, investigators and campaigners in the countries in which we work. We work closely with a number of partner organisations in jurisdictions all over the world, who provide access to clients, expertise, knowledge and guidance on specific issues or regions. We work in cooperation with relevant government officials, individual lawyers and human rights defenders, as well as individual, corporate and foundation funders to further the cause of our shared goals.

About this role

The Deputy Director, Legal and Governance is responsible for providing independent, strategic and proactive legal advice to Reprieve and is a critical member of the Senior Management Team. This is an exciting and varied role in which no two days are the same. You will have the opportunity to interact with inspiring people throughout Reprieve as well as those outside of Reprieve who are integral partners in our work.

The Deputy Director, Legal and Governance will be a UK-based qualified solicitor or barrister, or have an equivalent qualification from another jurisdiction with sufficient experience working within the UK in a legal capacity either in private practice or in-house environment.

The Deputy Director, Legal and Governance will report to Reprieve s Board and its Risk Committee; and attend, observe and minute meetings of our Finance Committee and Nominations Committee. They will be expected to play a key role in any special ad-hoc committees established by the Board from time to time, for instance, in the event of a serious incident occurring.

All staff will feel confident to approach the Deputy Director, Legal and Governance with challenging legal questions that cut across Reprieve cases, fundraising and operations. Trustees will feel confident to entrust you to support the SMT in managing risks at Reprieve, and third parties such as suppliers and external counsel will feel comfortable liaising with you, even when the issues being discussed are complex and confidential.

Collaboration is at the heart of Reprieve s strategy. The Deputy Director, Legal and Governance will have a proven ability to think pragmatically and laterally, to provide sound judgement, to work and collaborate well with teams, and to communicate effectively. They will be wholly committed to the clients Reprieve serves and the issues that Reprieve seeks to address.

Location, contract and salary

The role is a part-time (four days per week) permanent position with an annual salary of £53,620.80 FTE (pro-rated to £53,621 for a four-day week) per annum less any required deductions for income tax and national insurance.

This role is based in Reprieve s London office. Reprieve operates a hybrid working model and we require staff to work 40% of their working hours from the London office and the rest of the week from home. Applicants must have the current right to work in the UK, which will be checked prior to interview.

Full details and how to apply

Please see the job description for full details on this role. The deadline for applications is 23:59 on 13 April 2025.