Senior Fellow in Citizenship and the Rule of Law

We are looking for a dynamic, inclusive and committed person with experience of education and/or civil society work and project management, to lead our 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.

Background

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.

The Role

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;
• Engage with school and other institutions about Bingham Centre resources and programmes;
• Maintain, develop and deepen relationships with stakeholders in the citizenship and public legal education fields;
• Plan and initiate new projects, and contribute to the development of projects by other colleagues.

Person Specification

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).