Legal Advisor | Remote

Crossing Hurdles; New Zealand; Remote; NZD 110,000 - 207,000; Full time

Job summary

Crossing Hurdles is seeking an International Humanitarian Law Advisor to work remotely on a contract basis, delivering expert analysis and boundary scenario development for civilian protection and human-rights compliance. You will review taxonomies, assess AI-generated legal reasoning, and provide actionable feedback to project teams.

The role requires senior-level IHL/IHRL expertise, strong communication skills, and experience in advisory or teaching settings, with an understanding of AI

Qualifications

• Recognized expertise in international humanitarian law and/or international human rights law.
• Fluency in LOAC, human-rights frameworks, and civilian-protection standards.
• Experience in advisory, consultative, or teaching roles in relevant legal domains.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities; precise expression.
• Proven ability to document and analyze complex legal scenarios, including edge cases.
• Background in operational advising (e.g., ICRC, UN agencies, tribunals) is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI governance or evaluation projects is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and author boundary case scenarios on international humanitarian law, civilian protection, proportionality, and prohibited conduct.
• Review and validate legal boundary lines within project taxonomies to align with IHL and human-rights frameworks.
• Assess AI-generated responses for legal reasoning, limitations, and uncertainty handling.
• Identify and flag overly cautious refusals of legitimate queries and insufficient caution where civilian protection is critical.
• Document and provide analyses of edge cases from legal and human-rights perspectives.
• Collaborate with project teams to refine evaluation protocols and ensure high-quality input.
• Deliver clear, well-structured written and verbal feedback to inform model development and evaluation.

Skills

IHL expertise

IHRL expertise

LOAC fluency

Advisory/teaching experience

Strong written/verbal communication

Legal scenario analysis

Operational advising

AI governance familiarity

Job description

Position: International Humanitarian Law Advisor

Type: Contract

Compensation: $80 - $150/hour

Location: Remote

Commitment: 10-40 hrs/week

Role Responsibilities

• Develop and author boundary case scenarios on international humanitarian law, civilian protection, proportionality, and prohibited conduct.
• Review and validate legal boundary lines within project taxonomies to ensure alignment with current IHL and human-rights frameworks.
• Assess AI-generated responses for legal reasoning, identification of limitations, and handling of legal uncertainty.
• Identify and flag both overly cautious refusals of legitimate queries and insufficient caution where civilian protection is critical.
• Document and provide detailed analyses of edge cases from both legal and human-rights perspectives.
• Collaborate with project teams to refine evaluation protocols and ensure consistent, high-quality input.
• Deliver clear, well-structured written and verbal feedback to inform model development and evaluation.

Requirements

• Recognized expertise in international humanitarian law and/or international human rights law, such as a senior practitioner, advisor, or scholar.
• Demonstrated fluency in LOAC, human-rights frameworks, and civilian-protection standards.
• Experience with advisory, consultative, or teaching roles in relevant legal domains.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities; cares deeply about precise, effective expression.
• Track record of documenting and analyzing complex legal scenarios, including ambiguous or edge cases.
• Background in operational advising (e.g., ICRC, UN agencies, tribunals, or commissions of inquiry) is a plus.
• Familiarity or experience with AI governance or evaluation projects is advantageous.