UNPAID VOLUNTEER - Director of Legal Research

UNPAID VOLUNTEER – Director of Legal Research Role Title: Director of Legal Research Role Type: Unpaid Volunteer Number of Positions: 1 Division: Research Division III – Legal Research Location: Home-based / Remote Reporting To: Director-General THIS IS AN UNPAID VOLUNTEER ROLE. About DTID The Digital Technology Institute for Development (DTID) is an international non-profit institute advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence, blockchain and emerging digital technologies to support sustainable development and policy implementation. DTID brings together professionals, researchers, technology specialists and other stakeholders to generate research, develop practical solutions, strengthen partnerships and support informed decision-making at the intersection of technology, climate change and sustainable development. The Role DTID is seeking an accomplished Director of Legal Research to provide strategic and academic leadership to the organisation's legal research activities. This position is specifically intended for an experienced legal scholar or academic legal researcher with a strong record of conducting and publishing substantive legal research. The successful candidate will lead DTID's research at the intersection of law, emerging digital technologies, climate change and sustainable development , including areas such as technology law, climate law, environmental governance, carbon markets, artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital regulation. The Director of Legal Research will oversee the end-to-end research process, provide leadership to Legal Research Officers, develop strategic research priorities, contribute to high-quality publications and strengthen DTID's engagement with governments, legislators, international organisations, academic institutions and other relevant stakeholders. The role will also contribute to DTID's engagement with policymakers and climate negotiators by translating academic legal research into practical policy insights, briefings and recommendations. Academic legal research experience and a demonstrable record of research publications are essential requirements for this position. Candidates whose professional experience is primarily in legal practice, without substantive academic or policy research experience in areas relevant to technology, climate, environmental or related law, should consider DTID's Legal Advisor or Legal Assistant opportunities instead. Key Responsibilities The Director of Legal Research will: • Lead DTID's legal research agenda across technology law, climate law, environmental governance and related areas. • Supervise Legal Research Officers and provide academic, technical and strategic guidance on research projects. • Develop and oversee high-quality legal research, publications, policy papers, briefing notes and other research outputs. • Identify priority research questions at the intersection of emerging digital technologies, climate policy and sustainable development. • Develop strategic research and knowledge partnerships with universities, research institutions, governments, international organisations and other relevant stakeholders. • Review and approve legal research outputs to ensure academic quality, accuracy and policy relevance. • Lead or contribute to multidisciplinary research projects across DTID. • Translate complex legal research into practical insights for policymakers, legislators, climate negotiators and non-specialist audiences. • Contribute research expertise to conferences, webinars, policy forums, executive briefings and external engagements. • Support the development of funded research proposals and strategic research initiatives. • Contribute to DTID's senior-level research planning and institutional strategy. • Monitor research progress, resource requirements and delivery against agreed priorities. Skills and Abilities Candidates should demonstrate: • Excellent written and spoken English. • Exceptional academic legal research and analytical skills. • Strong record of scholarly writing, editing and publication. • Strong strategic and intellectual leadership capability. • Excellent critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. • Ability to identify important and emerging legal research questions. • Strong organisational and time-management skills. • Ability to manage large-scale and long-term research programmes. • Ability to lead, mentor and develop highly qualified researchers. • Strong professional judgement and research integrity. • Ability to integrate different disciplines and areas of expertise into coherent research programmes. • Strong stakeholder-engagement and relationship-management skills. • Ability to communicate complex legal and academic concepts clearly to policymakers and non-specialist audiences. • Strong presentation and public-speaking skills. • Ability to develop and maintain strategic research collaborations. • Ability to work independently and provide leadership within a remote and internationally distributed organisation. • Ability to manage competing priorities, budgets and research deadlines. • A collaborative, credible and intellectually rigorous leadership style. General and Specialist Knowledge Candidates should demonstrate strong knowledge or research expertise in one or more of the following areas: • Technology law and digital regulation. • Artificial intelligence law and governance. • Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology law. • Climate change law and policy. • Environmental law and governance. • Carbon market law and regulation. • Climate finance regulation. • Renewable energy law and policy. • Natural resource governance. • Data protection, digital governance and technology policy. • International environmental law. • Public international law relevant to climate and sustainable development. • Legal frameworks supporting responsible emerging-technology adoption. • Academic legal research methodologies. •…