UNPAID VOLUNTEER - Director of Legal Research

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Posted Oct 10, 2026

Remote · South Korea · ask about Worldwide Full Time

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Overview

Unpaid volunteer position: Director of Legal Research (1 role)

This home-based/remote role reports to the Director-General and provides strategic and academic leadership for the organization’s legal research activities.

Responsibilities

The Director of Legal Research will:

Lead the 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 and outputs, including publications, policy papers, briefing notes, and other research materials.
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 organizations, 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.
Translate complex legal research into practical insights for policymakers, legislators, climate negotiators, and non-specialist audiences.
Contribute legal 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 senior-level research planning and institutional strategy.
Monitor research progress, resource requirements, and delivery against agreed priorities.

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Requirements

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 organizational 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 organization.
Ability to manage competing priorities, budgets, and research deadlines.
A collaborative, credible, and intellectually rigorous leadership style.

General and Specialist Knowledge

Demonstrated strong knowledge or research expertise in one or more of the following areas is required:

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
Comparative and interdisciplinary legal research

Candidates are not expected to be specialists in every area above, but should demonstrate substantial expertise in at least one relevant field and the ability to lead multidisciplinary legal research.

Knowledge of international climate processes, including the UNFCCC and related policy frameworks, would be advantageous.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant legal research, reference-management, and academic research tools is expected.

Education and Training

Preferably:

A PhD in Law or another closely related discipline with a strong legal research component.

Equivalent advanced academic qualifications and an exceptional record of substantive legal research and publication may also be considered.

Relevant specialist expertise or academic training in areas such as technology law, climate/environmental law, international law, digital governance, artificial intelligence regulation, blockchain or financial technology law, and sustainability/environmental policy would be advantageous.

Professional proficiency in English is required.

Knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish or another international language would be advantageous.

Experience

Demonstrated experience including:

Significant experience developing and managing academic legal research projects.
A strong and demonstrable track record of peer-reviewed publications, books, book chapters, research reports, or other substantial legal research outputs.
Experience designing, planning, and delivering independent legal research.
Experience leading multidisciplinary or cross-disciplinary research initiatives.
Experience supervising, mentoring, or managing researchers.
Experience developing and maintaining academic or institutional research collaborations.
Experience translating academic research into policy-relevant outputs.
Experience engaging policymakers, legislators, international organizations, or other senior institutional stakeholders.
Experience developing research proposals and, ideally, securing or managing research funding.
Experience contributing to strategic and operational research planning.
Experience managing research resources, priorities, and deliverables.
Experience presenting research findings at conferences, seminars, policy forums, or comparable external engagements.

Internationally recognized research leadership or a sustained record of contributing to influential legal or policy research would be highly advantageous.

Experience within a university, research institution, think tank, international organization, nonprofit organization, or comparable research environment would also be advantageous.

Compensation & Benefits

This position is unpaid.
Volunteer opportunities may include leading an international programme of academic and policy-oriented legal research; shaping the organization’s legal research agenda; publishing and contributing to substantive legal research and policy papers; leading and mentoring an international team; developing research partnerships; and engaging policymakers and senior stakeholders.