Legal Advisor, Cardiovascular Health

Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is a global health organization that partners locally and globally to create and scale solutions to the world’s deadliest health threats. Millions of people die from preventable health threats. We collaborate to close the gap between proven, life-saving solutions and the people who need them. Since 2017, we’ve worked with governments and other partners in more than 60 countries to save millions of lives. We work toward a future where people live longer, healthier lives, communities flourish, and economies thrive. This is an ambitious vision, and it inspires us and our partners to make progress every day. 

The Cardiovascular Health (CVH) unit at RTSL provides technical assistance in developing cardiovascular disease prevention programs to help countries improve their people's heart health. Working with our partners to improve the control of high blood pressure, reduce salt intake, and eliminate transfat from the global food supply, the CVH team has helped save countless lives from cardiovascular disease.  

Position Purpose

RTSL's Legal Public Health team supports the CVH team by working to strengthen national legal frameworks and capacity to address key priorities, specifically reducing or eliminating trans fatty acids (TFAs), reducing sodium, implementing policy measures to reduce hypertension, and reducing exposure to lead poisoning. The primary focus of the CVH Legal Program is to support governments in reviewing their existing legal frameworks, identifying gaps and needs, and designing effective response measures.  

Reporting to the Legal Director and closely matrixed with the Healthy Foods and Environments Director and the Hypertension Director, the Legal Advisor will provide legal support and guidance to programs across CVH, with an emphasis on ensuring that legislation and regulations reflect international best practices and consistent review procedures across the CVH unit.  

Length of engagement:

This is a two-year fixed-term appointment, with the possibility of extension.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Legal Director, the position will concentrate approximately 80% on Healthy Foods and Environments and the other 20% percent on Hypertension Control: 

• Identify, review and assess relevant existing laws and regulations in countries in which Resolve to Save Lives is engaged in public health initiatives
• Provide legal assistance to governments and grant partners in legal/regulatory analysis and strategy development
• Provide legal review of key policy, advocacy and related products/tools in the development phase
• Support the hypertension team and nutrition with legal or regulatory landscape analysis to advance strategy formulation or advocacy 
• Support the development of materials about RTSL's legal work
• Assess existing tools and contribute to the development of legal tools at subregional, regional, or global levels with relevant teams
• Support in the delivery and design of capacity building activities, such as workshops and other technical assistance activities with in-country partners
• Identify, assess and review international documents related to Resolve to Save Lives' programs and global partnerships to ensure language reflects policy priorities
• Other legal or policy research, as requested

Qualifications

Education:

• Juris Doctor, LLM, or equivalent degree 

Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of experience in policy analysis, regulatory reform, or related area(s) of legal work 
• Demonstrated experience in legal analysis 
• Prior experience working in or with government ministries on public health or environmental health legislation and regulation 
• Experience working in low- and middle-income countries 

Skills & abilities: 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex legal issues and provide practical solutions  
• Written and verbal communication skills to draft clear, concise, and legally sound legislation and effectively communicate legal advice to non-legal stakeholders 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbally and in writing) complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily understandable manner 
• Understanding of the technical and programmatic aspects of legal systems 
• Proficiency in the use of computers, including MS Office applications 
• Time-management skills with the ability to work in a deadline-oriented environment, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks independently 

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in food or environmental health policy 
• Knowledge of best practice food policies for the prevention of non-communicable diseases
• Fluency in French or Spanish

Compensation and Benefits 

Resolve to Save Lives prides itself on cultivating a supportive and connected remote team doing work that matters. We do everything possible to ensure our employees are connected and set up for success. 

The salary range for applicants based in the US is $100,000 to $115,000 annually. The exact offer will be determined by various factors, such as the candidate's skills and experience relative to the requirements of the role. For applicants based outside the US, salaries are set according to national labor rates for the international NGO sector.

In addition to a competitive salary, Resolve to Save Lives provides a generous package of benefits, including: 

• Health insurance for you and your dependents 
• Contributions toward retirement  
• Paid annual leave and sick leave, in addition to public holidays 
• Two paid, week-long organization-wide breaks at mid-year and end-of-year  
• Professional development and home office setup benefits 
• Up-to-date computer equipment

RTSL believes its programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We encourage applications from and provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, organ donor status, or status as a veteran. Resolve to Save Lives complies with all applicable US EEO laws.