Paralegal

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable. We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.

The Need

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. Nine out of nine times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people living in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking a Paralegal to support legal operations, contract review, regulatory coordination, and knowledge management across IJM’s Global Legal Affairs team and North America Region.

This position is based in the Washington, DC area and is hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays). It reports to the Vice President, Legal Affairs, and is only available for candidates with the right to work in the US.

Responsibilities

• Manage contract intake and conduct initial reviews to identify legal issues, ensure completeness, and support attorney review;
• Coordinate contract workflows with internal clients, vendors, and outside counsel;
• Track, prioritize, and route legal requests in alignment with Legal Affairs leadership;
• Improve and maintain legal processes, tools, and workflows, including templates, internal reference guides, and process documentation;
• Capture, organize, and maintain institutional legal knowledge for ease of use across the organization;
• Coordinate timelines, deliverables, and communications for legal projects while providing targeted administrative support;
• Conduct focused legal and operational research and analyze contracts, policies, regulations, and facts to surface key risks and options;
• Draft and edit legal documents and correspondence under attorney direction and maintain records within established legal systems;
• Create practical tools, templates, and training materials and support internal trainings, office hours, and communications;
• Build effective working relationships with internal stakeholders and external counsel and support development and implementation of legal policies and standards;
• Support required regulatory, governance, and organizational filings and coordinate filing activities with stakeholders and outside counsel; and
• Participation in IJM’s community of spiritual formation.
  
  

Qualifications:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain legal concepts clearly to non‑legal audiences;
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and work independently in a matrixed, mission‑driven organization;
• Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience in a legal, business, or nonprofit setting with working knowledge of contracts, compliance, or internal legal operations.
  
  

Critical Qualities:

• Eager commitment to IJM’s Core Values: Christian, Professional, and Bridge‑Building;
• Service‑oriented and human‑centered, with a strong sense of responsibility for enabling others to work effectively and compliantly;
• Collaborative and relational, able to build trust and work productively across functions, cultures, and disciplines;
• Proactive and solutions‑oriented, with initiative to identify needs, surface issues, and propose practical improvements;
• Thoughtful, dependable, and discreet in handling sensitive matters and exercising good judgment;
• Strong interpersonal skills and self‑awareness;
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; and
• Effective team player who fosters a collaborative environment.
  
  

Application Process:

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.

What is a statement of faith? A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.

What does IJM have to offer?

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits
• Retirement benefit options
• Paid leave starting at 23 days
• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)
• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation
• Robust staff care resources
  
  

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e‑1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.