Luminate is a global foundation working to ensure that everyone – especially those who are underrepresented - has the information, rights, and power to influence the decisions that shape society. The foundation is focused on enabling people to fully participate in civic and political life, to safely challenge power, and to access accurate, trustworthy information. Luminate works globally with a regional focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It was established by philanthropists Pierre and Pam Omidyar and has worked for over a decade on issues related to governance and citizen engagement.

Within Luminate, the new Luminate Strategic Initiatives (LSI) team is focused on addressing digital threats to democracy through policy change, campaigns, partnerships, and litigation. We aim to help advance a healthier information ecosystem by strengthening the integrity of digital media. We seek urgent change in moving from today’s polarising information market to a healthy digital environment that promotes reason and social cohesion.

The LSI team operates primarily in Europe, where rules and standards to constrain Big Tech are the world’s strongest and seem most likely to transform positively harmful business models and practices.

We work to support, promote, and enable the urgent and effective regulation of the digital environment through advocacy and litigation. Specifically, we aim to stop the use of tracking and targeting in ways that artificially amplify harmful and illegal content. We are also acting to help end the automated, algorithmic promotion of content that is illegal, harmful, or in violation of a platform’s terms of service.

SUMMARY OF ROLE

The Litigation Lead position is a senior role in LSI that will contribute significantly to its direction and work. The primary area of accountability will be managing the litigation programme –– identifying opportunities, and leading work on grants and contracts –– as well as providing expert legal analysis across the programme. This involves strategic thinking and legal insight to guide the litigation workstream, and to advise the policy and campaigning teams on legal considerations and opportunities. The second area of accountability will be relationship management with external partners and stakeholders. Working in partnership and collaboration with other organisations will be essential to the role's success.  

The Litigation Lead will be based in Berlin, Brussels or London (note that Luminate currently has an office in London, but no offices in Berlin or Brussels, so candidates based in Berlin or Brussels would work remotely with regular travel to meet with colleagues in London as needed). 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Researching, analysing, and advising on litigation and strategy, including identifying new opportunities (both legal and policy), monitoring developments, and recommending potential collaborations and partnerships

• Liaising with grantees and lawyers to manage grants and contracts, including high level strategic oversight of litigation

• Providing legal expertise to the policy advocacy and public campaigning work of the programme, working with team members across the programme 

• Growing, developing and managing relationships with external partners and stakeholders

• Leading the due diligence process for prospective grantees

• Understanding internal legal, finance and administrative processes

• Supporting budget management

• Leading on the programme’s operational needs –– including task management, event planning, onboarding of new team members, risk assessment, and other day-to-day needs of programmatic work

• The Litigation Lead will report to the Director, Litigation

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Several years of experience in litigation in a civil law jurisdiction

• Strong knowledge of EU law, and preferably of French, German, or Dutch law

• Demonstrated understanding of strategic litigation

• Exceptional communications and people skills, ideally with experience of working with a diverse range of people

• Demonstrated ability to work within a high performance team with a high intensity workflow across multiple different projects

• Demonstrated commitment to public service and a passion for the mission of working at the intersection of technology and democracy (pre-existing knowledge of the topics a plus, but not required)

• Personal interest in the mission of Luminate and LSI’s priorities

• Positive attitude, adaptability, and the ability to think creatively

• Enthusiasm and exceptional ability to cultivate strong relationships with a range of organisations and working with diverse teams and colleagues

Desired

• European languages other than English

• Successful track record of thinking strategically and identifying connections and opportunities across projects and organisations to serve an overall strategy

• Experience of working in or with civil society organisations / non-governmental organisations

• Experience managing budgets and finances, advantageous if this includes understanding of philanthropic grant making processes

• Highly knowledgeable of data and digital rights issues, including the content curation and targeting practices of major tech platform companies

Luminate offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW

Luminate believes that diversity and inclusion make us more successful in our work, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or national law.