DIRECTOR, LEGAL AFFAIRS

Contract

This is a D-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 16 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 270,944 USD and 326,557 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Office of Legal Affairs is the central legal service of the Organization and provides legal advice to the Secretary-General, Secretariat departments and offices and United Nations organs in the field of public and private law; represents the Secretary-General in legal conferences and in judicial proceedings; performs substantive and secretariat functions for legal organs involved in public international law, the law of the sea and ocean affairs and international trade law; and performs the functions conferred on the Secretary-General in Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

This position is located in the Codification Division, Office of Legal Affairs. The Director reports to the Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and within delegated authorities, the Director of the Codification Division is responsible for the implementation of the tasks aimed at encouragement and facilitation of the progressive development of international law and its codification in accordance with Article 13.l (a) of the Charter of the United Nations. Specifically, the responsibilities of the incumbent include the following:

Directs and manages substantive support provided by the Division to United Nations bodies involved in the progressive development of international law and its codification (particularly the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, the International Law Commission, special or ad hoc committees), including research on topics of international law, preparation of background documentation and draft reports of the bodies concerned, legal advice and assistance in the conduct of proceedings and in the drafting of resolutions and decisions of these bodies.

Contributes to the formulation of OLA’s overall strategies and policies by participating in various committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the head of OLA; contribute to the overall management of OLA’s activities and operations.

Ensures that the outputs produced by the Office/Division maintain high-quality standards; Formulates, implements and oversees activities aimed at dissemination and wider appreciation of international law conducted within the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law; Directs and manages the Division, including the supervision of the preparation of the budget, reporting on programme performance, the recruitment of the staff of the Division as well as their development and appraisal.

Communicates with Permanent Missions, Government entities and international organizations on matters relating to the work of the Division.

Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the office/Division and across organizational boundaries.

Represents the Organization at international conferences and meetings.

Performs other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

Competencies

•Professionalism: Comprehensive and in-depth theoretical knowledge of international law, as well as practical application of legal principles, concepts and policy to a range of legal issues in the area of public international law. In-depth knowledge of the process of progressive development of international law and its codification is essential. Outstanding analytical and drafting skills. Proven ability to design research projects, conduct and supervise such research on a variety of complex and intricate international law issues with special emphasis on areas relevant to progressive development and codification of international law. Demonstrated ability to prepare and supervise the preparation of legal briefs and studies on multi-dimensional, complex and sensitive legal issues and instruments under negotiation. Strong capacity to work to tight deadlines and manage stressful situations.

•Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

•Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Managerial Competencies •Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. •Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public international law is required. A first-level university degree in law in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A doctorate with a thesis in public international law is desirable.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of public international law, either in a national administrations, international administrations or academia, or a combination thereof, is required.

At least two years of experience working with the United Nations or a related intergovernmental organization are desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Fluency in French is desirable.Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 Sept 2023, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.