Head, LCR Workstream

Contract

This is a IICA-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's an external contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about IICA-3 contracts.

Background Information - Job-specific

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our diversity through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates and strengthen our inclusion.

Work life harmonisation

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Background Information - LG

Based in New York, USA, the UNOPS Legal Group serves all the regions and headquarters, primarily with legal advice and services to address issues arising from UNOPS’ operations and activities.

Functional Responsibilities

The Legal Advisor will report directly to UNOPS’s Deputy General Counsel and will head the LCR workstream in the Legal Group, which handles all legal advice and services in relation to issues arising from UNOPS’ operations and activities in the Latin and Central America region (LCR).

The Advisor works closely with the other teams within the Legal Group and the Integrated Practice and Support (IPAS) Legal team at UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen to ensure an integrated and harmonized approach in the provision of legal advice and services. Unit and workstream leads in LG are responsible for building and maintaining effective relationships with country offices and stakeholders at HQ. Each LG workstream lead is expected to cultivate and strive for an inclusive and high-performing team for the Legal Group overall, that enables UNOPS to deliver its mission to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

As a workstream lead, you will require a good understanding of the operational context UNOPS works in. You must be a good communicator, open to challenges and comfortable navigating complexity. Your analytical and strategic skills will allow you to propose and implement plans to address operational matters, remove blockages and follow through with opportunities.

In order to exercise their legal responsibilities, the incumbent acts with designated authority provided by the General Counsel. The incumbent will work in accordance with the instructions established by the Deputy General Counsel.

Core Functions:

1. Advice on institutional and commercial matters:

• Lead the LG’s LCR workstream and supervise unit members to provide expert legal advice and services to internal and external stakeholders, including senior management and external partners, especially in regards to institutional, commercial and dispute resolution matters.

• Perform and supervise the reviews of legal documents, and represent the Legal Group in internal and external meetings and negotiations in relation to cases arising out of operations and activities in LCR.

• Liaise with other team or unit leads, as required, as well as with other UN legal officers, including the UN Office of Legal Affairs.
• Keep a balance between operational implementation efficiencies and policy/rules requirements, but also contribute towards long-term solutions by leading the development and improvement of policies and processes for efficient project implementation.
• Develop new policies or projects approaches and assess the quality of deliverables.
• Create opportunities for expanding and developing new client relationships.
• Undertake a number of core functions, including reviewing UNOPS documents where such advice is required, and managing claims and disputes brought against the organization by contractors and third parties.
• Represent the Legal Group on the Engagement Acceptance Committee in respect of LCR engagements.
• Work independently and drive initiatives under their portfolio with limited supervision.
• Perform any other duties, as requested by the Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel, including in respect to human resources, ICT and procurement matters.

2. Business Efficiency

• Ensure a systematic approach to collect and address issues, feedback and suggestions from operations in regards to improvements of processes and systems related to root causes of legal issues.
• Work closely with other HQ and field business units to address business critical issues and find solutions that are fit for purpose and contribute with specialist and practical knowledge to policy development to be responsive to UNOPS strategy; to improve efficiencies and strengthen internal controls.
• Ensure data analytics of the Legal Group related data to identify risks, opportunities, trends and root causes with a view to mitigate risks;
• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives to ensure that internal policies, processes and systems and tools are aligned with the overall regulatory framework, practical, relevant and add value to organisational operations.

3. Workstream management

• Supervise and lead the unit, to ensure that team members are motivated in a trusting and supporting environment that fosters ownership, innovation and learning.
• Facilitate and encourage interaction and collaboration between the team members and the IPAS Legal team and local lawyers, if any and other stakeholders such as policy groups, implementing units and external parties.
• Work with data analytics and evolve the risk approach to keep track of workload and trends of the workstream’s legal activities and tasks, in order to efficiently manage the workstream and workload.

4. Knowledge management and capacity building

• Ensure knowledge and information on legal matters is maintained and shared actively within the team, and packaged in appropriate formats that can be easily communicated with the country offices.
• Keep abreast of internal and external developments and best practices and provide recommendations to relevant stakeholders
• Provide regular feedback to internal clients on challenges, gaps and possible areas of improvement
• Develop a strategy to ensure knowledge transfer and capacity building related to legal concepts and issues, and work closely with IPAS to provide integrated training courses where relevant.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Advanced University degree (Master's or equivalent) preferably in international or commercial law or a closely related area is required;
• A first-level university degree in law (Bachelor’s or equivalent) from an accredited university in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in law is required;
• Satisfaction of all requirements to practice law in a national jurisdiction of a UN Member State is desirable;

• Within the 7 years of professional experience, a minimum of 2 years supervising and leading a team and 2 years of experience in the application of regulations and rules, policies, procedures and decision-making processes of an international organisation are required;

• Experience analysing legal issues and conducting legal research in support of a legal office/government agency/international organisation is required;

• Experience in commercial arbitration is required;
• Experience in working with the status and the privileges and immunities of international organisations is required.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English and Spanish, both written and verbal, required.
• Knowledge of another UN language such as French is an advantage since LCR includes French speaking field operations.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization. Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: ICA Contract level: IICA-3 Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.