LEGAL OFFICER, OED/ODED

Overview

Provide sound legal advice and support for HR casework.

You have:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public international or administrative law, or related area.
• A minimum of five years (seven years with a first level degree) of relevant professional experience in law.
• English is required.
• French is desirable.
• Knowledge of principles of international commercial law, contract law, particularly HR casework-related law as applied by the UN, is desirable.

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 142,356 USD and 186,404 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 the Executive Director provides strategic leadership for the development and management of the organization. The Legal Office, situated in OED, protects the legal interests of the International Trade Centre and assists the Organization in achieving its goals by ensuring that all its activities and programmes are in accordance with the external and internal aspects of the Organization's legal framework. The office's core function consists in the provision of sound and impartial legal advice and expert legal assistance in order to promote and develop the rule of law in all aspects of the Organization's activities, as well as to defend ITC's rights, positions and interests in contractual or litigation matters.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Legal Advisor, and the general guidance of the Deputy Executive Director. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: HUMAN RESOURCE (HR) CASEWORK AND POLICY • Manage all legal aspects of, and provide guidance on, staff disciplinary matters. Liaise with staff members and the administration in order to procure necessary and/or relevant information, and explore options for the resolution of management evaluation requests. • Support or lead United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) casework when required. • Conduct extensive legal research and analysis on the development of HR policies and processes and associated administrative issuances relating to the management and organisation of ITC. • Prepare HR legal casework documentation including for management evaluations and related documents, studies, reports, and briefing materials, based on a range of legal documents including the United Nations Charter, General Assembly resolutions, and the internal rules of ITC, as well as prior Management Evaluation Unit recommendations. CORPORATE LEGAL DUTIES • Undertake detailed reviews, interpretation and development of legal documents and legal instruments such as memoranda of understanding, or other such material. • Review, draft and interpret contracts and other agreements with funders, private sector entities, governments, licensees, etc. to ensure that ITC’s interests are promoted and protected, while noting the applicable legal context, and accounting for acceptable business risk. • Provide legal advice within ITC on a variety of legal matters, to the Joint Advisory Group, and the Consultative Committee of the ITC Trust Fund, in respect of inter alia the conduct of their meetings and draft documentation and endorsements. OTHER DUTIES • Advise senior ITC staff serving on committees, expert groups, and other bodies, including the preparation of background materials, summaries of issues, meeting reports, etc. • Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Sound theoretical knowledge of international law, in particular the application of legal principles, concepts, and policies to the review, examination, and processing of a range of legal issues and documents, including those related to HR casework and disputes. Ability to conduct legal research on a range of complex and intricate issues, and to translate the results into practical, innovative solutions. Ability to take initiative to keep up to date with developments in public international law, and within the UN system, Knowledge of principles of international commercial law; contract law and in particular HR casework-related law as applied by the UN desirable Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. CLIENT ORIENTATON: 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public international or administrative law, or related area. A first-level university degree in public international or administrative law, or a related area, may be considered with an additional two years of relevant professional experience.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years (seven years with a first level degree) of relevant professional experience in law with a focus on one or more of the following: administrative law, the law of international organizations, contract law, is required. Experience in the application of regulations and rules, policies and procedures, and decision-making processes in the UN system or an international organisation is desirable. Experience of the UN HR legal system is desirable. Experience of the negotiation and informal settlement of claims and disputes is desirable. Experience of negotiating and/or reviewing public/private partnerships and contracts is desirable. Experience of EU contract law and negotiations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

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LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III

Desirable Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingFrenchUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Assessment

Assessment will be undertaken through a comparative analysis of the applications. The assessment may also include a competency-based interview and/or other appropriate evaluation mechanisms.

Special Notice

The conditions of service are governed by the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations. This is a temporary appointment for an initial 4 (four) months and may be subject to extension. Applications from women and nationalities from developing and least developing countries are particularly encouraged. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind. ITC also offers attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work/life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to [email protected]. Given the nature of the temporary opportunity, priority consideration may be given to candidates already located at the duty station. Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. ITC Internal staff on fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, if selected, may be entitled to Special Post Allowance as per Staff Rule 3.10. For information on salary and entitlements, please consult the International Civil Service Commission website: http://icsc.un.org THE USE OF AI AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS IS PROHIBITED AND ITS USE MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.

United Nations Considerations

In accordance with the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules, 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 ITC 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. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Applicants are urged to carefully follow 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 based on the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable 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 in Inspira will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

ITC does NOT charge any fees or request money from candidates at any stage of the recruitment process, nor does it concern itself with bank account details of applicants. Requests of this nature allegedly made on behalf of ITC are fraudulent and should be disregarded.

Potential interview questions