PRINCIPAL LEGAL OFFICER

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UN OLA - Office of Legal Affairs

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Wednesday 9 Nov 2022 at 23:59 UTC

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Contract

This is a D-1 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 15 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 242,484 USD and 305,990 USD.

Salary for a D-1 contract in New York

The international rate of 128,707 USD, with an additional 88.4% (post adjustment) at this the location, applies. Please note that depending on the location, a higher post adjustment might still result in a lower purchasing power.

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.

More about D-1 contracts and their salaries.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the General Legal Division, Office of Legal Affairs. The incumbent reports to the Director of the General Legal Division.

Responsibilities Provides and oversees the provision of the full range of general legal services to the United Nations and its subsidiary organs, including its separately administered funds and programmes, with regard to the support of UN activities and operations, including peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, on the preparation, negotiation and conclusion of major contracts and procurement, addressing or responding to claims and the administration and management of the Organization. Oversees the management of legal services and other activities undertaken by lawyers and support staff in the General Legal Division and ensures that such general legal services are provided in a timely and effective manner. Under the direction of the Director of the General Legal Division, the Principal Legal Officer: •Leads, supervises, and carries out the provision of general legal services for those clusters of lawyers and support staff under his/her responsibility. As requested by the Director, co-ordinates the work carried out by other clusters of lawyers and support staff in the Division; provides programmatic/substantive review of the drafts prepared by others. •Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of legal advice, and opinions on complex legal questions, including questions involving international commercial law, private and public international law, and the law and practice of the Organization; counsels, acts for and, in major areas of a complex or novel nature, represents the Organization, including its subsidiary organs and separately administered funds and programmes and Offices in negotiations and before arbitral and administrative tribunals; deals with a wide range of multidisciplinary and complex legal matters, including contentious claims, that require application of law, legal analysis and marshalling of detailed technical, commercial and financial fact situations; provides assistance and advice in connection with the Organization’s accountability measures; formulates and negotiates solutions and alternatives to problems for which no precedents exist and which involve major questions of international commercial law, private and public international law, administrative law, and which have a direct impact on the activities, programmes and policies of the Organization. •Co-ordinates and oversees the review of proposed administrative issuances, as well as reports to intergovernmental bodies, such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate. •Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports. •Ensures that the legal services and advice produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards, that such services and advice are clear, objective and based on comprehensive facts and legal analysis. Ensures that all legal services and advice produced by the lawyers and support staff under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure that they comply with the applicable legal framework of the United Nations. •Assists the Director in preparing the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. •Undertakes or oversees the programmatic or administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget and programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), recruitment of personnel, evaluation of candidates and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting. •Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical representation and gender balance. •Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. •Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across the Organization, including its separately administered funds and programmes. •Leads and supervises the organization of meetings or other seminars on substantive issues being addressed by the Division. Manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars. •Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides legal assistance or expertise on issue relating to the activities of the Organization, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions, and represents the Division at international, regional or national meetings, as required.

Competencies •Professionalism: Knowledge of the United Nations Charter and the law and practice of the Organization; of international law, including international commercial law, international arbitration, international contracts and procurement, banking law, insurance law and other areas of commercial law; of the law and legal regimes in relation to the activities and operations of the Organization and its subsidiary organs, including its separately administered funds and programmes, and peacekeeping and similar operations; and of the internal administrative law of the Organization. Comprehensive knowledge of UN policies, procedures and operations. Ability to conduct comprehensive, independent legal research. Demonstrates professional competence; 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; and remains calm in 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. 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. •Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public or private international law and/ or the law of international organizations is required. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience in international law will be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. Admittance to the Bar of a Member State of the Organization, or otherwise qualified to practice law is required.

Work Experience At least 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in public and private international law, including the law of international organizations and international commercial law and related areas is required.

Experience in providing comprehensive general legal services to an international organization is required.

Experience supervising an office, unit or team is required.

Experience overseeing programmatic/administrative tasks necessary to the functioning of a work unit, including the preparation of budgetary inputs, reports on budget/programme performance, evaluations of staff performance and input for results-based budgeting is desirable.

Professional legal experience dealing with issues of international commercial law, privileges and immunities, settlement of disputes and litigation is desirable.

Experience as a legal officer in the legal office of a United Nations, or similar international organization, peace-keeping or special political mission is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations language is desirable.

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.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2021, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

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.

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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org