Senior Legal Officer

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 168,113 USD and 216,746 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.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE: please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.

1. Organizational Context

a. Organizational Setting

Coordinating with other vertical and horizontal WIPO sectors, the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector (IES) is responsible for helping Member States develop their IP and innovation ecosystems to drive enterprise and economic growth. IES is also responsible for providing support for researchers and innovators, as well as enterprises, including SMEs, in IP commercialization and otherwise using IP for business growth; issues relating to the emergence of IP as an asset class; and the development of advisory expertise in these and related areas, for example, in national IP strategies.

Within IES, the position is located in the Internet Dispute Resolution Section of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, which is a resource center for the resolution of IP disputes between private parties through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods. The Center's areas of activity are covered by the External Relations Section, the IP Disputes Section, the Business Development and Digital Copyright and Content Disputes Section, and the Internet Dispute Resolution Section. The Internet Dispute Resolution Section is responsible for the administration of domain name disputes filed under different policies and various related aspects of the Internet Domain Name System (DNS), as well as selected policy developments as they relate to Internet dispute resolution.

b. Purpose Statement

The incumbent provides senior legal and operational supervision in connection with the Center's Internet dispute resolution services.

c. Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Head of the Internet Dispute Resolution Section.

2. Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

a. Planning, supervising and reviewing the work of Legal Staff at lower levels, including planning the Section's work and allocating resources in accordance with results-based management principles.

b. Providing legal advice and operational supervision on all aspects of the administration of domain name cases, including authoritative advice on the handling of complex and contentious legal issues.

c. Overseeing (i) the appointment of external WIPO neutrals, (ii) the precedential examination of decisions in legal cases and supervising the organization of such review procedures, and (iii) the availability of case-related resources.

d. Developing and managing relations with users of the WIPO Center's Internet dispute resolution services, and with relevant external organizations, including national domain name registries and registrars.

e. Contributing to the development and implementation of effective IT applications to support case administration, including case management databases and online user facilities, liaising with relevant WIPO colleagues.

f. Supervising the development and implementation of Internet dispute resolution policies.

g. Consulting with counterparts in other organizations including developing contacts and enhancing collaboration with relevant authorities, organizations, and Member States.

h. Representing the Organization at national and international meetings. Designing, implementing and participating in advisory and promotional activities.

i. Undertaking studies and reviewing research and drafts and examining precedents on legal issues relating to the functions, structure and activities of the Section.

j. Performing other related duties as required.

3. Requirements

Education (Essential)

Advanced university degree in law. A first-level university degree in law plus an additional two years of relevant professional experience in addition to the essential experience mentioned below may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Education (Desirable)

Advanced university degree in law with specialization in international commercial arbitration and/or intellectual property.

Experience (Essential)

At least seven years of professional experience, preferably in intellectual property law or alternative dispute resolution in a law firm or in an administering institution.

Language (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of English.

Language (Desirable)

Ability to work in additional WIPO languages.

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Thorough understanding of the policies and procedures that apply to domain name dispute resolution.

Excellent problem-solving skills and a good understanding of legal developments relevant to the area of work.

Outstanding management, organizational, communication and drafting skills.

A good understanding of the use of information technology in the context of dispute resolution processes.

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain effective partnerships and ability to maintain working relations in a multi-cultural environment.

Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and ability to adapt to and work with new technologies.

4. Organizational Competencies

1. Communicating effectively.

2. Showing team spirit.

3. Demonstrating integrity.

4. Valuing diversity.

5. Producing results.

6. Showing service orientation.

7. Seeing the big picture.

8. Seeking change and innovation.

9. Developing yourself and others.

5. Information

Mobility: WIPO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director General and may be assigned to any activities, office or duty station of the Organization. Accordingly, the selected candidate may be required to move from time to time to new functions and/or to another duty station.

Annual salary****:

Total annual salary consists of a net annual salary (net of taxes and before medical insurance and pension fund deductions) in US dollars and a post adjustment. Please note that this estimate is for information only. The post adjustment multiplier (cost of living allowance) is variable and subject to change (increase or decrease) without notice. The figures quoted below are based on the November 2023 rate of 82.7%

P4

Annual salary

$75,602

Post adjustment

$62,523

Total Salary

$138,125

Currency USD

Salaries and allowances are paid in Swiss francs at the official rate of exchange of the United Nations.

Please refer to WIPO’s Staff Regulation and Rules for detailed information concerning salaries, benefits and allowances.

Additional Information

* Initial period of two years, renewable, subject to satisfactory performance. No fixed-term appointment or any extension hereof shall carry with it any expectancy of, nor imply any right to, (further) extensions or conversion to a permanent appointment.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill other posts at the same grade with similar functions in accordance with Staff Rule 4.9.5.

Applications from qualified women as well as from qualified nationals of unrepresented Member States of WIPO and underrepresented geographical regions are encouraged. Please click on the following links for the list of unrepresented Member States and the list of underrepresented regions and the WIPO Member States in these regions.

The Organization reserves the right to make an appointment at a grade lower than that advertised.

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By completing an application, candidates understand that any willful misrepresentation made on this web site, or on any other documents submitted to WIPO during the application, may result in disqualification from the recruitment process, or termination of employment with WIPO at a later date, if that employment resulted from such willful misrepresentations.

In the event that your candidature is shortlisted, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of an identification and of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WIPO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and these will be reviewed individually.

Additional testing/interviewing may be used as a form of screening. Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory professional references.

Additional background checks may be required.