SENIOR LEGAL OFFICER (REGULATORY AFFAIRS)

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 173,953 USD and 218,003 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

This position is based in the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an international organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ISA is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS shall, in accordance with the regime for the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established in Part XI and the 1994 Agreement, organize and control activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Secretary General and direct supervision of the Director/Legal Counsel and within delegated authority, the Senior Legal Officer (Regulatory Affairs) will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Serve as an expert in the development of regulatory instruments and independently handle a wide range of multi-discipline, highly complex, and often sensitive and/or conflicting legal matters in respect of the development of the Mining Code and associated standard and guidelines. 2. Serve as a lead officer in the development of the Mining Code and associated standard and guidelines, and in that regard coordinates and direct teams of other legal officers, guides and supervises the work of junior officers. 3. Assist the Legal Counsel and Director of OLA in general management and administration of the unit, organizing and prioritizing the workload and providing general coordination and supervision of assignments as regards the legal work, in particular in relation to the development of the Mining Code and associated standard and guidelines. 4. Makes various types of recommendations and provide support to senior officials of all of the Authority’s units with respect to the regulatory work and actions to take; recommendations are usually accepted as proposed. 5. Provides authoritative legal advice on the regulatory work to the Legal and Technical Commission and the Council on diverse range of highly complex or novel substantive and procedural questions of law relating to exploration and exploitation, which may include those related to administration and management, institutions support, procurement and contracts and other operational matters, separately administered programmes and funds, etc. 6. Organizes and supervises research studies and the preparation of legal opinions related to the development of the Mining Code and the associated standard and guidelines, as well as performs extensive legal research and analysis on highly complex or novel legal issues/questions and prepares legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports, and correspondence related hereto; provides legal advice to the unit/division. 7. Advises on and supervises the review, negotiation and drafting of major and complex contracts relating to the development of the Mining Code, including contracts with consultants, experts and researchers, including agreements, institutional and operational modalities, or legal motions/submissions and other legal documents; develop new legal modalities to meet unique needs and circumstances. 8. Services the Council, the Legal and Technical Commission and various intersessional working groups, expert groups, task forces and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, roadmaps, meeting reports, etc. 9. Serves on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promotes the work of the ISA and represent the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. 10. Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. 11. Perform other lead duties as requested by the Legal Counsel or Secretary-General.

Competencies

Core Competencies: Professionalism: Knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including criminal law, both substantive and procedural. Ability to apply legal expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex and unusual legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions in prosecuting complex criminal cases. Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature; proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions, indictments or legal submissions/motions, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents. Ability to lead and cross-examine witnesses and make substantial legal arguments before Chambers of judges, or if required to take responsibility for the prosecution of criminal trials. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues. Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement. Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Knowledge of contemporary international relations and of UN system, organization and interrelationships. 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. Communication: -Speaks and writes clearly and effectively -Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately -Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication -Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience -Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed 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. Managerial Competencies: 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 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 in law (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in the International Law, the Law of the Sea, and the law of International Organizations is required. A first-level university degree within combination two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Admitted to the bar of a member State of the Authority, or otherwise qualified to practice law is preferable.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the practice of law is required. Experience in the legal office of an international organization or the legal office of a government is desirable. Experience in a regulatory environment, including experience in legal drafting of international regulatory instruments is desirable. Experience in international law and the law of the sea, international organizations law and international administrative law is desirable. Experience in presenting and representing the work of an organization both in writing and orally is desirable. Experience in liaising with Member States, corporate entities, UN agencies, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the Authority. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official language of the United Nations is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available for the period 1 September 2024 through 30 November 2024. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the Authority, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. • This position is managed under Section 13 of ST/AI/2022/1 (home based appointment/assignment). • ISA is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. • Only nationals of ISA Member States are eligible for consideration. • While this temporary appointment/assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. • Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. • This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. • Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. • Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.