Overview
Serves as a recognized expert in public international law, handling complex legal matters and providing authoritative legal advice. Coordinates and supervises legal teams and junior officers.
Tasks Summary
- Serves as a recognized expert in one or more areas of concentration, and independently handles a wide range of multi-disciplinary, highly complex, and often sensitive and/or conflicting legal matters involving issues relating to public international law, including the interpretation and application of the Charter of the United Nations and the law and practice of the United Nations and its organs.
- Coordinates and direct teams of other legal officers; guides and supervises the work of junior officers; may assist the Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs or the two Principal Legal Officers in the 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.
- Makes various types of recommendations to senior officials of substantive units with respect to actions to take; recommendations are usually accepted as proposed. Provides authoritative legal advice on a diverse range of highly complex or novel substantive and procedural questions of public international law .
- Organizes and supervises research studies and reports, and correspondence.
- Advises on and supervises the review, negotiation and drafting of major agreements, institutional and operational modalities, and other legal documents; develops new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances.
- Serves on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promotes the work of the United Nations and represents the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.
- Contributes to the review and design of new, or new applications of, legal instruments, policies, guidelines, systems, etc.
Experience Requirements
- A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in law, including legal analysis, research and writing is required.
- At least two years of professional experience working as a lawyer in the legal office of the secretariat of an intergovernmental organization or of a government department or ministry is required.
- Experience in supervising and guiding the work of junior legal officers, and in advising senior officials independently and on short notice, is required.
- Professional legal experience advising on procedural and institutional issues within an intergovernmental organization is desirable.
- Professional legal experience relating to international law governing privileges and immunities is desirable.
- At least two years of professional legal experience working with the United Nations or a related intergovernmental organization is desirable.
Qualification Requirements
An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in public international law is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.