Consultant, Senior Legal Counsel and Board Secretary

Overview

Provide high-level legal services and authoritative advice on complex legal matters to the ARC Agency, serving as Secretary to the ARC Agency Governing Board and legal advisor to the Conference of the Parties.

Tasks Summary

• Provide authoritative legal advice and recommendations to governance organs, Director General and senior management.
• Handle complex legal matters involving international, public, private and administrative law.
• Develop new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances.
• Determine strategies and approaches to complex legal matters.
• Provide advice on the interpretation and application of constitutive and legislative instruments governing ARC Agency activities.
• Identify potential liabilities and assist in the management of risks.
• Serve as Secretary to the Board and legal advisor to the CoP, overseeing the production of Board and CoP decision memoranda, policies, and other governance documents.
• Advise on legal issues relating to the formation of the ARC insurance pool, risk transfer from Member countries, and other country level engagements.
• Provide legal advice on the establishment of new initiatives of ARC Agency.
• Oversee all the legal work of ARC Agency, including supervising staff, consultants and coordinating external advisors.
• Represent ARC Agency during legal negotiations.
• Review, advise on and approve the legal aspects of documents.
• Liaise and coordinate partnerships with other Legal Divisions across the African Union and UN system.
• Manage the development of policies and procedures for the ARC Agency and Secretariat.
• Identify gaps and lead the development of policies, guidelines, procedures and other internal or corporate documents.
• Work with ARC Ltd staff to coordinate the work of the two entities and develop procedures governing their interaction.
• Undertake duty travel as required.
• Undertake other duties as directed by the ARC Agency Director General.

Experience Requirements

• At least ten years (3 of which international) of progressively responsible professional experience in law and provision of a wide range of legal services including senior managers and governance bodies, both nationally and/or in an international organisation (preferably the UN or a UN system organisation).
• Strong practical legal experience.
• Experience working with multi-cultural teams and government counter parties.
• Experience with the establishment of new, treaty-based international organisations.
• Experience with public private partnerships, and particularly with the establishment of market-based financial affiliates to international organisations.
• Practical understanding of issues related to natural disaster insurance and response, market based-risk transfer mechanisms, and working with sovereign clients.
• Experience providing legal advice, support and coordination to boards, committees, and working groups composed of high-level government and international organisation representatives.
• Understanding of principles of intellectual property law, particularly related to the protection of software.

Qualification Requirements

• Advanced university degree in the discipline of law or university degree in the discipline of law with experience and advanced training in both private commercial and public international law.
• The candidate must be qualified to practice law or admitted to practice by a recognised national or state bar or law society.

Other Details

Languages Required: • Fluency in oral and written English

Languages Preferred: • Intermediate knowledge of another AU official language – Arabic, French or Portuguese – highly desirable

Contract Duration: • 6 months with possibility of extension

Work Modality:

Remuneration: