Overview
The Director, Legal Affairs, D2 role is responsible for organizing and supervising substantive support for various UN bodies related to ocean affairs and the law of the sea, and for leading the work of the Division as interim secretariat under the BBNJ Agreement.
Key Responsibilities
- Organizes and supervises substantive support for UN General Assembly, Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf, Informal Open-Ended Consultative Process on the Law of the Sea, Informal Consultations of the States Parties to the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, and other bodies.
- Leads the work of the Division as interim secretariat under the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
- Assists and cooperates/co-ordinates with international organizations, programmes and other stakeholders.
- Monitors, reviews and analyzes developments in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea and preparation of legal publications.
- Supports the Under-Secretary-General in her capacity as focal point of UN Oceans.
- Performs functions relating to deposition of charts and co-ordinates of maritime spaces by coastal States under the Convention.
- Plans, organizes and supervises the capacity-building programme on the law of the sea, including training courses, preparation of training manuals and cooperation with various institutions involved in the programme.
- Communicates with Permanent Missions, Government entities and international organizations on matters relating to the work of the Division.
- Manages the Division, including the supervision of the preparation of the budget and reporting on programme performance.
- Contributes to the formulation of the Division's overall strategies and policies.
- Provides leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management.
- Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Division, prioritizes and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
- Oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Division, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and co-ordinates work in the different areas both within the Division and Office, and with other parts of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate.
- Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies.
- Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/substantive issues.
- Ensures that all outputs produced by the Division under his/her supervision meet high-quality standards, are clear, objective, and based on comprehensive data, and comply with relevant mandates before completion.
- Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division.
- Oversees the recruitment of staff for Division taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values and behaviours.
- Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision, fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries.
- Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; represents the Organization at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conference; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
- Performs other related duties as requested by the Under-Secretary-General.
Required Experience
Over 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of public international law, of which at least 5 years are in supervisory positions, is required. At least 5 years of experience in the law of sea and ocean affairs related matters at the international level is required. At least 5 years of experience in a senior leadership position, including in a multicultural environment is required. Experience in providing secretariat services to, or participating as a delegate in, meetings of intergovernmental bodies or conferences is desirable. Experience using data and digital technologies to improve strategic decisions, efficiency, and service delivery is desirable. Experience designing and applying innovative approaches to address complex organizational challenges is desirable. Experience applying behavioural science insights to strengthen programme design, policy implementation, and stakeholder engagement is desirable. Experience using strategic foresight methods, including scenario planning and trend analysis, to anticipate future challenges and inform long-term strategies is desirable.
Qualifications
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law, with a specialization in public international law is required. A first-level university degree in law in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience in public international law may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
