Overview
This role provides authoritative commercial legal advice and services to UNOPS projects, adapting policies to new challenges and protecting the organization from risks.
Key Responsibilities
- Advise Project Offices on commercial matters, including review and negotiation of legal agreements, interpretation, alignment and development of the UNOPS legal framework.
- Provide legal advice and support for partnership and framework or funding agreements, negotiation of model agreements with partners, procurement contract templates and grant agreements.
- Provide legal advice and support for hosted initiatives, joint programmes and multi-donor trust funds.
- Represent UNOPS in negotiations with external parties on legal topics.
- Coordinate interactions between business units and local legal retainers, external legal counsel and legal advisors from OLA or other UN agencies.
- Recommend changes to policies, processes and operating standards.
- Ensure transparent and efficient project implementation.
- Contribute to cross-functional initiatives to ensure internal policies, procedures, systems and tools are consistent with the overall legal framework.
- Support the systematic documentation and updating of legal precedents and templates.
- Contribute to research and coordination within the team and across the organization.
- Deliver and facilitate trainings on commercial matters to internal colleagues.
- Represent the LG Commercial Practice as the identified Focal Point by assuming the responsibilities for a specific region.
Required Experience
At least 5 years of relevant experience as a lawyer in commercial law, international law, public international law and/or, commercial dispute resolution, including legal analysis, advice, research and/or drafting of texts. Proficiency in legal drafting and ability to draft accurately, clearly and concisely under pressure is required. Experience in communicating complex legal concepts across a range of audiences is required. Desired: Commercial law experience, preferably as legal counsel in a law firm or international organization.
Qualifications
An advanced university degree (J.D. or Master of Laws or equivalent); or a first-level university degree in law (Bachelor of Laws or equivalent) from an accredited university in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
