Legal Officer, P4   Fixed-term – 2 years Geneva 371 views

VACANCY NOTICE NO: 2056

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 24 December 2019

POST

Legal Officer

GRADE

P4

DUTY STATION

Geneva, Switzerland

COMMENCEMENT OF DUTY

17 February 2020

or as soon as possible thereafter

NATURE OF APPOINTMENT

Fixed-term – 2 years

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

Governance Services Department

WMO is committed to achieving diversity and a balanced workforce. Applications are welcome from qualified women and men, including those with disabilities. The statutory retirement age after 1 January 2014 is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the WMO Legal Counsel, the incumbent works in the area of administrative and international law and will perform the following duties:

(a) Provide authoritative legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity and sensitivity, which may include inter alia those related to administration and management, procurement and contracts, and privileges and immunities;

(b) Organize and supervise research studies and the preparation of legal opinions, as well as perform extensive legal research and analysis on highly complex or novel legal issues/questions and prepare legal opinions, briefs, reports, and correspondence in relation to the Organization’s activities;

(c) Legal review, negotiation and drafting of agreements, commercial contracts and other legal instruments, including trust fund, contribution and cooperation agreements, advice on legal and operational issues arising in connection with partnerships with the private sector, and institutional and operational modalities for activities of the Organization;

(d) Provide legal advice on the interpretation and application of the Staff Regulations and Rules, including the review of administrative decisions; prepare draft amendments to the Staff Regulations and Rules; draft administrative issuances or amendments thereto and verify their consistency with the existing regulatory framework; prepare analyses and evaluations of human resources policies and practices;

(e) Represent the Organization in the course of appeals to internal and external bodies, drafting, reviewing and/or clearing responses on behalf of the Organization prior to submission;

(f) Develop, maintain and support partnerships with governments, United Nations bodies and initiative and other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations;

(g) Provide legal support to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;

(h) Provide legal advice, support, and review regarding the drafting of Memoranda of Understanding and other public and private partners;

(i) Serve on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promote the work of the United Nations and represent the Organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.;

(j) Carry out other relevant duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent in law.

Experience

A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible experience as a qualified lawyer in law, including legal analysis, research and writing legal opinions. Experience as a lawyer in a legal office of an international intergovernmental organization, a law firm or Government. Experience dealing with issues related to the operational activities of international organizations, including their status and their associate privileges and immunities. Experience working as a lawyer in the United Nations common system.

Other requirements

High sense of integrity, responsibility, and maturity of judgment; ability to work autonomously; good level of initiative and creativity; excellent interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to plan, organize and manage multiple workloads; ability to draft reports, correspondence and legal documents clearly and succinctly in English; good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with the work of WMO and its co-sponsored Secretariats, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to foster diversity and team spirit.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of English (both oral and written). Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of other official languages of the Organization would be an advantage.

(Note: The official languages of the Organization are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.)

The Secretary-General may appoint a candidate at a grade below the advertised grade of the post, with the possibility of promotion to that grade within three years of appointment, subject to satisfactory appraisal of performance.

Possibility of renewal subject to the availability of funds and pending satisfactory performance after an initial probationary period of one year which can be extended up to a maximum of two years.

SALARY AND ALLOWANCES

Annual net base salary on initial appointment is: US$ 72637

Annual post adjustment on initial salary is: US$ 58836 (in addition to the net base salary)

Additional Information:

Only applicants in whom WMO has a further interest will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit a written assessment and/or an interview. The interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of 20 to 24 January 2020.

Date of issue of vacancy notice: 26 November 2019