Associate Legal Officer

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

UNHCR’s Legal Affairs Service (LAS) provides advice to UNHCR on a wide range of legal issues, including on commercial contracts, employment disputes, the privileges and immunities of the Organisation, and engagement with governments and other partners. LAS lawyers are qualified in a range of civil and common law jurisdictions, and this breadth of experience, perspectives, and skills adds strong value to the Organisation.

Aligned with UNHCR’s mandate of supporting refugees and forcibly displaced people, we have identified that making available the possibility for a lawyer with lived refugee experience to join LAS for a period of six months could provide an excellent opportunity for the lawyer to gain experience in the legal office of an international organization, without the need to gain additional jurisdiction-specific qualifications. We also consider that this could be extremely valuable for the LAS team, as we benefit from the perspective of a new team member with lived refugee experience. The position would be located in Nairobi, Kenya, where LAS has a presence of lawyers.

Through LAS’ connection with the Zurich Insurance Global Legal team’s Pro Bono Committee, the successful candidate will be offered access to leadership and skills development opportunities. In the pilot program the successful candidate will benefit from mentorship from a Zurich Insurance Senior Legal Counsel. The mentoring support would be designed based on the interests and needs of the refugee lawyer and may include, but is not limited to the following:

o Leadership skills: collaboration, trust, strategic business partnering, strategic thinking skills;
o Technical skills: legal topics related to Artificial Intelligence, Insurance, Tech, Data, Corporate Governance, Environmental and Social Governance, Negotiation;
o Communication skills for lawyers: Influence, connect first, storytelling, plain writing;
o Networking/job hunting skills: LinkedIn, writing CVs, building confidence.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the General Counsel, LAS, or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Associate Legal Officer will provide expert legal advice on a broad range of matters within the scope of the work of LAS. This will include providing support, drafting, and review of different types of contracts, including complex commercial contracts, engagements with the private sector, and donor agreements. The incumbent may also be asked to advise and provide support on questions of a public international law nature, for example on matters related to the status, privileges, and immunities of UNHCR and its workforce. In particular, the Associate Legal Officer will:

• Provide expert legal advice and guidance on a wide array of commercial matters and complex commercial agreements, including contracts and frame agreements for goods and/or services, IT/telecommunications services, managed services, transportation, banking services, construction, architect, and project management services, field security and audit services;
• Support LAS and coordinate with other colleagues on providing legal support on contracts and other matters relating to UNHCR’s cash-based intervention programs;
• Liaise, correspond, and negotiate with relevant third parties on the legal aspects of the conclusion, interpretation, and/or implementation of contracts and agreements;
• Review, advise, and draft complex contracts, agreements, institutional and operational modalities, or other legal documents; develop new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances;
• Provide legal advice and guidance on a broad range of non-refugee law-related matters, including the status, privileges, and immunities of the United Nations, the UN internal justice system, and human resources legal issues;
• Provide legal advice, as necessary, to the Inspector General’s Office on investigation procedures and to the Director, DHRM on disciplinary proceedings;
• Provide legal interpretation of UN Regulations and Rules and relevant instructions, guidance and policy issues;
• Provide high-quality legal research, analysis, and presentation of key information to facilitate decision-making;
• Assist the Senior Legal Officer in reviewing draft human resources policies with a particular emphasis on policies and guidance related to sexual exploitation and abuse or sexual harassment, and ensure that they are aligned with established policy and standards; guide offices in the field to ensure that personnel matters are dealt with in accordance with relevant procedural guidelines
• Provide legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity, including on issues relating to UNHCR’s engagement with the private sector, taking into account the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and Global Compact on Refugees; and
• Perform any other responsibilities/functions deemed necessary or as delegated by the Head of Service or supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs

• As an active UNHCR LAS team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high­ quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including in the delivery of legal advice and support, as set out in section 12 above:
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGO) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in, and capacities developed