Legal Officer

OVERVIEW

Post Number : LA 005

Grade : P-3

Parent Sector : Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs (LA)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Law

Type of contract : Fixed Term

Duration of contract : 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 02-OCT-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Within the general mandate of the Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs to provide legal advice to the Secretariat and the governing bodies of the Organization, under the overall authority of the Director of the Office and the direct supervision of the Chief of the General Legal Section (LA/GL), the incumbent will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Drafting legal opinions, undertaking research and examining legal precedents for issues relating to the function, structure and activities of the Organization. Such issues may relate to the general field or specialized aspects of public and private international law. Drafting interpretations of legal instruments, such as the UNESCO constitution, statutes, treaties, agreements, regulations and rules, rules of procedure, resolutions and decisions, or other legal materials relevant to the Organization.
• Drafting legal opinions on and negotiating a wide range of agreements with various partners and contractors, including Member States, private entities, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations.
• Drafting legal opinions on disputes in the context of agreements and other matters pertaining to the Organization, such as the use of the name and logo.
• Drafting legal advice on documents to be submitted to the Organization’s governing bodies (namely the General Conference and the Executive Board) and other intergovernmental bodies in the context of treaties and programmes of the Organization.
• Performing other tasks required to ensure the success of the work of the team.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, with a specialization in international law.

Work experience

• Minimum of four (4) years of professional experience providing advice in public international law within an intergovernmental organization (or in such organization, combined with equivalent legal experience in a government, law firm, non-profit organization or academia), of which preferably two (2) years acquired at international level.

Skills & competencies

• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to draft clearly and concisely.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Capacity to work independently.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English or French and very good knowledge of the other language.

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DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international law, contract or commercial law.

Work experience

• Experience in providing advice in the law of international organizations, particularly in the UN system.
• Experience in drafting, negotiating and reviewing contracts or international agreements.
• Experience in the legal department of an intergovernmental organization.
• Experience working with intergovernmental bodies, particularly on rules of procedure.
• Confirmed experience in legal drafting in English and French.

Skills & Competencies

• Knowledge of the law of international organizations, particularly the UN common system’s regulatory framework.
• Familiarity with the work and general functioning of the UN system.

Languages

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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