Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located within the International Trade Law Division (ITL, Office of Legal Affairs (OL, which serves as a substantive Secretariat to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRA, and is based in Vienna, Austria. The incumbent reports to the Director of ITLD. For more information, please visit https://uncitral.un.org/ .

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent is heading the Legislative unit which provides substantive secretariat services to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAand its subsidiary bodies. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: • Provide expert advice and support to the Director in the formulation of policies, priorities and strategies for submission to UNCITRAL and advise the Commission as regards work it should undertake as the core legal body in the field of international trade law. • Manage the implementation of the decisions of UNCITRAL and the General Assembly by: (managing the work programme of the Legislative Unit; supervising the staff of the Division supporting the legislative activity of the Commission; overseeing the activities undertaken by secretaries of working groups; ensuring the quality of programmed activities and documents submitted and ensuring that they are produced in a timely fashion; supervising and participating in research and studies needed to prepare documents for the legislative programme of the Commission and its working groups at a high level of quality; and (acting as secretary of subsidiary organs of the Commission (working group or committee of a diplomatic conferencas and when required. • Coordinate the support of the Legislative Unit to the technical assistance programme and the programme of coordination of the work of international organizations active in the field of international trade law, and regularly interact with the Head of the Technical Assistance unit for the purpose of sharing staff and other resources to implement the legislative programme, the technical assistance programme of the Commission and of the Secretariat, as well as the coordination of the work of international organizations to avoid lacunae, inconsistencies or duplication in the work of other ruleformulating organizations. • Represent the Division as appropriate at meetings of intergovernmental bodies within and outside the United Nations. • In close coordination with the Director, consult with Permanent Missions, Government entities, other international organizations, the private sector and other interested parties on matters relating to UNCITRAL, the development of its future work programme and the interpretation and use of UNCITRAL texts. • Assist the Director with the establishment of general guidelines to meet the objectives of the Division, with the review of the work of the Division to ensure conformity with these general guidelines, and with the supervision of the administration of the Division’s activities including matters of personnel, resultsbased budgeting, staff travel and programme planning as assigned. • Lead team members efforts to collect and analyse data and provide insight to identify trends or patterns for datadriven planning, decisionmaking, presentation and reporting. Ensure that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • Perform other workrelated duties as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Has expert knowledge of international trade law; is able to produce reports and papers on all issues relating thereto; is able to review and edit the work of others. Has diplomatic skills. Is able to lecture to expert audiences and to manage international meetings. Has knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Is able to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Is able to analyse and interpret data in support of decisionmaking and convey resulting information to management. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which he/she has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decisionmaking authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risktaking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. Judgement/Decisionmaking: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

An advanced university degree in law (Master’s degree or equivalen, with specialization in commercial, comparative, public or private international law is required. A firstlevel university degree in similar fields like commercial, comparative or private international law in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

JobSpecific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in commercial law, comparative law, international trade law or a related field, including several years at the international level is required. Work experience providing substantive support to governmental or intergovernmental bodies in connection with legal harmonization is desirable. Work experience with policies, procedures and operations of the United Nations or similar international organizations is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise and a competencybased interview.

Special Notice

Staff members are subject to the authority of the SecretaryGeneral and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Staff members appointed to the current position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter. Applicants, who successfully go through a competitive recruitment process and are recommended for selection and/or inclusion in the roster of preapproved candidates for subsequent job openings at the same level and with similar functions, may have their application information and roster status shared with other UN Organizations. Such applicants may be contacted by other UN Organizations for similar job openings, subject to the confirmation of their interest. Placement on the roster is no guarantee of a future selection. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Vienna is classified in the A category (family duty statio. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply: Angola, Belize, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, GuineaBissau, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, TimorLeste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Brunei, Darussalam, China, Cuba, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Malta, Micronesia (Federated States o, Monaco, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Turkmenistan, United States of America.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a nonsmoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the SecretaryGeneral, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 2 (. Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira accountholder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York timon the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAININ. THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.