Senior Legal Advisor

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT
This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)
Provides legal advice and counsel to PAHO’s Governing Bodies, Executive Management, PAHO/WHO Representatives (PWRs), PAHO Centers, Country Offices, and PASB Headquarters entities on all legal matters, including the application of national and international law to the Organization’s programs and activities, as well as constitutional, administrative, and procedural matters. Drafts, reviews, and/or negotiates contracts, treaties, agreements, resolutions, and any other type of instrument with legal implications for the Organization. Represents and defends the Organization before the internal appeals process as well as the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization and other international or national judicial and quasi-judicial fora, as appropriate.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the direct supervision of the Legal Counsel, Office of the Legal Counsel (LEG), the incumbent is responsible for representing the Organization before internal appeals process as well as the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization and other fora. These responsibilities are comparable to those of the Head of Administrative Law and Litigation in other international organizations. The incumbent also supervises other attorneys and collaborates with outside counsel, as necessary. Key duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Provide authoritative legal advice to EXM, PWRs and Department Directors, on an array of the most complex legal matters that affect or could potentially affect the Organization, exercising independent judgment, and requiring the higher level of theoretical knowledge of legal principles or both the Common Law and Civil Law legal systems, and the ability to adequately balance technical, legal and political considerations;
2. Coordinate research and/or examine precedents and provide legal opinions or advice on specific issues, including contemplated actions, related to the functions, duties, structure, relationships and activities of the Organization. There is a particular emphasis on the relationship between national laws, regulations, and procedures and international law, public, private and administrative law and principles as it relates to the work of the Organization;
3. Prepare, provide interpretations, and/or review legal instruments such as constitutions, statutes, treaties, Basic Agreements, Technical Cooperation Agreements, contracts and internal regulations and rules, or other legal materials relevant to the work of the Organization;
4. Represent legal interest of the Organization before high level representatives of Member States and outside parties;
5. Participate in joint missions to Member States with staff members. Represent the Office of the Legal Counsel in decision-making meetings in the Organization. Provide advice and assistance in resolving procedural and substantive legal questions at official meetings; provide, as necessary, opinions and reports on the legal and ethical implications of various administrative issues;
6. Serve as key contact and negotiator with staff, traditional institutions and partners, contractors, representatives of donor agencies, other international agencies and institutions, including non-state actors and the private sector. Negotiate complex agreements/contracts and highly sensitive personnel issues;
7. Work with outside counsel, as appropriate and coordinate activities with legal staff of government agencies and those of other international organizations, as required. Responsible for selecting, training and supervising junior attorneys;
8. Assign tasks and supervise staff attorneys and support staff, on draft agreements or contracts, assure the inclusion of proper content and format and observance of applicable administrative procedures which should be followed to process the draft legal instrument or project proposal in accordance with established criteria and guidelines, making sure that final drafts presented to the Legal Counsel for signature are complete and accurate;
9. Assume direct responsibility for selecting and supervising local lawyers, prepare and/or review briefs in proceedings before local courts, administrative tribunals and other judicial or quasi-judicial bodies;
10. Serve as Acting Legal Counsel during absences of the Legal Counsel;
11. Design and supervise the implementation of strategies to make LEG more competent and efficient and to streamline the work of the Office of the Legal Counsel. Recommend opportunities or required changes to take advantage of new legal and regulatory developments and trends;
12. Provide and/or coordinate secretariat legal services to various committees and bodies by preparing background materials, reports and papers; preparing and formulating advice to members and officers of such bodies; synthesizing member countries’ views and practices on particular issues;
13. Develop procedures for the preparation and processing of agreements or other legal instruments and issue the appropriate written guidelines which conform to the Organization’s policies and procedures and ensuring that all legal binding documents submitted to the Director for approval and signature have been properly formulated and cleared;
14. Provide leadership, guidance and monitoring of supervised staff by setting clear work objectives, ensuring timely and effective use of performance reviews and feedback mechanisms, engaging in regular communications, and solving interpersonal or technical conflicts; establish and support a learning environment;
15. Perform other related duties, as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Essential: A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree from an accredited law school. Licensed attorney and admission to practice law in a PAHO Member State.
In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. PAHO, only considers official degrees obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.
Experience:
Essential: Thirteen years of combined national and international experience in legal office of a public international organization or with a governmental agency with emphasis on public international law and/or international administrative legal processes such as internal administration of justice; managerial experience including supervising attorneys handling cases before national or international judicial and quasi-judicial bodies.
SKILLS:
PAHO Competencies:
• Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relates well to diversity in others and capitalizes on such diversity – Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.
• Teamwork: Advocates for collaboration across the Organization – Creates and encourages a climate of team working and collaboration across the Organization; sees cooperation as a key Organizational priority and creates collaborative systems and processes to achieve Organizational goals. Actively identifies and tackles disagreements between internal and external counterparts that compromise the Organization’s goals and mandate; diplomatically facilitates the resolution of conflicts between others and ensures strategic partnerships with a range of key stakeholders; maintains and extends an effective collaborative network of individuals inside and outside the Organization.
• Communication: Share knowledge – Articulates the Organization’s strategic objectives when formulating and delivering information and presentations and adapts presentation methodology to address the needs of different audiences. Shares decisions and directives of senior management and communicates them in a manner that ensures both understanding and acceptance; shares knowledge and best practice at the three Organizational levels (country, regional and global), as necessary.
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment: Provide direction/Support, motivate and empower others – Oversees and provides teams and departments with clear managerial directions which are translated from Organizational strategy. Builds a performance culture in the Organization; contributes to setting Organizational performance goals and standards; monitors Organizational performance against milestones and strategic goals; identifies and nurtures talent as appropriate. Promotes autonomy and empowerment throughout the Organization; inspires enthusiasm and a positive attitude in people towards their work and contribution to the Organization’s success.
• Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well – Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.
• Driving the Organization to a successful future: Constructive leadership style/ Set the vision and build commitment – Leads and develops a road map for successfully achieving real progress in the Organization’s mandate, including consultation with key stakeholders; demonstrates respectful, trustworthy, transparent and accountable behavior in order to develop a reliable and coherent identity for the Organization. Creates a coherent Organizational vision of shared and successful goals; fosters a culture of vision and long- term goals, recognizing and rewarding efforts to maximize the Organization’s value.
Technical Expertise:
• Extensive progressive expertise at a senior level in all matters related to public international law, administrative and commercial law, and of the legal structures, texts and principles applicable for international organizations.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge at the highest level in the following legal practice areas: comparative and international law, private sector/commercial, corporate law, corporate governance, administrative law or litigation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage teams of lawyers effectively, leveraging deep knowledge of international and comparative law, corporate governance, and litigation to navigate complex legal challenges and foster an environment of collaboration and excellence.
• Solid expertise in the handling of issues related to privileges and immunities of international organizations under national legislation and international law.
• Ability to present legally sound and well-reasoned legal arguments, orally or in written form, and skill in analyzing and organizing policy considerations and facts and in presenting clear, logical conclusions/opinions.
• Ability to work with and influence members of management; demonstrated ability to consult, build relationships/partnerships and work with stakeholder groups.
• Excellent organizational, inter-personal and negotiating skills; ability to function in complex, changing environments, and to work with diverse groups as well as independently.
• Strong written and communication skills. Expertise in synthesizing complex issues and presenting and writing to policymakers, academics and other audiences.
Languages:
Very good knowledge of English and Spanish. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.
IT Skills:
Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems. Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.
REMUNERATION
Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)
USD $92,731.00 post adjustment
Post Adjustment: 70.2% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THIS VACANCY NOTICE MAY BE USED TO FILL OTHER SIMILAR POSITIONS AT THE SAME GRADE LEVEL.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.
For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org
PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.
PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.
PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.
PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan and health insurance scheme. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.
Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.
Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post. The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.