Senior Legal Officer

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Description

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This position is located in the Legal Affairs Unit of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC), in Bogota. The Senior Legal Officer serves as the Chief of the Legal Unit and reports to the Special Representative of the Secretary- General (SRSG) through the Chief of Staff (COS).

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief of Staff and within delegated authority, and as necessary in consultation with the Office of Legal Affairs at United Nations Headquarters, the Senior Legal Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provides legal expertise and advice on a wide range of complex legal issues affecting the Mission’s mandate and activities, including private and public international law, transitional justice, private and administrative law matters, as well as issues of constitutional and other national law as they affect the Mission or the mandate.
• Provides legal advice and expertise on the interpretation of the Mission’s mandate, the legal status of the Mission and its members, including in areas such as privileges and immunities and Status of Mission Agreements; on aspects of the Mission’s operational activities, including the Mission’s rules of engagement and directives on the use of force and related guidelines, matters relating to international law, including international humanitarian law, international criminal law and the protection of civilians, as appropriate.
• Responsible for providing advice on administrative, personnel, and contractual matters related to the Mission’s activities, including issues relating to the accountability of personnel, procurement matters, third-party claims, as well as legal questions involving the interpretation or application of UN regulations and rules. Drafts and reviews agreements, institutional and operational modalities, major contracts, legal submissions, and other legal documents and provides advice on and participates in negotiations for the settlement of claims and disputes. In this regard work closely with the Chief of Staff and with the Chief of Mission support by providing legal advise on a wide range of issues.
• Assists and supports the SRSG in establishing and maintaining good working relations with government officials (ministries, authorities, and agencies) and other entities on legal matters related to the implementation of the Mission’s mandate, including the implementation of agreements and other arrangements with the host country, or with other governments if needed; liaises and participates in meetings and discussions with governments and other institutions and entities; liaises with other UN agencies, funds and programmes, as well as other internal and external actors and organizations, as required.
• Participates in administrative Boards and Committees, including in relation to the procurement process, claims, and property management, and on ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required.
• Provides managing and administration of the unit, including organizing and prioritizing workload and managing, supervising, and guiding junior legal officers.
• Performs extensive legal research and analysis on highly complex or novel legal issues/questions and prepares legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports, and correspondence, represents the office at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in law is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with (2) two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in law, including legal analysis, research and writing, is required. At least (2) two years of professional legal experience working in the legal office of a government department or ministry or of the secretariat of an international organization is required. Professional legal experience advising on questions of international law, including regarding privileges and immunities and international humanitarian law, is desirable. At least (2) two years of professional experience working with the United Nations Common System field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds and programmes), or similar international organization or non-government organization is required. Experience in international administrative law, commercial law and contract law is desirable. Experience leading a legal team is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required; and fluency in Spanish is desirable

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/233621?language=en

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