BACKGROUND INFORMATION - LEGAL GROUP
Legal Group
The purpose of the Legal Group is to lead the organization’s legal strategy and practice. The core functions of the Legal Practice Group are to:
a. Articulate legal policies and processes; enable operationalization and managerial oversight through appropriate systems and reports; provide corporate advice and guidance; and strengthen the knowledge, skills and career development of legal practitioners.
b. Enable UNOPS legal and contracting activities to execute the organization’s business strategy.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION - JOB-SPECIFIC
UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner. Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations. A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners’ needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.
This position will report to the Corporate Legal Advisor and Head of the Commercial and Institutional Law Practice of the UNOPS Legal Group.
The primary responsibilities of the Legal Specialist will be to provide legal advice on commercial and institutional matters, to perform reviews of legal documents, and to support the Corporate Legal Advisor in the resolution of claims and disputes. The position will give exposure to a wide variety of types of work overseen by the UNOPS Legal Group.
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Provides legal advice to UNOPS personnel, focusing on achievement of the following results:
Review and draft project agreements with various funding sources;
Handle claims and disputes;
Draft contracts and agreements to mitigate commercial risks, ensuring that organizational legal requirements and standards are met;
Support the negotiation of Host Country Agreements as requested by the Corporate Legal Advisor;
Under the guidance of the Corporate Legal Advisor, provide legal advice on the application of UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations, in particular related to procurement and contracting;
Review and analyze various documents for the procurement process, assessing institutional risk;
Provide legal and procurement-related advice on institutional and commercial matters;
Provide advice on and/or development and institutionalization of new approaches and standards relevant to the legal practice;
Develop and maintain a system for keeping records of decisions made and actions taken.
2. Provides support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:
Support the organization of training for UNOPS personnel on legal-related topics.
Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Prepare summary of lessons learnt and best practices.
REQUIREMENTS
Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law with 5 years of relevant experience.
Admission to the bar in a national jurisdiction is required.
Experience:
Relevant experience is defined as experience as a lawyer/counselor in commercial or international law, including legal analysis, advice, research or drafting of legal texts.
Experience and knowledge at both policy and operational levels with a variety of relevant UN funding and/or operational agencies, bilateral donors and international financing institutions is desired.
Language:
Fluency in written and oral English (reading, speaking and writing) is required.
Knowledge of French is desirable.
CONTRACT TYPE, LEVEL AND DURATION
Contract type: International Individual Contract Agreement
Contract level: IICA 2
Contract duration: 7-months contract with possibility of extension, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx
UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.
UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.
Working with us
UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.
Diversity
With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.
Work life harmonization
UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.
