Legal Affairs Specialist

Under the overall guidance of the Senior Legal Affairs Specialist in Geneva and the direct supervision of Legal Affairs Specialist in Geneva, the Legal Affairs Specialist will provide guidance and advice on private sector fundraising matters and private sector partnerships, data protection, digital products, as well as institutional and commercial procurement, donor agreements and contracts related to programme support and project implementation to ensure adherence to organizational financial, procurement, contracting and legal policies, rules and procedures; and to ensure that the organization is protected from legal exposure.

Members of the UNICEF Legal Team are expected to be open-minded and resourceful, responsive, and dynamic, transparent and approachable, and clear and authoritative. The overall direction of the Legal Team is set by the Chief Legal Counsel in New York.

The Legal Affairs Specialist will support more senior members of the Office in:

Advising on the legal dimensions of establishment, structure and implementation of UNICEF collaborations with external partners, with a focus on partnerships with the private sector (foundations, corporates, high net worth individuals) and civil society and by developing draft agreements and term sheets, identifying risks and possible mitigation strategies, developing and supporting on negotiation strategies.

• Advising on commercial contract negotiations for the procurement of goods and services, including but not limited to, those relating to digital fundraising and digital products.
• Researching and advising in relation to negotiations with host governments in relation to UNICEF’s presence in country.
• Advising on the resolution of disputes, particularly those disputes involving possible liability for the Organization (under the general guidance of the Chief Legal Counsel and Senior Legal Affairs Specialist).
• Advising on the legal interpretation of decisions, regulations, rules, policies, procedures, including but not limited to UNICEF’s Policy on Personal Data Protection & Privacy.
• Supporting the design and implementation of new and existing team management, knowledge sharing and professional development initiatives.
• Supporting the coordination of projects managed by the Office throughout their entire lifecycle, including design & planning, stakeholder engagement, monitoring & evaluation.
• Conducting other duties as directed.

The Legal Affairs Specialist will be expected to:

• Take ownership of matters; proactively highlighting potential issues and present possible solutions to more senior members of the Office. This involves taking ownership and having sense of accountability over your portfolio as a whole, consciously answering the need for creativity and resourcefulness in all situations (i.e. show initiative, be proactive, create and use networks, think outside the box).
• Support more senior members of the Office in taking leadership in action and being responsive with clients. This involves communicating with the client regularly, maintaining high levels of responsiveness to the client, keeping your supervisor regularly informed and seeking their input and guidance appropriately, managing the expectations of the client and knowing when to escalate.
• Take charge – be responsible and be accountable, proactively seeking support of more senior members of the Office when needed. This involves:
• taking a risk-based approach, prioritizing and, where matters warrant your investment, taking a forward-looking strategic approach – demonstrating coherence, rigor and thought over your matters;
• being pro-active in stakeholder management, and following up on outstanding matters and queries;
• being resourceful, for example, use networks to unlock matters.
• Exercise good judgement on emerging challenges, especially where there is a need to escalate so as to avoid or overcome an impasse and involve your supervisor in a timely manner.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

• A minimum of a post-graduate university law degree (for example. LL. B post-graduate; LL.M.; J.D.) in a relevant field of law (e.g. international law, commercial law) or equivalent is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience: 

• A minimum of five (5) years’ of progressively responsible experience in the practice of law in a relevant field is required (e.g. international law; commercial law), with a focus on transaction management and commercial transaction negotiation.
• Experience in a law firm, in private practice or as in-house counsel is highly desirable.
• Experience in an international organization (UN and international financial institutions, development banks, regional banks) is desirable.

Skills:

• A constructive and client-oriented approach to resolution of problems is required.
• Excellent research, legal writing and drafting skills are required.
• Excellent verbal communication and negotiation skills, excellent interpersonal skills with staff at all levels, and the ability to work with utmost discretion in handling sensitive and confidential matters are required.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, or Russian) or a local language.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/579916