Legal Adviser at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Legal Adviser Job Duties and Responsibilities

• General legal support and legal and contract risk management of the Africa Region, including Country and CCST offices, comprising the following:
• Advice and assistance with the drafting/negotiation of all types of contracts/commitments creating legal obligations for the IFRC, including the use of IFRC-approved templates;
• Review and approval of all contracts prior to signatures;
• Advice and support in relation to the IFRC’s legal status in the region and negotiation and drafting of status agreements, including enforcement of privileges, immunities and obligations of said agreements, in close liaison with the General Counsel;
• Advice on the structuring of the IFRC’s activities, including complex grants or other relationships such as joint ventures, partnerships coordination structures, and/or delegated functions;
• Leading and assisting, as required, in the development and implementation of organization wide systems, procedures, policies and tools, which have an impact on the legal obligations of the organization or on its partnerships, including model agreements;
• Providing support on the rules and regulations pertaining to the Emblems and use of the Federation’s name and logo;
• Advice and support with legal questions related to the IFRC’s procurement and logistics systems;
• Advice and support related to labour law issues;
• Liaison with UN Agencies, other components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and collaborate with them on legal matters;
• Support with the implementation of the online contract lifecycle management system (eContracts);
• Liaison with local legal counsel in the region, ensuring conformity with applicable laws; and
• Carrying out field missions to assist with recovery operations and with the negotiation and implementation of agreements, as well as training of field staff in contracting and legal risk management;
• Monitoring legal information and developments that are or may be applicable to the IFRC and National Societies;
• Mapping of local legal counsel engaged by the various IFRC offices in the region; mapping and tracking of all potential and ongoing cases within the region;
• Mapping of all key legislation that IFRC needs to comply with in the region and supporting compliance with the same, and Creating a systematic manner to identify and track new legislation/changes in legislation that may impact IFRC operations in the region.
• Performing any other job-related tasks as assigned by the General Counsel.
• Specific thematic files may be assigned to the legal delegate, depending on individual skills and interests. Each member of the global legal team will be expected to develop an expertise in these assigned areas, as well as remain flexible to replace others when needed travel will be required.

Qualifications for the Legal Adviser Job

• University degree in law, admitted to the practice of law
• Specialized studies in public international law, international organization law, or not-for- profit law
• At least 5 years of prior experience in the practice of law
• Field experience handling legal issues
• Experience in private practice and/or in-house legal environment
• Red Cross/Red Crescent experience or other humanitarian/not- for-profit experience
• Experience in dealing with outside counsel
• Experience in working in a team environment, with remote team members

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Knowledge of the ILOAT case-law
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment, establish and maintain working relationship within the organisation and with external partners
• Ability to gather, analyse, and evaluate facts and prepare and present concise oral and written reports
• Ability to proactively ascertain legal risks
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing with different audiences
• Fluently spoken and written French and English