Legal Specialist at United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

Role Purpose

• The Legal Specialist, Commercial, acts as a seasoned professional, independently providing in-house legal services within existing legal frameworks. S/he provides authoritative advice on the application of established commercial law policies and procedures, adapting them to meet emerging client or project needs. The Legal Specialist is responsible for solving complex legal problems, managing a specific portfolio of commercial legal work, and maintaining strong client relationships to ensure reliable service delivery, thereby protecting UNOPS from legal, financial, and reputational risks.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Legal Advice and Representation

• Advise Project Offices on commercial matters under LG’s purview, including review and negotiation of legal agreements, interpretation, alignment and development of the UNOPS legal framework.
• Provide legal advice and support to Project Offices in relation to partnership and framework or funding agreements, negotiation of model agreements with partners, procurement contract templates and grant agreements.
• Provide legal advice and support to Project Offices in relation to hosted initiatives, joint programmes and multi-donor trust funds.
• Provide timely advice and support actively finding solutions to everyday implementation challenges, based on policy and best practices.
• Represent UNOPS in negotiations with external parties on legal topics,  such as negotiations on contracts and agreements. 
• Coordinate interactions between business units and local legal retainers, external legal counsel and legal advisors from OLA or other UN agencies.

Policy Development and Implementation Support

• Recommend changes to policies, processes and operating standards based on the feedback and experience of the country offices.
• Ensure transparent and efficient project implementation, in line with policy and business needs.
• Work closely with other units within UNOPS to address mission-critical issues and find fit-for-purpose solutions and contribute with technical and practical knowledge to the development of strategies to improve efficiency and strengthen internal controls.
• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives to ensure that internal policies, procedures, systems and tools are consistent with the overall legal framework, practical, relevant and add value to organizational operations.

Knowledge Management and Capacity Building

• Support the systematic documentation and updating of legal precedents and templates.
• Contribute to research and coordination within the team and across the organization 
• Provide structured knowledge and subject matter expertise which is used across practice areas to provide coherent and tailored advice to the requesting offices.
• Stay informed about internal and external developments and best practices.
• Deliver and facilitate trainings on commercial matters to internal colleagues. 

Regional Focal Point Role (as assigned)

• Represent the LG Commercial Practice as the identified Focal Point by assuming the responsibilities for a specific region, liaising with the Regional Office and all regional actors (internal and external) for all legal matters related to the regional portfolio.
• Manage the regional workload, completing the above listed functions with a focus on a specific region.
• Foster and develop the relationship and collaboration with one specific region allowing for dedicated and tailored legal support, capacity building and solutions to the region.
• Coordinate and oversee the legal advice and support provided by other LG members (other than the Legal Specialist’s supervisees) to a specific region to ensure consistency; 
• Liaise and communicate with the other regional focal points on novel, high-risk and/or problematic issues to ensure consistency in strategy and advice across the LG Commercial Practice. 

Skills

• Analytical Skills, Corporate Law, Legal Advice, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Negotiation, Risk Management

Competencies

Education Requirements

Required:

• An advanced university degree (J.D. or Master of Laws or equivalent); or a first-level university degree in law (Bachelor of Laws or equivalent) from an accredited university in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience Requirements

Required:

• At least 5 years of relevant experience as a lawyer in commercial law, international law, public international law and/or, commercial dispute resolution, including legal analysis, advice, research and/or drafting of texts.
• Proficiency in legal drafting and ability to draft accurately, clearly and concisely under pressure is required.
• Experience in communicating complex legal concepts across a range of audiences is required.