Senior Legal Officer - Administration of Justice (E) at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Duties

• Provide advice and guidance on a wide array of legal matters, with a special emphasis on the UN internal justice system and human resources legal issues.
• Represent UNHCR in settlement negotiations and mediations with aggrieved personnel.
• Prepare legal pleadings in response to applications before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and represent the Organization as Counsel at oral hearings.
• Provide advice on the triage and assessment of cases referred to Headquarters, including through the SpeakUp Helpline.
• Review draft human resources policies and related technical proposals and ensure that they are aligned with established policy and standards.
• Guide DHR units at Headquarters locations and offices in the field to ensure that personnel matters are dealt with in accordance with relevant procedural guidelines.
• Analyse and advise on requests for management evaluations by UNHCR staff,
• Provide legal advice, as necessary, to the Inspector General's Office on investigation procedures and to the Director, DHR on disciplinary proceedings.
• Conduct training in the area of administration of justice and human resources, and other outreach and professional development initiatives in these areas.
• Manage personnel through regular performance appraisals, coaching, and assessments of training and development needs.
• Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Additional duties for Dispute Resolution

• Coordinate LAS’s engagement with other UNHCR dispute resolution stakeholders at Headquarters, in Regional Bureaux and in the field on collaborative initiatives regarding integrity, compliance and ethics as well as conflict/management interventions and outreach.
• Provide advice on the triage and assessment of cases referred to Headquarters, including through the SpeakUp Helpline.
• Manage intake of management evaluation requests with a view to identify cases suitable for informal dispute resolution as well as strategic follow-up on management evaluation decisions.
• Design training material in the area of conflict management, administration of justice and human resources, including lessons learned and conduct workshops, webinars, presentations and other outreach and professional development initiatives in these areas.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

• For P4 - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

• Law;   
• International Law; 
• Litigation Practice; 

Certificates and/or Licenses

• Mediation;  
• Bar Examination;

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

• Previous relevant work experience including in the field of litigation. In-depth knowledge and experience of international law, including, international administrative law as practiced in international organizations (in particular in the United Nations) and/or experience applying employment or administrative law in a national jurisdiction. Extensive knowledge of the internal justice system of the United Nations grievance mechanisms, the jurisprudence of the UNDT and UNAT, and the UN human resources machinery. Ability to conduct legal research on a range of complex and intricate issues. Experience in drafting a broad range of documents of a legal nature, including policies and administrative instructions, legal opinions, pleadings, contracts and/or briefing notes. Demonstrated ability to provide oral briefings on complex legal issues to legal and non-legal audiences. Bar exam or equivalent qualification to practice law in at least one national jurisdiction.
• To the dispute resolution position:  
• Demonstrated ability in negotiation and conflict management. Experience with mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the mechanisms in UNHCR. Prior exposure to, and demonstrated competence in, the conceptual development of strategic HR approaches and corporate HR policies. Proven experience in developing training material and facilitating workshops, webinars and other adult learning. Knowledge of the privileges and immunities of UN/HCR and its personnel. Knowledge of the principles of international commercial law and contract law as applied by the UN. Knowledge of UN/HCR field operations.