Senior Legal Officer, P5 at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the work of the Legal Unit, CSD, aligned to key performance indicators (KPI) for client service and case management of all work streams under the Unit, ensuring timely and high-quality provision of legal advice and services to the Executive Director, senior management, divisions and regional offices and UNEP-administered multilateral environmental agreements as necessary.
• Independently handle a wide range of multi-discipline, highly complex, and often sensitive and / or conflicting legal matters involving issues relating to international, public, private, contract and administrative law, from interpretation to application of instruments.
• Provide authoritative legal advice on diverse range of highly complex or novel substantive and procedural questions on UN administrative regulations and rules, which may include those related to administration, staff relations and management, institutions support, procurement and legal partnership agreements with donors, implementing partners and multi-stakeholders platforms and initiatives as well other operational matters.
• Review, draft and negotiate agreements and legal instruments, including Memoranda of Understanding, Host Country Agreements, Donor Agreements, and other implementing legal agreements between UNEP, Member States and external partners in a timely manner with solution-driven approaches, while adhering to internal controls.
• Perform any other related duties assigned.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in public international, or international corporate law or related fields is required.
• A first level university degree in law in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in law, including legal analysis and negotiation in an international or multicultural setting is required.
• At least five (5) years of experience in the drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and developing of international agreements and other legal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), Host Country Agreements, and Conference Agreements between the UN and Member States or other stakeholders, is required.
• Experience in reviewing administrative instructions, legal representation in matters related to the UN or a similar international organization’s internal justice system, including coordination and preparation of responses, is required.
• Experience in reviewing legal partnership agreements with donors, implementing partners and multi-stakeholders and providing legal advice including on any contractual and/or commercial claims made against the organization is required.