Associate Judicial Cooperation Officer (P-2)

Organisational Context

Under the direct supervision of the Director of the Division of External Operations (“DEO”), the Judicial Cooperation Support Section (“JCSS”) is responsible for providing a coordinated, strategic approach to judicial cooperation within the Registry and Court’s stakeholders as a whole, both internally and externally, allowing the Registry to exercise a more prominent and strategic role in this regard. 
The JCSS will consist of two units, the Judicial Cooperation Unit (JCU) and the Suspects-at-Large Unit (SLU). The oversight of the Section will be the responsibility of the Chief of JCSS in consultation with the Director of the DEO as well as the Registrar with their foremost responsibility being to develop and execute an efficient and effective strategy to ensure the full implementation of requests for assistance, judicial cooperation and state cooperation in the context of proceedings before the ICC. 
The Section will also be responsible for developing strategies and implementing external relations actions to further judicial cooperation objectives (including, inter alia, the conclusion of (voluntary) cooperation agreements related to the court proceedings, external engagements and participation at conferences and meetings on cooperation matters).
The Judicial Cooperation Unit (JCU), under the direction of the Head of Unit and the oversight of the Chief of JCSS, will be responsible for cooperation matters pertaining to the implementation of Judicial Orders (including, inter alia, tracing and freezing of assets, (interim) release, witness appearance and evidence collection, observations from States) and to the provision of support to Defence, Legal Representatives of Victims and Registry sections for the discharge of activities in the context of their respective mandate. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Judicial Cooperation Unit, the incumbent performs the following duties:

1. Research and provide information and policy and/or legal advice on a wide variety of issues related to judicial cooperation and external relations; facilitate judicial cooperation in relation to issues pertaining to the Court’s situation countries and cases; and facilitate judicial cooperation through cooperation demarches, for example with States and international organisations.
2. Draft notes verbales, diplomatic correspondence, background papers, reports on judicial cooperation matters and requests for assistance to States and International Organisations. Monitor and follow up on the implementation of pending requests
3. Prepare Registry observations or submissions in writing through judicial filings or orally during hearings in relation to judicial cooperation related issues within the ICC proceedings. 
4. Maintain and update the judicial cooperation databases.
5. Liaise with the country offices to monitor the implementation of judicial cooperation and assistance requests and the external relations related strategies for facilitating judicial cooperation.
6. Attend meetings, conferences and hearings; prepare supporting documentation and draft minutes and subsequent reports.
    

Essential Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree in law, international relations, political science or other relevant field is required. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of two years (four years with a first-level university degree) of relevant professional experience in law, national/ international criminal proceedings, international relations and/or negotiations from a foreign or inter-governmental organisation is required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the capacity to interact with officials from various background and cultures.
• Ability to write reports addressing complex issues in a clear and concise manner in either English or French. Capacity to quickly draft documents when circumstances require and in a manner that respects both the legal framework and the diplomatic style.
• Good knowledge and understanding of a national or international judicial institution or UN system. 
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and judgment to resolve a wide range of complex issues/problems. Capacity to flag up potential legal problems and refer them to the management.  
• Excellent knowledge of the substantive and procedural provisions of the Rome Statute and the ICC Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
• Excellent diplomatic and negotiation skills. Highly-effective interpersonal skills. 
• Capacity to prioritise activities and assignments and to foresee risks. Capacity to work on a large number of requests while respecting deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively under strict deadlines, under pressure and with substantial travel obligations. and ability to keep strict standards of confidentiality.
• Professional integrity. 

Knowledge of Languages:

Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, English or French, is required. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) would be considered an asset.