Legal Specialist

The Legal Group (LG) advises UNOPS management, project offices, regional offices and other specialized units within UNOPS on institutional, commercial, and administrative law matters. Legal Advisors at UNOPS provide legal advice in the areas of public international law, dispute resolution, commercial law and administrative law. This legal advice spans various topics, including host-country agreements, privileges and immunities, disputes with external parties, administrative/HR law, partnership agreements, grants, procurement contracts, and the establishment of hosted initiatives, joint programs, and multi-donor trust funds. It also involves working with outside counsel, pro bono law firms, and the UN Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) as needed.

The Legal Specialist is a member of LG’s Dispute Resolution Practice and reports to the Legal Advisor, Dispute Resolution. S/he contributes to the Practice’s work activities in providing timely and efficient dispute resolution advice in the context of UNOPS projects around the world to protect the organization from financial and reputational risks. The Legal Specialist may also be required to provide other legal advice under the responsibility of LG as needed The Legal Specialist is a good communicator, open to challenges, and versed in handling complex legal issues in a fast-paced work environment. The Legal Specialist works closely with UNOPS country and regional offices as well as policy units and other specialized teams within UNOPS that support UNOPS activities.

** IMPORTANT INFORMATION **
This is a retainer position and not a full-time one. Retainer positions constitute a contract whereby the Retainer may be requested to provide a specific output/deliverable within a specified period of time, on short notice. When holding a retainer contract, individuals may receive ad-hoc requests from the UNOPS project teams or country offices, and the quantity of requests will vary depending on the current needs. UNOPS shall have no obligation to obtain any minimum quantity of services from the Individual Contractor during the duration of the retainer ICA. It is possible to have multiple consultancy contracts with or outside UNOPS, as long as it is declared to the UNOPS Ethics Office.

The Legal Specialist provides legal support and expertise in dispute resolution and other legal matters to protect UNOPS from financial and reputational risks. S/he contributes to the effective management of legal issues arising from UNOPS projects worldwide.

1. Provide Dispute Resolution Advice

Provide legal advice in connection with disputes between UNOPS and external parties arising from commercial contracts, with a focus on protecting the organization from financial and reputational risks.

Represent UNOPS in settlement negotiations, mediations and conciliations under the supervision and guidance of the Legal Advisor, with the support of outside counsel as needed.

Support arbitration proceedings under the supervision of the Legal Advisor.

Provide other dispute resolution support as needed.

2. Provide Other Support to UNOPS Operations

Advise on UN privileges and immunities.

Review and negotiate legal agreements.

Support the application, interpretation and adoption of corporate policies, guidelines and best practices.

Provide other legal advice falling under the responsibilities of LG as needed.

3.Contribute to Business Efficiency

Support regular reporting on UNOPS’ liability risk and maintain overviews and databases of disputes handled by LG for audit and record keeping purposes.

Support ongoing analyses of LG-related data to identify risks, opportunities and trends.

Work closely with other legal advisors and relevant policy units within UNOPS to address country and project challenges aiming at finding suitable and timely solutions.

Support corporate and cross-functional initiatives and contribute to ensure that internal policies, processes and systems are aligned with the overall regulatory framework, and are practical, relevant and add value to organizational operations.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Law with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Law with 5 years of relevant experience is required

• Satisfaction of all requirements to practice law in a national jurisdiction of a UN Member State is required.

Required

• Relevant 5 years of legal experience

• Experience in dispute resolution and knowledge of international commercial arbitration

Desired

• Prior experience working as an arbitration lawyer in a law firm is a strong asset.

• Experience in advising on United Nations privileges and immunities is a strong asset.

• Experience in providing legal advice in support of a government agency or international organization is a strong asset.

• Proficiency in legal drafting and ability to draft accurately, clearly and concisely under time pressure.

• Demonstrated experience in communicating complex legal concepts across a range of audiences.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.