Regional Offices Legal Assistant- CIMMYT

Reference number: 202645

Job status: In-progress

Job category: Local Position

Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya

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Landscape Alliance

Landscape Alliance transforms science into action, unlocking the power of trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes to
advance planetary health and human well-being. Landscape Alliance is the operating name of the Center for International
Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Centre for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF). CIFOR and ICRAF are
independent International Organizations and CGIAR Research Centers.

Landscape Alliance is looking for a

Regional Offices Legal Assistant- CIMMYT

Overview

About our organization:
CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. For more information, visit: cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is hosted by World Agroforestry (ICRAF), a member of the CGIAR that is headquartered on United Nations Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya. We invite you to learn more about CIMMYT and World Agroforestry by accessing our web sites: www.cimmyt.org and www.worldagroforestry.org

CIMMYT is looking for a:
Regional Offices Legal Assistant
The Regional Offices Legal Assistant is an in-house lawyer who provides legal support for CIMMYT operations in the regional offices. This role shall ensure the effective application and implementation of standardization initiatives, ensuring coherence between global policies and regional operation.

Duties and responsibilities

1.Contract Management
Lifecycle.

  • Support the contract lifecycle,
    assisting with drafting from approved templates, formatting, version control,
    amendment, release, and quality control for agreements entered into by CIMMYT
    with national and international public and private entities, under the
    direction of the Regional Legal Counsel and in coordination with the Operations
    Legal Counsel at HQ Legal.

  • Perform contract management activities
    (intake, verification, follow-up of documents, signature preparation, and
    processing (Cover Sheet Preparation and Adobe Sign process) and execution
    tracking through the CLM.

2.Regional Legal
Control Desk.

  • Maintain matter files, records of
    regional agreements and host country instruments, and version histories,
    observing the Department’s confidentiality and need-to-know protocols.

  • Operate the regional legal control
    desk assigning, following up, and processing tickets and requests through the
    Department’s systems.

  • Support the updating, creation, and
    implementation of processes, practices, guidelines, procedures, and workflow
    optimization that improve the day-to-day efficiency of the legal function and
    advance the Regional Legal Operating Model.

  • Support the rollout and adoption of
    Legal Department tools (Ticketing System, CLM, Adobe Sign, D365) within the
    region and among internal clients, including workflow automation.

  • Support the maintenance of processes,
    KPIs, and dashboards that enable accurate and timely service and the continuous
    improvement of CLM processes, including automation and reporting.

3.Regional Legal
administrative Tasks.

  • Provide administrative and document
    support to the Regional Legal Counsel across the regional portfolio.

  • Assist with coordination of external
    counsel: assembling instruction packages, collecting documents, tracking
    deadlines, and monitoring invoices and fee follow-up, under the direction of
    the Regional Legal Counsel.

  • Maintain trackers of regional
    deadlines, renewals, and obligations, and provide timely reminders.

  • Prepare agendas, attend meetings, take
    minutes, capture and follow up on action items, and prepare briefing materials
    for participants, coordinating across time zones with HQ Legal.

  • Maintain lists, status charts, and
    matter/agreement data integral to the Department; curate agreement and document
    databases.

  • Track and report a high volume of
    tasks daily through the Department’s dashboards and KPI tools to support
    progress updates to relevant areas.

  • Carry out administrative tasks
    including expense reports, payment processing, travel arrangements, advances,
    accommodation, and documentation; liaise with Procurement on services,
    purchases, equipment, and supplies for the Department.

  • Provide
    other support as directed by the supervisor.

Requirements

  • A law degree from a reputable
    university.

  • Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a
    legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role in a company, law
    firm, or international organization.

  • Full professional proficiency in
    English (minimum C1 CEFR; test administered).

  • Proficient computer skills (at a
    minimum Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat); familiarity with CLM systems
    (ICERTIS an advantage) and willingness to learn and master new tools.

Education, knowledge and experience

  • A law degree from a reputable university.
  • Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role in a company, law firm, or international organization.
  • Full professional proficiency in English (minimum C1 CEFR; test administered).
  • Proficient computer skills (at a minimum Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat); familiarity with CLM systems (ICERTIS an advantage) and willingness to learn and master new tools.

Terms and conditions

  • This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position. CIFOR-ICRAF offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications. In Kenya, employment contracts are issued under ICRAF in compliance with Kenyan labour law. Locally recruited staff are eligible for a non-contributory pension scheme, comprehensive medical insurance, paid annual and statutory leave, and learning and development opportunities in line with CIFOR-ICRAF policies.
  • The appointment will be for a period of two (2) years, inclusive of a six-month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
  • The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • We will acknowledge all applications but will only contact short-listed candidates.

Application process

The application deadline is 29 Jul 2026.

We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidates.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.