Senior Legal Officer and Chief P5, LEGA

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of extreme weather shocks.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Legal Office (LEG) is organized into three branches: LEGA (employment and administrative law), LEGM (maritime and transport law), and LEGC (contracts and constitutional law). LEGC is organized into two teams—one dealing with matters of a public nature and the other with matters of a private nature within the portfolio—each headed by its own Chief at the P-5 level. Accordingly, there are four Chief of Branch positions at the P-5 level across the three branches, each responsible for a distinct area of legal specialization. The knowledge, skills, competencies, and professional experience required for each position are tailored to its substantive legal discipline and are not interchangeable across the branches and teams, as each position operates in a fundamentally different legal discipline requiring different substantive expertise.

This position is based in WFP Global Headquarters (GHQ) and covers WFP’s employment and administrative law portfolio, including interpretation and application of the employment framework, policy advice on staff-related governance instruments, advice on disciplinary matters and more generally on employment related matters, and management of contentious matters and disputes  in connection with appeals of administrative decisions before the Executive Director, the FAO Appeals Committee, and the ILO Administrative Tribunal. The position interfaces regularly with senior stakeholders across WFP, including HR leadership, managers, and relevant internal oversight functions. The portfolio supports all WFP offices and divisions at GHQ and in the field.

At this level, the job holder acts as leader of the branch, leading and managing a legal function, establishing strategic priorities and operational workplans, and is accountable for managing both people and resources to deliver results. The job holder provides authoritative legal expertise and operates with a high degree of delegated authority on sensitive and complex personnel-related matters including, in particular, the handling of employment-related litigation. As branch leader, the job holder typically directly supervises senior legal staff, while retaining overall supervisory responsibility across the branch and working with more junior colleagues on matters within the portfolio to deliver consistent, timely legal services across multiple workstreams, and will report, as appropriate, into the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel. The job holder serves as a knowledge focal point for personnel and employment legal matters, requiring deep subject-matter expertise to provide credible and robust guidance and to manage risk. Quality control is integral to the role, including reviewing and clearing key advice and written products, maintaining consistent legal positions, and supporting coherent guidance within the portfolio and coordination with other functions

JOB PURPOSE

To serve as the Chief of Branch for the LEGA portfolio, providing authoritative legal advice on WFP’s employment framework and related internal instruments, and supporting senior management in addressing complex staff-related legal issues. The role leads legal support for contentious personnel matters, including litigation and other dispute resolution, including setting litigation strategy, advising on legal and reputational risk, supporting negotiations and settlement discussions, and coordinating representation, defense, and case management in formal proceedings as required. The role also provides legal advice to inform HR-led policy and process development and revision within the employment framework, and supports consistent, risk-informed decision-making on sensitive personnel matters. The role supports the development, supervision, and quality control of key litigation and advisory outputs across the portfolio, and advice on sensitive disciplinary cases. This position requires judgment, discretion, strong branch leadership and people management skills, and a commitment to consistent quality control.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority

• As leader of the branch, lead, supervise, and manage the branch’s professional and support staff through work planning, resource allocation, performance management, coaching, mentoring, knowledge-sharing, and staff development, enabling high performance and ensuring the effective delivery of legal services, timely and quality outputs, and achievement of organizational objectives, support workforce planning, succession planning, and recruitment within the unit, manage allocated financial resources to ensure efficient and effective delivery of the work programme, and take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace consistent with WFP’s policies.
• Support the development and implementation of strategies, policies, and plans within the LEGA portfolio, aligned with the Legal Office’s, WFP’s, and wider UN system strategies, policies, and processes, to support effective delivery of legal services across headquarters and the field.
• Initiate and lead change processes within the branch, driving improved performance, championing the adoption of artificial intelligence and technology-enabled tools and their integration into legal workflows, and assuming responsibility for the effective implementation of the Legal Office’s cross-functional work practice to support staff development, knowledge sharing, and operational flexibility.
• Serve as a recognized expert on legal matters arising within the portfolio and independently handle the most complex, sensitive, and high-impact issues, including matters involving WFP Staff Rules and Regulations and WFP’s internal justice framework, as well as staff appeals that may proceed to the ILO Administrative Tribunal (ILOAT), while determining legal strategy to protect WFP interests and minimize legal and reputational risk.
• Act as the portfolio knowledge focal point, providing technical expertise, guidance, and coaching to senior professional staff, maintaining coherent legal positions and guidance, and exercising final technical clearance over key legal advice and written products within the portfolio.
• Brief, advise, consult with, and take instructions from the the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, and work closely with them on sensitive, high-risk, or high-profile  matters, including by escalating issues promptly and supporting decision-making on legal strategy and risk.
• Provide authoritative legal advice on the interpretation and application of WFP Staff Rules and Regulations, staff circulars, administrative issuances, and related HR policy instruments, including advice to senior managers on complex procedural questions, and provide legal advice to inform the development of those instruments.
• Lead legal support on contentious matters within the portfolio, including litigation and alternative dispute resolution, by developing strategy and handling employment-related litigation, leading negotiations and settlement discussions, and coordinating formal proceedings as required.

• Provide legal advice on staff conduct, disciplinary processes, and other sensitive personnel matters, as applicable, supporting consistent and defensible decision-making.
• Supervise the drafting, review, and quality control of written submissions, briefs, pleadings, and other filings for the ILOAT and other applicable review bodies, and coordinate inputs from internal stakeholders and external counsel as needed.
• Oversee legal research, analysis, and preparation of legal opinions within the portfolio, including on matters of contract law as applied to appointments, conditions of service, entitlements, and separation, while directing and supervising staff work and supervising external counsel as needed.
• Promote proactive risk identification and risk mitigation in matters falling within the portfolio, including litigation exposure before the ILOAT, reputational risks arising from personnel decisions, and systemic HR compliance risks, by issue-spotting, escalating material risks, and providing practical advice to internal clients.
• Maintain, develop, and quality-control templates, standard clauses, and practical guidance for recurring matters within the portfolio, and deliver targeted briefings/training to stakeholders to reduce repeat risks and improve consistency.
• Coordinate with relevant counterparts across the UN system on employment and administrative law matters, including through inter-agency legal networks and coordination on common system staff matters, and maintain relationships and collaborate cross-functionally with relevant WFP divisions and functions to align the branch’s activities with wider organizational programmes and priorities, ensuring a coherent approach that enables efficient delivery.

• Establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure that activities within the portfolio are continually assessed, oversee accurate and timely reporting that enables informed decision-making, and use findings to inform improvements in the delivery of legal services.
• Ensure that evaluation, audit, and compliance recommendations relevant to the branch are efficiently implemented.
• Promote the WFP mandate, mission, and objectives as well as those of LEG..
• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency situations.
• Perform other duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Law, or first university degree in law with additional relevant experience and training.
• Must be qualified or admitted to practice law by a recognized national or state bar or law society, or have equivalent professional legal practice experience.

Experience: At least 11 years of progressively responsible legal experience relevant to the portfolio, including substantial experience in employment and administrative law, preferably in an international organization or comparable institutional setting, with demonstrated expertise in staff rules and regulations, internal justice and administrative tribunal mechanisms, and the management of contentious personnel matters, and demonstrated ability to manage, motivate, and supervise a team.

Languages:

• Fluency (level C) in English.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or Portuguese, as a WFP working language.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Expertise in employment and administrative law, including institutional employment frameworks, staff rules and regulations, and dispute resolution; knowledge of disciplinary and misconduct proceedings; and analytical, advisory, and drafting skills for complex personnel matters, supported by sound legal judgment and effective stakeholder communication. Familiarity with the ILOAT, and general awareness of the UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) and UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) systems, is valuable.
• Ability to manage, coach and motivate diverse teams and to deliver results effectively through others.
• High-caliber negotiation, representation and influencing skills, including the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders within and beyond WFP.
• Ability to assimilate and analyse complex issues using independent judgement, anticipate strategic and operational implications, and provide clear, practical and risk-informed advice.
• Strong communication and drafting skills, including the ability to translate complex legal issues into concise messages tailored to different audiences.
• Broad understanding of organizational and business processes, with the ability to work effectively across functions.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This is an International Professional position (non-rotational) and is open to all nationalities.
• Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. This position is, however, classified as non-rotational, which means the incumbent shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is reclassified as rotational. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. This position is open to both internal and external candidates.
• WFP offers attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more information, visithttps://icsc.un.org/.
• The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Rome, Italy to take up this assignment.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.