Legal Research and Information Officer, Accession

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation comprised of 38 member countries, that works to build better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.  Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards, and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting. 

The Directorate for Legal Affairs (LEG) is a small and highly integrated team that provides advice and information on the legal, institutional and procedural aspects of the Organisation’s activities. The Directorate serves as coordinator of the discussions with candidate countries for OECD membership, which involves acting as interlocutor for the candidate countries, OECD Members and the different parts of the Secretariat. It also involves supporting the review by OECD committees of the candidate countries’ alignment with some 250 OECD legal instruments as well as their evaluation of the candidate countries’ policies and practices.

Further to the decision of the OECD Council of 25 January 2022 on the opening of accession discussions and subject to the adoption by the OECD Council of Accession Roadmaps and the availability of the associated funding, we are looking to constitute the accession coordination team. In this context, we are looking for a Research Assistant to work in the team responsible for the coordination of the accession process within the Directorate for Legal Affairs. The selected candidate will work under the supervision of the lawyers working on accession and in close collaboration with the Legal Research and Information Management Unit.

The selected candidate will need to be adept at managing large documentation resources, while also possessing strong organisational skills and attention to detail. The selected candidate will thrive on multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate a good degree of autonomy in the discharge of duties.

Main Responsibilities

Information Management

• File, organise, and maintain the information related to the accession process, ensure that the digital archives of the Directorate remain easily accessible and up-to-date using the Enterprise Content Management OpenText.
• Contribute to the updating and maintenance of the online Compendium of OECD Legal Instruments for use by the accession candidate countries.
• Participate in the updating of the Knowledge Centre of the Directorate, which compiles key documents and reference information, in particular with respect to the accession process.

Research and Liaison

• Conduct research for the legal advisers on a variety of legal and procedural topics relating to accession.
• Contribute to the quality control of official documents related to accession.
• Assist in the preparation of files, summary tables, notes or other ad hoc tasks in relation to accession.
• Contribute to the general discharge of the Directorate’s functions as may be required.

Managing Information Tools

• Provide training for members of the Directorate’s accession team and other staff with respect to information systems.

• Assist in the maintenance and development of the Directorate’s information tools to ensure that they remain responsive to the needs of the Directorate and facilitate information sharing.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• Post-secondary level of education, preferably in information management or related subject.

Professional Background

• A minimum of two years’ experience in managing large documentation resources, preferably in the legal field.

Tools

• Excellent command of Office tools.
• Proven ability to maintain collaborative information systems (e.g. SharePoint sites) and/or information databases.
• Experience with Enterprise Content Management (ECM)/record management systems would be an asset.

Languages

• Excellent command of one of the two official languages of the OECD (English and French) and capacity to work autonomously in the other.  Ability to verify the equivalence of texts in both languages.
• A working knowledge of Bulgarian, Croatian, Portuguese, Romanian, or Spanish would be an advantage.

Core Competencies

• For this role, the following competencies would be particularly important\: Analytical Thinking, Managing Resources, Client Focus, Team Work, Organisational knowledge.
• Please refer to the OECD Core Competencies and the level 2 indicators.

Contract Duration

Subject to availability of funding. 13 months fixed-term, with the possibility of renewal. 

What the OECD offers

• Monthly base salary starting from 3,663 EUR, plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax.
• Click here to learn more about what we offer and why the OECD is a great place to work.
• Click here to browse our People Management Guidebook and learn more about all aspects relating to people at the OECD, our workplace environment and many other policies supporting staff in their daily life.
• Please note that the appointment may be made at a lower grade based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.

The OECD is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates who are nationals of OECD member countries, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health or disabilities.

The OECD promotes an optimal use of resources in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Staff members are encouraged to actively contribute to t