SENIOR LEGAL OFFICER

Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) with duty station, Kinshasa. The Senior Legal Officer reports to the Mission Chief of Staff. S/he provides in-house legal counsel capacity, to include timely and effective advice, services and representation in respect of all aspects of the Mission’s mandate and activities, including complex or novel legal matters. Effectively identifies strategy and approach to legal issues and innovative solutions to problems/issues that arise. Contributes to the development of policy, directives, guidelines and best practices. Demonstrates professional leadership and persuasiveness and diplomacy to generate consensus with relevant parties on divisive legal issues. Under the direction and supervision of the Chief of Staff s/he also oversees the management of the Section and coordinates delivery of the work to the different areas within MONUSCO, with other offices and entities of the United Nations system and outside actors, as appropriate. ResponsibilitiesUnder the overall supervision of the Chief of Staff and within delegated authority, the Chief of Section, Legal Affairs is responsible for the following duties: • Leads, supervises and implements the work programme of the Section under his/her responsibility and provides legal expertise and advice on all aspects of MONUSCO’s mandate and activities, including public, international, private and administrative law matters, as well as issues of constitutional and other national law, as they affect the Mission or the mandate. In particular, provides legal advice and expertise on the interpretation of MONUSCO’s mandate, the legal status of the Mission and its members, including in areas such as privileges and immunities and the Status of Forces Agreement; • Advises on all aspects of MONUSCO’s operational activities, including MONUSCO’s rules of engagement and directives on the use of force and related guidelines, matters relating to international law, including international humanitarian law, international criminal law and the protection of civilians, as appropriate; advises on administrative, personnel and contractual matters related to the Mission’s activities, including issues relating to the accountability of personnel, procurement matters, third party claims, as well as legal questions involving the interpretation or application of UN regulations and rules; • Supervises, oversees and advises on the review, negotiation and drafting of agreements, institutional and operational modalities, major contracts, legal submissions, and other legal documents and provides advice on and participates in negotiations for the settlement of claims and disputes. S/he also ensures and oversees the effective participation of the Section in administrative Boards and Committees, including in relation to the procurement process, claims and property management, and on ad hoc working groups and task forces and advises on MONUSCO’s input to the UN Secretary-General’s reports to the Security Council, as well as briefings to the Security Council and other such documents, as they pertain to legal matters; • Establishes, liaises and maintains good working relations with government officials (ministries, authorities and agencies) and other entities on legal matters related to the implementation of MONUSCO’s mandate, including the implementation of agreements and other arrangements with the host, or with other, governments; provides programmatic/substantive legal expertise at international, regional or national meetings and discussions with governments and other institutions and entities; liaises with other UN agencies, funds and programmes, as well as regional and sub-regional actors and organizations, and with the diplomatic community, as appropriate, and consults with UN Headquarters, as required; • Under the direction and supervision of the Chief of Staff, undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance and evaluation of candidates for recruitment; manages, guides, develops, trains and mentors staff under his/her supervision and fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries. • Leads and supervises the organization of meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive legal issues; manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars. • Performs other duties as required. Competencies• Professionalism: Knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including in public international law, international administrative law, international and domestic criminal law, both substantive and procedural, and privileges and immunities, as well as their application in the context of peacekeeping operations. Ability to apply legal expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex and unusual legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions. Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature; proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions, indictments or legal submissions/motions, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues. Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement. Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Knowledge of contemporary Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary. • Empowering Others: Delegates responsibility, clarifies expectations, and gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work; encourages others to set challenging goals; holds others accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility; genuinely values all staff members’ input and expertise; shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort; involves others when making decisions that affect them. EducationAdvanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law 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. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in law, including legal analysis, research and writing is required. Experience leading a legal department of a UN peacekeeping or special political mission or similar entity is required. Experience working with peacekeeping missions and international organizations in conflict or post-conflict settings is desirable Experience working in the Great Lakes region is desirable Experience in engagement with national/local authorities, especially countries emerging from conflicts is desirable. Experience working on issues related to de facto authorities is desirable LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is highly desirable. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis position is temporarily available for 364 days. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as \"retirement.\" Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.