Legal Associate - UNOPS

United States of America (the) - New York

UNOPS helps its partners in the United Nations system meet the world’s needs for building peace, recovering from disaster, and creating sustainable development. UNOPS is known for its ability to implement complex projects in all types of environments around the globe. In an effort to promote organizational excellence, UNOPS seeks highly qualified individuals for the following position:

Vacancy Details
Vacancy Code
VA/2011/NAO/LPG/LA/31-01
Post Title
Legal Associate
Post Level
Local Individual Contractual Agreement (ICA-1)
Org Unit
North America Office (NAO) / Legal Practice Group (LPG)
Duty Station
New York (USA)
Duration
6 months initially with possible extension, subject to operational needs, funds availability and satisfactory performance
Closing Date
February 20, 2011

Background

UNOPS is a self-financing entity of the United Nations system, with more than a decade of experience in providing operational management services in developing nations and post-conflict/emergency situations. Headquartered in Copenhagen, with regional offices in New York, Johannesburg, Bangkok, and Panama, UNOPS presently operates in over 60 countries providing to UN agencies and developing countries complex project implementations of client operations, loan administration and supervision, and advisory services for operations management.

Based in New York, the UNOPS North America Office (NAO) currently works with other UN entities to support projects in a wide variety of development fields by providing project management, financial management, human resources support, procurement and other services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Legal Officer:
 Review, negotiate and draft contracts, memoranda of understanding and other agreements to prevent commercial risks and ensure organizational legal requirements and standards are met; clear technical deviations from standard formats;
 Support the resolution of disputes and claims, both with commercial contractors and in the area of employment-related matters, including by providing research support on jurisprudence from the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT);
 Review project agreements with potential partners with a view to managing risk;
 Contribute to the development of standard legal templates and to the formulation of new internal UNOPS legislation, policies and procedures;
 Assist in the development of legal training materials for UNOPS personnel in procurement, contracting, institutional arrangements and/or corporate legal matters;
 Assist in the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive and user-friendly legal intranet space;
 Support the implementation of UNOPS standards and coordinate and review audit responses and
NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL OFFICE
follow-up of the implementation of audit recommendations;
 Act as Secretary to the Local Committee on Procurement and Contracts (LCPC), if applicable;
 Provide backstop support in the absence of the Regional Legal Officer;
 Perform minimal administrative tasks as required; and
 Perform other related duties as required.

Required Selection Criteria

Competencies
 In addition to UN/UNOPS core values/competencies, demonstrate good theoretical knowledge of international law, in particular the application of legal principles, concepts and policies to the review, examination and processing of a range of legal issues and documents; sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential material;
 Knowledge of UN regulations, rules, policies, procedures and practices desirable; knowledge of internationally recognized financial/procurement regulations, rules and policies, procedures and practices is an asset;
 Proficiency in legal drafting and ability to draft concisely and under time pressure; good interpersonal and communication (spoken and written) skills.
 Ability to conduct legal research on a range of issues and to translate the result into practical solutions;
 Keen sense of ethics and integrity in dealing with clients and service providers and demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts and clients;
 Ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities;
 Fully proficient computer skills; experience in website development and management is an asset.

Education/Experience/Language

Education: University degree in law (J.D. or equivalent); license to practice law in a state (or other jurisdiction) is an asset; advanced degree is an asset.
Experience: Two years of relevant professional experience; experience in contract law is an asset.
Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is essential; knowledge of French is an asset.

How to apply

Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via e-mail to naojobs@unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email.

* Please note that this is a local post and is open to all nationals of the country of the duty station and to individuals who have a valid work permit. UNOPS will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station.

Additional Considerations
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
- Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.
- The selected candidate will be responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org.