UNEP Job Vacancy in Kenya : Legal Officer

Job Title

LEGAL OFFICER, P3

Department/ Office

United Nations Environment Programme

Duty Station

NAIROBI

Posting Period

13 March 2014-12 May 2014

Job Opening number

14-LEG-UNEP-32459-R-NAIROBI (X)

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Organizational Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This post is located in the UNEP Office for Operations. Under the direct supervision of the Senior Legal Officer, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

Handle a range of issues related to constitutional, international, public, private, administrative, and, for Tribunals, criminal (substantive, procedural and comparative) law, including the interpretation and application of constitutive, legislative and other instruments governing United Nations activities and operations, in consultation with senior Legal Officers or Prosecuting Trial Attorneys.Conduct extensive legal research and analysis and prepare studies, comparative studies, briefs, reports and correspondence.Undertake basic or extensive review of legal documents, instruments, or other material; identifying important issues, similarities, and inconsistencies.Prepare or assist in the preparation of drafts of background papers, studies, reports, legislative texts and commentaries on those texts, teaching materials in the field of international trade law and private international law.Prepare or assist in the preparation of legal opinions/advice on a wide range of international public or private law issues, including the United Nations Charter, General Assembly resolutions and decisions involving, inter alia, issues relating to privileges and immunities, peace and security, criminal prosecutions, institutional questions, treaty law and practice, procedural issues arising during meetings of United Nations organs, constitutional and administrative law of the Organization.Prepare or assist in the preparation of agreements and contracts with governments, NGOs and other public and private entities, as well as in the negotiation and settlement of claims and disputes and in handling private international law and international trade law matters.Review, advise on and draft indictments or legal motions/submissions.Assess evidence for relevance and admissibility.Prepare and assess briefs of evidence.Service or assist senior colleagues in servicing diplomatic conferences, commissions, committees, task forces, expert groups and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, meeting reports.Assist in representing UNEP before arbitral and other tribunals or administrative proceedings, including disciplinary cases; in Tribunals, act on behalf of the Prosecutor as junior co-counsel in proceedings before Trial or Appeal Chambers.Provide legal advice on human resources matters; reviews administrative matters.Administer programmes of legal technical assistance.Prepare or assist with the preparation of international trade law seminars and symposia, lecture on various legal issues at such events.Provide guidance to more junior staff.Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism:

Knowledge of, and ability to apply, legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of legal documents.Knowledge of various legal research sources, including electronic, and ability to conduct research and analyze information on a wide range of legal issues.Knowledge of the civil law and/or common law legal systems and principles.Ability to interpret and apply legislative instruments, develop and present results, recommendations, and opinions clearly and concisely.Ability to draft legal papers and work under pressure.Ability to apply good legal judgment in the context of assignments given.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.

Teamwork:

Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals;solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise;is willing to learn from others;places team agenda before personal agenda;supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position;shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Client Orientation:

Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view;establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect;identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions;monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems;keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects;meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international law.A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in law, including legal analysis, research and writing.Qualifying years of experience are calculated following the receipt of the first level university degree recognized by the United Nations.

Languages

English and French are the official working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.For this position, fluency in oral and written English required.Fluency in oral and written French or Spanish is a strong asset.Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

Assessment Method

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Initial appointment against this post is for a period of one year and may be subject to extension.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided.

If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.

United Nations Considerations

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

How to Apply

Submit your CV and Application online : Click Here

Posted by: Jobwebkenya Company: UNEP – United Nations Environment ProgrammeState: NairobiLocation: Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaJob type: Full-TimeSalary: Job category: Legal Jobs in KenyaTags: No TagsJob expires in: Endless