LEGAL OFFICER

Médecins Sans Frontières – West and Central Africa (MSF-WaCA) is a new entity of the MSF movement. MSF-WaCA is MSF’s first headquarters outside Europe in the installation and take-off phase.

MSF is a non-governmental organization specialized in emergency medical humanitarianism. MSF-WaCA takes a patient-centred approach through collaboration with communities using modernisation and digitalisation. It aims to carry out humanitarian operations in West and Central Africa and beyond these regions. Less than a year after its launch, MSF-WaCA is already present in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Niger. The organization plans to open new missions in the short or medium term and other countries.

MSF-WaCA has an office in Abidjan that welcomes executive and associative staff of different nationalities. Part of the staff of its head office is based in different countries, such as Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal.

We Are Looking for:

Legal Officer

Department: MSF WaCA General Directorate

Direct Manager: Dorian JOB

Working %: 100%

Based in: Based in Abidjan and regional mobility

Mobility: Regional, Central and West Africa

Type of Contract: Temporary (renewable)

Duration : Until June 2023

Position to be filled: 15/04/2022

General objective

Provide general legal support for the creation of the WaCA entity, as well as operations, in the following areas:

• Social law and duty of care

• Tax Law

• Contracts law

• Brand and domain names

• Insurance

• Any other issue that generating administrative constraints for MSF WaCA

Main responsibilities / Activities

He/she will be in charge of the following responsibilities:

-Identify legal issues and questions facing MSF-WACA

-Legal Responsibility: Provide advice, including in litigation

-Select external lawyers and establish a collaboration

-Develop, update, and contribute to internal training

-Build an internal database

-Collect the legislative texts of the countries of the region and set up a legal monitoring system

-Liaise with the intersection legal department

Job Profile

Education/Qualification/Pre-requisites

• Master 2 degree in private or comparative law

Professionnal experience required

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in a law firm or legal department
• Experience at the international level
• Experience in MSF or in the humanitarian sector is an asset

Professional Skills

• Rigor, clarity and adaptability to different legal systems
• Ability to research, analyze and write.
• Ability to translate legal information into understandable language for operations.

Skills – Human and relational skills

• Commitment to MSF principles
• Cultural sensitivity
• Teamwork and cooperation

Languages

• Fluency in English and French

Computer Skills

• Windows environment, Office software package and e-mail.