UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time temporary appointment within the Legal Affairs Service (LAS) in Nairobi, Kenya. UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions
The position of Legal Officer for Energy Law will assist LAS in supporting UNHCR¿s Green Financing Facility (GFF) with two innovative mechanisms to finance clean energy transitions as well as any other legal advice to colleagues at Headquarters and in the Field on legal matters.
Title: Legal Officer (for Energy Law) (P3) Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya Duration: initial period of 1 year and the option of renewal for another subsequent year Contract Type: Temporary Appointment Start date: as soon as possible
Organisational context The Legal Affairs Service (LAS) is responsible for managing UNHCR¿s legal affairs not involving international protection or matters related to persons of concern. LAS provides advice to the Executive Office and to a wide range of functional UNHCR units at headquarters and operations in the field. The incumbent will work with a team of 22 specialized lawyers based in Geneva, Copenhagen, Budapest, Nairobi, Bangkok and Pretoria on a broad range of matters falling within LAS¿ area of responsibility.
UNHCR has established the Green Financing Facility (GFF) with two innovative mechanisms to finance clean energy transitions. For larger offices, the GFF has a guarantee mechanism to back commercial contracts with the private sector via long-term agreements such as power purchase agreements or leases. For smaller offices, the GFF has a revolving fund mechanism to cover the up-front capital expenditure for renewable energy systems while capturing the resulting savings over multiple years so that additional offices can be transitioned to renewable energy. LAS is closely supporting the GFF project by providing expert legal advice.
The position The Legal Officer for Energy Law will assist LAS in supporting the GFF project by developing, drafting, review negotiations and management of legal documents, ad-hoc legal advice and risk assessment, supporting UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities, developing global templates for UNHCR¿s commercial matters in relation to Energy Law and providing any other legal advice to colleagues at Headquarters and in the Field on legal matters.
Duties and responsibilities
The Legal Officer for Energy Law will assist LAS with the following duties:
- Support the Green Financing Facility Project (GFF) with developing, drafting, review negotiations and management of legal documents, ad-hoc legal advice and risk assessment, including: ¿ At the project development phase, including land rights and security; ¿ In cooperation with local legal counsel, review assess and advise on local regulatory law; ¿ Offtake agreement, including Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), lease agreement as well as connected documents such as securities and Operation and Maintenance (O&M); ¿ Procurement process, including review of tender documents (EOI, RFP, TORs) and evaluation in close cooperation with technical experts; ¿ Manage relationship with external legal counsel; ¿ Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)-contract documents, including global Operation and Maintenance Agreement; ¿ further required legal documents, such as on purchase or lease of autonomous solar installations.
- Support to UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities, in close cooperation with UNHCR¿s Innovative Financing Team, including: ¿ Facilitate UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities, including selection of most suitable standard, registration and trade; ¿ Support with procurement process for carbon project developers; ¿ Development and negotiations of required agreements, including Environmental Reductions Purchase Agreement; ¿ Advise on sale of carbon credits and associated risk management, including reputational and corporate social responsibility aspects.
- Development of global templates for UNHCR¿s commercial matters in relation to Energy Law, such as PPAs, lease agreements, EPC contracts, carbon credits generating agreements.
- Provision of any other legal advice to colleagues at Headquarters and in the Field on legal matters as instructed by the Head of Legal Affairs Service.
Effective interaction with colleagues at LAS and the Division of Financial and Administrative Management (DFAM) and concerned parties internally and externally is of paramount importance.
Accountability: ¿ LAS is provided with high quality legal research, analysis and presentation of key information to facilitate decision-making regarding its Energy Law activities, notably the GFF and carbon streaming. ¿ Appropriate policies, guidelines, procedures and processes are consistently applied. ¿ Quality legal support in the areas of green financing and carbon streaming activities is provided.
Responsibility: ¿ Advise clients at HQ and in Field operations on a wide range of legal matters mainly in the area of International Energy Law, including review, assessment and advice on local regulatory law, power offtake agreements (Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), lease agreement as well as connected documents such as securities and Operation and Maintenance (O&M)), EPC-contracts, land rights and security; ¿ Advise clients at HQ and in Field and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective action to address the question of UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities; ¿ Manage local legal counsel on issues related to Energy Law, in particular the GFF and UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities; ¿ Confer with Legal Officers in LAS, internally within UNHCR and externally to ensure timely and authoritative information is provided regarding matters requiring action by LAS or decisions mainly in the area of Energy Law; ¿ Work with the supervisor and Legal Officers in LAS in developing, reviewing and proposing new policies, practices and templates or adaptations to existing ones. Monitor development of this policies and practices; ¿ Perform any other responsibilities/functions deemed necessary or as delegated by the supervisor or Head, LAS; ¿ In coordination with, and as delegated by the supervisor or the Head, Legal Affairs Service, represent LAS in meetings within UNHCR and represent UNHCR with external counterparts.
Authority: ¿ In close consultation with the supervisor and the Head, Legal Affairs Service draft legal opinions and advice on a wide range of complex legal issues; ¿ Provide legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity, which may include those related to Energy Law, including on the GFF project and UNHCR¿s carbon streaming activities; ¿ Participate in the application of legal policy and standards pertaining to the relevant area of responsibility; ¿ Provide legal advice on the application and interpretation of International Energy Law; ¿ Represent LAS in meetings and appointments.
Minimum qualifications and professional experience required
ESSENTIAL ¿ Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master’s) in law with a focus on International Energy Law plus minimum 5 years of previous relevant work experience. Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 6 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 4 years of previous relevant work experience, may also be accepted; ¿ Demonstrated multiyear experience in drafting and negotiation of Energy Law contracts, including EPC contracts, PPAs, O&M Agreements, finance agreements and securities; ¿ Fluency in English (both oral and written).
DESIRABLE ¿ Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct legal research on a range of complex and intricate issues; ¿ Knowledge of a second language of the official languages of the United Nations; ¿ Excellent skills in drafting a broad range of documents of a legal nature, including legal opinions, pleadings, contracts and briefing notes; ¿ Demonstrated ability to provide oral briefings on complex legal issues to legal and non-legal audiences; ¿ Demonstrated experience in advice regarding on- and off-grid power and infrastructure projects, including on regulatory and structuring aspects as well as procurement process; ¿ Experience in advising on emission reduction projects, environmental attributes and securities, allowance and certificate trading as well as related regulatory advice is an advantage; ¿ Experience with energy projects in Low and Lower-Middle Income countries as defined by the World Bank is an advantage.
Location The successful candidate will be based with the team in Nairobi, Kenya. Telecommuting for an initial period of the appointment may be permitted.
Conditions The position of Legal Officer for Energy Law is a temporary appointment with an initial period of 1 year and the option of renewal for another subsequent year. The incumbent reports to a Senior Legal Officer, Legal Affairs Service (P4) in HQ Geneva.
How to apply
For a full job description and to apply, interested candidates are requested to visit the UNHCR career page at www.unhcr.org/careers – click on the Vacancies tab and enter job ID 37679.
Please note that the closing date for this TA advertisement is Wednesday 20 July 2022 (midnight Geneva time).
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).