UN Women: Legal Specialist – New York

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The UN Women Legal Office is responsible for providing high quality legal advice and support to the UN Women Executive Director, senior management, HQ units, country offices on a wide range of multidisciplinary legal matters relating to the interpretation and application of international, public, private, and administrative law, in the following broad areas:

• Legal status, authorities, privileges and immunities, and relationships with UN Women Governing Bodies, Programme Country, and Partner Governments;
• Corporate, commercial, and private law matters, including legal support to the Organization’s financial and procurement operations.
• Administrative law matters relating to the Organization’s relationship with its staff members, including legal support to human resources management issues.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Legal Office, the Legal Specialist will provide legal advice to UN Women management, HQ units, regional, sub-regional and country offices, as required.

The duration of the assignment is until 31 August 2024. Whereas an external candidate will be offered a temporary appointment, subject to release agreements, staff members in UN Women may be administered as a temporary assignment and staff members in the UN Common system may be administered under a loan arrangement.

Duties And Responsibilities

Provide legal advice to UN Women on issues related to human resources management:

• Provide legal advice to UN Women senior management, headquarters units, country offices, on the application of the Staff Regulations, Rules and procedures governing the internal justice system and other relevant aspects of human resources management, including disciplinary matters.
• Expert advice and support to management as required on matters concerning SEA, protection from harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination, also by keeping abreast of relevant developments within the organization and assisting the enforcement of UN Women’s zero-tolerance approach to violations.

Provide technical support in relation to investigations, disciplinary matters, and criminal accountability:

• Directly handle analysis and review of investigation reports and recommendation of appropriate action under UN Women’s Legal Framework.
• Provide technical support in the processing of cases referred by investigation service for management action by reviewing such cases, ensuring administration and application of the due process requirements and internal policies; and work with IEAS and HR, as appropriate, to advise on appropriate resolution thereof in accordance with established staff regulations, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Liaise with UN/OLA with respect to cases involving possible criminal conduct by UN Women officials, experts on mission, or other third parties, for possible referrals to the national authorities of the appropriate Member States, and with respect to investigations and proceedings relating to UN Women, as conducted by Member States.

Prepare written responses to management evaluation requests and UNDT applications:

• Prepare written responses as required on behalf of the Executive Director in response to requests for management evaluation.
• Prepare written responses and other submissions as required on behalf of the Executive Director in response to applications and other submissions filed before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT).

Represent UN Women as necessary in relation to UNDT applications:

• Represent the Secretary-General before the UNDT, including but not limited to, in direction hearings and hearings on the merits as requested.
• Attend to all stages of proceedings before the UNDT, including the conduct of settlement negotiations and/or mediation proceedings where required.
• Liaise with UN/OLA regarding UNDT cases involving UN Women, UN/OLA’s representation of the Secretary-General before the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT), in cases involving UN Women, and other administration of justice related issues.

Provide legal advice and support with respect to policy matters:

• Technically contribute to the review and design of new legal instruments, policy, guidelines, and systems, particularly for HR.
• Based on experience gained from addressing issues, identify and advise on areas where systemic or policy changes may be warranted in order to strengthen UN Women’s accountability and/or allow operational units to carry out their functions more effectively and efficiently.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to work efficiently and effectively under pressure;
• Strong skills in drafting under pressure a broad range of documents of a legal nature, including briefing notes and reports on legal issues and submissions to courts and tribunals;
• Strong verbal communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to provide oral briefings on complex legal issues to legal and non-legal audiences;
• Sound negotiation skills;
• Client orientation with constructive approach to resolution of problems and dedication to providing timely support;
• Demonstrated consciousness and efficiency in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
• Good interpersonal skills and personal maturity;
• ability to work with utmost discretion in handling sensitive and confidential matters;
• Ability to multi-task, handling a complex workload involving concurrent deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team;
• Some Understanding of UN Women’s goals and programmes;
• Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint and electronic media applications.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• 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.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of practical experience in the practice of law with a law firm, a government and/or an international organization’s legal office is required;
• Experience with staff regulations and rules, policies, procedures and operations of the United Nations or other similar international organization is desirable;
• Experience in handling disciplinary matters in the context of the United Nations is desirable;
• Experience before a court or tribunal or equivalent administrative board or bodies is desirable;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint and electronic media applications etc.) and experience in the use of relevant software applications, in particular information databases, internet/intranet services, library sources, etc. is required.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of another official UN language, particularly French or Spanish is desirable.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc . Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

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