Chief Legal Officer - Tirana

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) is the Operational Unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). It is in charge of implementing all bilateral programmes and projects in ADC partner countries and administers its budget.

For the implementation of the EU and ADC funded project International Monitoring Operation (IMO), ADA is looking for a qualified and experienced candidate to fulfil the position of Chief Legal Officer, located in Tirana.

The overall objective of the IMO is to align the Albanian justice system with the EU acquis and best international practices. The specific objective is to increase the professional quality of judges and prosecutors, reduce the impact of organised crime, politics and corruption in the delivery of justice, and enhance the integrity and accountability of judiciary institutions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

The Chief Legal Officer supports the International Observers and the IMO with legal advice on the whole range of operation of the IMO, steers the legal research on all issues of IMO’s technical work and on the ECHR related matters, directs and manages the Legal Unit, coordinates the pool of international and local legal officers in support of the International Observers, contributes to the reporting requirements of the IMO, and contributes to other operational issues. 

 
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Advises the IOs, the Team Leader and other Units of IMO on in all matters of international, European and Albanian law relevant for the operation.
• Advises the IOs on all three areas of the re-evaluation procedure (asset assessment, background assessment, proficiency assessment) and organises the drafting and timely delivery of required memos, reports or other documents.
• Organises and supervises the evaluation of the results of the Legal Officers in the asset assessment area and the drafting of a final assessment report.
• Organises and supervises the study and analysis of the reports and/or the documentation in the proficiency assessment area and the drafting of reports on the results.
• Organises and supervises the study and analysis of the reports and/or documents in the background assessment area and the drafting of required memos or reports.
• Organises and supervises the study and analysis and the processing of incoming complaints and submissions and attached documentation and the drafting of memos on the results.
• Organises, supervises, steers and delivers timely research and analyses of all legal questions on the interpretation and application of the constitutional rules on vetting, the Vetting Law, all concerned other Albanian legal sources and the ECHR.
• Contributes to the regular reporting requirements of the project under the direction of the Team Leader. 
• Cooperates in operational management issues of the IMOunder the direction of the Team Leader. 
• Manages and organises the international and local legal officers of the Legal Unit and coordinates their technical work.
• Ensures fluid cooperation with the Research Unit under the guidance of the body of International Observers. 
• Organises, supervises and secures timely delivery of legal opinions and memos on all research results.
• Undertakes any other necessary organizational and legal research and advice tasks. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION

• University degree in law.
• A minimum of 15 years’ experience in delivery of legal advice in a national or international settings, in supervising research, drafting and delivery of legal opinions and analyses, and in steering the unification of interpretation of legal sources.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in the management of a legal team or experience as head of a legal advisor’s office.
• Experience in donor funded projects and in the West Balkans is an advantage.
• Excellent written and spoken proficiency in English.
• Specific experience in strategic thinking and operational planning.
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills, excellent analytical skills, sensitive to political environment. Flexibility, strong adaptation skills and capability of teamwork in a potentially stressful environment under tight deadlines.
• Excellent control of the most important windows software.
• National of EU member state;

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Applications must be sent to recruitment@imo-albania.eu  by 6^th of February 2022 (24:00) indicating “Chief Legal Officer” in the subject and including a Europass format CV in English language, a motivation letter, and 3 professional references with names, contacts and working relationship (at least one referee should have been your direct supervisor). Application sent after the deadline will not be taken into consideration. Only short-listed candidates will be notified for personal interview. Failure to submit an application containing all the required information and documentation within the set deadline will lead to the rejection of the application. High preference will be given to candidates with quick availability.  

APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The successful applicants selected by the recruitment committee will be employed by ADA.

For this post, the required level of clearance is EU SECRET. Candidates who currently hold a valid personnel security clearance at the above-mentioned level (or higher) may not need to obtain a new one, pending confirmation from their respective National Security Authority. The National Security Authority of the candidate shall provide ADA and the IMO Board with an opinion or a personnel security clearance in accordance with relevant national legislation. In case selected candidates do not currently hold a valid security clearance at the above-mentioned level, the IMO Board will request such from the National Security Authority of the candidates’ state of citizenship. In case of a failure to obtain the required personnel security clearance or if the National Security Agency issues a negative opinion at the above-mentioned level after the signature of the contract, ADA has the right to terminate the contract.