Senior Legal Officer – Legal Affairs Unit

Positioning and reporting

Under the authority of the Director General and the direct supervision of the Head of the Legal Affairs Unit.

Job purpose

The Legal Affairs Unit, which reports directly to the Deputy Director General for Institutional Affairs, provides notably legal services of the highest possible standards to the Organisation regarding the implementation of its activities. The Senior Legal Officer will work under the supervision of the Head of the Legal Affairs Unit. He/she will be required to cover a wide range of daily legal services in international public law and private law, particularly administrative and institutional matters, on the basis of the priorities set by the Head of Unit. S/he will need to be adept at legal analysis and drafting while also possessing excellent organisational skills and attention to detail. S/he will thrive on multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment. He/she may participate in any project of the Unit.

Missions and activities

Ensure in an autonomous way the management and delivery of the Unit’s missions

Conduct extensive legal research and analysis on a variety of legal topics;
Prepare legal opinions/advice on a wide range of international public law and private law issues, involving, inter alia, issues relating to privileges and immunities, institutional questions, international administrative issues, international civil service law, procedural issues, etc; prepare legal opinions, studies, memoranda, information notes, guidelines, meeting reports, correspondence or other documents;
Provide legal advice on the review, interpretation and application of the Organisation’s regulatory framework (e.g. basic texts and other internal regulations, policies and procedures);
Undertake basic or extensive review of legal documents, instruments, or other material; identify important issues, similarities and inconsistencies, etc;
Draft, review and negotiate complex contracts and agreements with commercial vendors, governments, cooperating institutions, and other public or private entities;
Draft, review and negotiate the legal aspects of documents which have been provided for comments or clearance
Maintaining the framework applied by the Organisation in the area of personal data protection through benchmark, selecting relevant material and performing relevant updates;
Participate when required in internal meetings on behalf of the legal function and prepare or contribute to meeting reports as needed
Provide as requested guidance to more junior members of the team
Ensures follow-up and reporting to the Head of Unit

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

Required qualifications

Graduate university degree (Master’s) in law or related field of law; a university degree in international law or international organisations’ law would be considered as an asset
Minimum of 5 years of professional experience, focusing on some or all of the above-mentioned areas
Experience in the legal department of an intergovernmental organisation or familiarity with the work and general functioning of intergovernmental organisations (UN or non-UN) would be an advantage

Requirements

Technical skills

Ability to work in English at a high level including excellent oral and written communication skills; another official language of the Organisation (French, Spanish) would be considered as an asset.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organise and analyse significant amounts of information with attention de detail and accuracy.
Excellent writing skills and ability to draft clear, legally correct recommendations and legal documents in English (often in areas where precedents do not exist).
Planning and organisational skills including proactive approach, ability to focus on priorities and objectives in reliable autonomy.
Ability to work persistently, manage and meet tight deadlines, and work under pressure
Ability to be self-motivated and methodological, to take initiative and work collaboratively
Knowledge of and experience with administrative law and/or contract law
Good command of the Microsoft Office Package (Word, Excel, Power Point) and web tools.

Interpersonal skills

Maturity with excellent communication and inter-personal skills (verbal, written, presentations).
Capacity to work well in a team and to place team agenda before personal agenda
Courtesy, tact and ability to establish and maintain good working relations in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment.
Strong confidentiality awareness.
Sense of commitment and conscientiousness
Sense of resilience and persistence when faced with challenges and stressful situation

Working conditions

Type of contract: Fixed-term contract.
Duration: 2 years renewable.
Location: WOAH Headquarters 12 rue de Prony 75017 Paris, France.
Salary: from 3200€ to 3600€ net per month (commensurate with qualifications and experience), exempt of French income tax + annual performance bonus + plus allowances based on eligibility.
The post is a full-time position based at the WOAH Headquarters in Paris and requires long hours in a seated position at a computer.

General Information

WOAH places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. WOAH is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates, irrespective of their ethnic origin, gender, opinions or beliefs.

This is a full-time position as an international civil servant based at the WOAH Headquarters in Paris (France) that is available immediately.

If you are interested in the position, please complete your application online at the latest by 6 March 2024 clicking on the link below.