SENIOR LEGAL OFFICER (TJO)

This position is located within the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 (IIIM). The incumbent is under the direct supervision of the Head of the IIIM.

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

A) LEGAL:

• Provides authoritative legal advice to the Head of the Mechanism on strategic, managerial and substantive aspects of accountability for core international crimes, and independently handles a wide range of multi-disciplinary, highly complex, and often sensitive and/or conflicting legal matters involving issues relating to international, criminal and administrative law relevant to the Mechanism's mandate;
• Advises on and supervises the review, negotiation and drafting of major contracts, memorandum of understanding and other relevant legal instruments related to inter alia sharing of information and evidence, witness protection, and the operations of the Mechanism with a range of external stakeholders including States, international governmental organizations and NGOs; develops new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances.

B) PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATION:

• Supervises staff assigned to the Mechanism's witness support and protection unit;
• Oversees programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Mechanism;
• Contributes to and supervises others’ contributions to the Mechanism's bi-annual reports to the General Assembly;
• Provides strategic and diplomatic advice to the Head of the Mechanism to support successful mandate delivery.

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including criminal law, both substantive and procedural as well as of international criminal justice systems is required. Ability to apply legal expertise to analysing a diverse range of complex and unusual legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions in support of accountability for the most serious international crimes; proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues. Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement. Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Good knowledge of UN system is essential. Proven diplomatic skills in engaging Member State representatives at the senior level. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Advanced university degree in criminal law, international law or humanitarian law. A first level university degree in combination with at least two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional legal experience is required. A minimum of seven years of experience in international criminal law is required. At least five years of relevant experience working on large, complex international core criminal cases in a multi-disciplinary team environment at the international level is required. Experience in devising and implementing investigatory or prosecutorial policy for international core crimes is required. Experience in managing witness support and protection is desirable. Experience in drafting or reviewing indictments (or the equivalent) is desirable. Experience in dealing with victims and survivors’ groups is desirable. Managerial experience and experience in making budget submissions is desirable. Experience within the UN Common System or other similar organization is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Either French or Arabic is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a desk review and/or an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.