Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the General Legal Division (GLD) of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), in the Administration of Justice and Management Cluster (AOJ Cluster). The Senior Legal Officer reports to the Principal Legal Officer and the Director of GLD. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Senior Legal Officer may be responsible for the following duties: Serves as a recognized expert in the area of international administrative law and administration of justice, and independently handles and provides legal advice to senior officials on a wide range of highly complex, and often sensitive and/or conflicting legal matters involving issues relating to international administrative law, to include the provision of legal advice on the interpretation and application of the United Nations (UN) Staff Regulations and Rules and of resolutions and decisions of the governing bodies of the Organization, including of the separately administered Funds and Programmes. Coordinates teams of other legal officers engaged in major legal projects. Provides advice at all stages of litigation of staff grievances and reviews and clears recommendations for the dismissal of staff. Represents, or supervises the representation of the Organization in internal administrative tribunals. Guides and supervises the work of legal officers; may assist the Director and Principal Legal Officer in the general management and administration of the unit, organizing and prioritizing the workload and providing general coordination and supervision of assignments as regards the legal work. Provides authoritative legal advice on a diverse range of highly complex or novel substantive and procedural questions of law, which may include ongoing reforms and amendments of staff, financial and programme planning regulations and rules, as well as on personnel and management matters. Organizes and supervises research studies and the preparation of legal opinions, as well as performs extensive legal research and analysis on highly complex or novel legal issues/questions and prepares legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports, and correspondence . Advises on and supervises the review and drafting of agreements, institutional and operational modalities, legal submissions/motions, and other legal documents; develops new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances. Supervises the defence and pursuit of claims and disputes; negotiates settlement of major claims and prepares legal documentation relating to such settlements. Provides legal advice on the interpretation of personnel policies, regulations and rules, including the review of administrative implications of administrative tribunal judgments; coordinates the review of revisions to the staff regulations and rules; coordinates the review of amendments to administrative issuances and verifies their consistency with the applicable legal framework, including staff regulations and rules and other administrative issuances. Serves, or supervises the representation and participation of OLA, in various standing committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promotes the work of the United Nations and represents the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. Provides legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity, which may include those related to the other clusters of the Division. Contributes to review and design of new, or new applications of, legal instruments, policy, guidelines, systems, etc. Supervises and participates in preparing legal publications of the unit. Performs other duties as assigned. CompetenciesProfessionalism: In-depth theoretical knowledge of, and extensive experience in the practice of international law, including in particular the administrative law of international organizations. Excellent analytical, negotiating and drafting skills, including ability to deliver final drafts of legal opinions and briefs on complex matters under time pressure. Thorough knowledge of the UN system, organization and interrelationships. Ability to explain and defend complex issues and positions to senior officials. 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; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and draft legal texts clearly and precisely is required. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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; and 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. EducationAdvanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law is required. A first-level university degree in law in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Admission to the practice of law, or otherwise qualified to practice law, in a Member State of the United Nations is required. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in law, obtained in the legal office of an international intergovernmental organization, or legal office of a government or a law firm, including experience in legal analysis, research and writing is required. Experience in administrative law and litigation is required. Experience in supervising and guiding the work of junior legal officers, and in advising senior officials independently and on short notice, is required. Experience in the provision of legal advice, gained in the legal office of a United Nations System organisation or comparable international organization, is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).