OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the Supervision of the Secretary of the Appeals Board, the Associate Legal Officer will provide substantive, legal and technical support to the Appeals Board.

Legal Support (40%)

• Review of submissions to the Appeals Board;

• Provide legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions;

• Identify issues involving interpretation and application of the UNESCO Staff Regulations and Rules, the Human Resources Manual, Administrative Manual, Circulars, the Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service and the jurisprudence of the International Administrative Tribunals;

• Support the Chairs by preparing Briefing Notes and gathering background materials, as required;

• Support the Chairs in producing accurate and comprehensive Appeals Board Reports, including reviewing the Reports for any inconsistencies or inaccuracies and ensuring editorial uniformity prior to dissemination.

Long Description

Programme Support (30%)

Assist the Secretary of the Appeals Board in all aspects of the programme, including:

• Assist in the preparation of the judicial calendar and the organization of hearings;

• Take notes and minutes at the hearings;

• Liaise with parties, Board Members and other key stakeholders;

• Assist in the dissemination of Board Reports to stakeholders;

• Draft, review and advise on legal documents and correspondence;

• Respond to correspondence and queries from the parties and from staff members;

• Assist in the preparation of the Annual Report;

• Assist in the election process of Board Members;

• Assist in preparing training materials for Board Members.

Long Description

Recordkeeping (10%)

Assist the Secretary of the Appeals Board in recordkeeping, including

• Organize case files and records of the Appeals Board;

• Assist in digitizing the archives of the Appeals Board;

• Assist in the creation and maintenance of an Appeals Board database, analysing for trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.

Outreach (10%)

Assist the Secretary of the Appeals Board in outreach initiatives, including

• Conduct surveys or using other data collecting methods, analyse and interpret responses, identify problems and issues, and prepare conclusions;

• Assist in maintaining a dedicated webpage for the Appeals Board;

• Prepare information sheets, guidelines and other training materials.

Other (10%)

Additional activities that may be required to ensure the success of the work team.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law (JD, LLM, Masters).

Work Experience

• A minimum of two years of progressively responsible legal experience, including litigation at the national or international level.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent written and oral communication.
•  Proven ability to draft clearly and concisely.
• Solid analytical skills and ability to speak and present effectively, concisely and persuasively.
• Excellent interpersonal and client-oriented service approach.
• Ability to work in a team and maintain effective working relationship in a multicultural environment.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English or French and very good knowledge of the other language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Skills and Competencies

• Professional experience acquired at the international level.
• Experience in litigating administrative law matters.
• Experience with the Registry of an international court or tribunal.
• Experience in the law of international organizations, particularly in the UN system.
• Confirmed experience in legal drafting in English and French.
• Admission to the practice of law in the Member State of the candidate’s nationality or in another Member State of UNESCO.