Legal Officer (Regulatory Affairs), P-4

United Nations - International Seabed Authority

Kingston, Jamaica

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is based in the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an international organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ISA is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS shall, in accordance with the regime for the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established in Part XI and the 1994 Agreement, organize and control activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Director/Legal Counsel and within delegated authority, the Legal Officer (Regulatory Affairs) will be responsible for the following duties:

1Serve as a lead officer in the development of regulatory instruments for the conduct of deep-sea mining activities in the international seabed Area, including the Mining Code and associated standards and guidelines.
Support and provide secretariat services in relation to the regulatory work of the Legal and Technical Commission and the Council, including relevant working groups, including drafting working papers and meeting reports as necessary.
Performs extensive legal research and analysis and prepares legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports and correspondence; provides legal advice to the unit/division.
Coordinate and supervise work carried out by consultants and experts.
Service task forces, expert groups and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, meeting reports.
Review, advise on and draft complex contracts, agreements, institutional and operational modalities, or legal motions/submissions and other legal documents; develops new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances.
Participate in the preparation of Council meetings, including drafting speaking notes for the President in relation to regulations, prepare speaking notes for facilitators, chair and rapporteurs.
Participate in the development of road maps for the continued work on the mining code.
Prepare oral reports for the working groups and informal informals in respect of outcomes of Council meetings.
Serve on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promotes the work of ISA and represents the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.
Coordinate and direct teams of other legal officers dealing with significant problems as required, and/or mentors and supervises the work of junior officers on specific projects.
Contribute to review and design of new, or new applications of, legal instruments, policy, guidelines, etc.
Perform other duties as requested by the Secretary-General.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of legal documents. Ability to conduct legal research and analyze information from various resources on a wide range of legal issues. Knowledge of the civil law and/or common law legal systems and principles. Ability to interpret and apply legislative instruments, develop and present results, recommendations, and opinions clearly and concisely. Ability to draft legal papers and work under pressure. Ability to apply legal judgment in the context of assignments given. Ability to negotiate and influence others to reach agreements. Ability to work and meet tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/case.
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; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
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.

Education

Advanced university degree in law (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in the International Law, the Law of the Sea, and the law of International Organizations is required. A first-level university degree within combination two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Admitted to the bar of a member State of the Authority, or otherwise qualified to practice law is preferable.

Work Experience

Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the practice of law is required.
Experience in the legal office of an international organization or the legal office of a government is required.
Experience in a regulatory environment, including experience in legal drafting of international regulatory instruments is required.
Experience in international law and the law of the sea, international organizations law and international administrative law is desirable.
Experience in presenting and representing the work of an organization both in writing and orally is desirable.
Experience in liaising with Member States, corporate entities, UN agencies, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the International Seabed Authority. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official language of the United Nations is desirable.

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