Recruitment of a legal officer, p3 (temporary job opening)

Cadre organisationnel :

The position is located in the Legal Team, Legal and Policy Advisory Section, Human Resources Management Service at the United Nations Office, Geneva. The incumbent will report to the Chief, Legal Team.

Responsabilités :

Under the general supervision of the Chief, Legal and Policy Advisory Section, HRMS, and direct supervision of the Chief, Legal Team, the Legal Officer is responsible for the following duties:
a) providing legal advice on matters relating to administration of justice and employment law, including by assisting managers in preparing comments to the Management Evaluation Unit, conduct related legal research, search for precedents and liaise with parties involved;
b) prepare or assist in the preparation of oral and written submissions to the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT), assist in representing the Secretary-General in oral proceedings before the UNDT;
c) Provide advice on issues related to staff grievances, harassment, ethics and staff conduct;
d) Review complaints raised against UNOG staff members for misconduct behavior, gather information and conduct initial evaluation, recommend appropriate course of action and coordinate related actions;
e) Perform other duties as assigned.

Compétences :

Professionalism :
Knowledge of administrative/employment law. Ability to apply legal expertise to analyze a diverse range of issues and problems. Ability to identify key issues in complex situation and to prepare an informed decision. Ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive legal and administrative issues. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

Communication :

Ability to draft legal submissions and prepare legal advice in a clear and concise manner, under strict time deadlines. 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.

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.

Formation :

Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, preferably international administrative law/employment law. Admission to a national bar is desirable.

Expérience professionnelle :

Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional legal experience is required. Two years of experience at the international level, preferably in an international public organization, is desirable. Experience in litigating before a Tribunal is an asset.

Connaissances linguistiques :

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised fluency in English and French is required (both oral and written).

Méthode d’évaluation :

A written test will be administered to shortlisted candidates. Only candidates who successfully pass the written test will be invited to a competency-based interview.

Notice spéciale :

• The temporary position is intended to fill the functions of short-term duration with an estimated start date 01 June 2019 for six months ;
• The duration of the appointment is subject to the availability of funds ;
• Candidates should have no expectation of any fixed-term appointment possibility after the end of this temporary assignment. If the selected candidate is an internal staff member of the UN Secretariat, the selection will be recorded as a temporary assignment ;
• Subsequent to the initial temporary appointment, new and successive temporary appointments may be granted for service in the same office or in a different office any number of times, for any duration, provided that the length of service does not exceed the period of 364 calendar days ;
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat ;
• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position ;
• A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified ;
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions ;
• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15 ;
• For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1 ;
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at : here

Charte des Nations Unies :

Aux termes du paragraphe 3 de l’Article 101 de la Charte des Nations Unies, la considération dominante dans le recrutement du personnel doit être la nécessité d’assurer à l’Organisation les services de personnes possédant les plus hautes qualités de travail, de compétence et d’intégrité. Ne seront pas retenues les candidatures des personnes qui ont commis des violations du droit international des droits de l’homme, des violations du droit international humanitaire, des actes d’exploitation, d’atteintes ou de harcèlement sexuels, ou au sujet desquelles il existe des raisons plausibles de croire qu’elles ont été impliquées dans la commission de tels actes. L’expression « exploitation sexuelle » désigne le fait d’abuser ou de tenter d’abuser d’un état de vulnérabilité, d’un rapport de force inégal ou de rapports de confiance à des fins sexuelles, y compris mais non exclusivement en vue d’en tirer un avantage pécuniaire, social ou politique. On entend par « atteinte sexuelle » toute atteinte physique de nature sexuelle commise par la force, sous la contrainte ou à la faveur d’un rapport inégal, ou la menace d’une telle atteinte. Le harcèlement sexuel s’entend de tout comportement déplacé à connotation sexuelle raisonnablement propre ou de nature à choquer ou humilier, lorsqu’il entrave la bonne marche du service, est présenté comme une condition d’emploi ou crée au lieu de travail un climat d’intimidation, d’hostilité ou de vexation, et lorsque ce comportement est assez grave pour justifier le licenciement de son auteur. La candidature de personnes qui ont commis des infractions autres que des infractions mineures au code de la route ne sera pas retenue.

Sera dûment prise en considération l’importance d’un recrutement effectué sur une base géographique aussi large que possible. Aucune restriction ne sera imposée par l’Organisation à l’accès des hommes et des femmes, dans des conditions égales, à toutes les fonctions, dans ses organes principaux et subsidiaires. Le Secrétariat de l’Organisation des Nations Unies est un espace non-fumeurs.

Les candidats sont invités à respecter scrupuleusement toutes les instructions disponibles sur la plateforme de recrutement en ligne Inspira. Pour des informations plus détaillées, ils ou elles peuvent consulter le manuel d’instructions pour le candidat, en cliquant sur le lien hypertexte « Manuels » sur le côté supérieur droit de la page d’accueil de leur compte Inspira.

Les candidatures feront l’objet d’une évaluation et d’un examen préalables sur la base des informations soumises conformément aux critères d’évaluation de l’avis de vacance de poste et aux dispositions législatives internes applicables de l’Organisation des Nations Unies, notamment la Charte des Nations Unies, les résolutions de l’Assemblée générale, le Statut et le Règlement du personnel, les textes administratives et les directives. Les candidats doivent fournir des informations exhaustives et précises conformément aux instructions fournies sur la plateforme Inspira. Une fois la candidature envoyée, aucune modification, suppression ou révision, ni aucun ajout ou changement ne pourra être fait. Il sera procédé à une vérification des références des candidats faisant l’objet d’une attention particulière pour s’assurer de l’exactitude des renseignements qu’ils ont fournis dans leur candidature.

Les avis de vacance de postes publiés sur le Portail des carrières sont retirés à 11:59 p.m. (heure de New York), le jour de la date limite de dépôt des candidatures.

Aucun frais de dossier

L’ONU ne perçoit de frais à aucun stade du recrutement (dépôt ou traitement de la candidature, entretien, formation, etc.), et elle ne demande aucune information bancaire.