GSU Legal Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

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WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE:
Legal Officer
TYPE OF CONTRACT:
Regular Consultancy
UNIT/DIVISION:
WFP Global Staff Union
DUTY STATION (City, Country):
Remote Working
DURATION:
11 months
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT: The WFP Global Staff Union (GSU) was established in October 2024 and a Recognition Agreement with WFP management was signed on 21 November 2024. The GSU is a voluntary organization of WFP employees choosing to associate, irrespective of their duty station, Headquarters or Field, to promote and safeguard:

•The rights, interests and dignity of employees
•The overall general welfare of employees
•The conditions of service
•Fairness and justice in the treatment of employees
The Union works to promote and to maintain continuous dialogue with Management on behalf of Staff and to ensure that their concerns are taken into account in management and policy decisions. The Union is governed by an elected Staff Council of twenty members and an Executive Committee of five members, who are elected from amongst the Staff Council. ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: The Global Staff Union (GSU) Legal Officer, handles matters related to the requirements of the staff. This will entail providing legal advice to members of the GSU, including the preparation of Appeals to the Executive Director, the FAO Appeals Committee and the ILOAT. In addition, the incumbent would have a key role in reviewing draft WFP policies and directives and providing advice to the GSU Staff Council, to help formulate a position with a view to improve staff conditions of service. Under the general supervision and guidance of the GSU President, the GSU Legal Officer will be responsible for the following key duties:

•Oversee the comprehensive coordination of all GSU legal activities. This entails notonly managing and guiding the current legal work but also seamlessly integrating the contributions of the newly recruited legal consultant into our workflows.
•Demonstrate leadership in ensuring that the GSU legal operations are not just efficient, but also perfectly aligned with the GSU's strategic objectives.
•Foster a collaborative environment, facilitating the synthesis of fresh perspectives with established practices, thereby enhancing the GSU's legal department's overall effectiveness and adaptability in navigating complex legal landscapes.
•Undertake extensive legal research and analysis, handle a wide range of multi-disciplinary complex legal matters including interpretation and application of various legal instruments to facilitate comprehensive legal services.
•Review legal documents, identify important issues, similarities and inconsistencies, and present findings for internal review to facilitate the decision-making process.
•Prepare or assist in preparation of legal opinions/advice on a wide range of legal issues,
background papers, studies, memoranda, reports and other legal documents to facilitate coherence and quality of legal documents.

•Prepare and/or review agreements including participation in negotiation and settlement of claims and disputes to meet unique client needs.
•Identify potential liabilities, particularly vis-à-vis third parties, and assist in the management of risks in GSU's activities to facilitate well-informed decisions.
•Prepare and assess briefs of evidence and draw recommendations to facilitate legal analysisand solutions.
•Assist in providing legal advice and interpretations and reviewing administrativedecisions including assisting in or representing GSU members in tribunals or internalappeals.
•Service and/or assist Staff Council members in servicing committees, task forces, expert working groups and other bodies with legal advice and preparation or review of legal documents to facilitate the formulation of GSU's position.
•Provide legal advice on HR rules, regulations and manuals.
•Provides support for staff appeals for all GSU members, regardless of geographic location.
•Review decisions/recommendations made by UN entities such as GA, ICSC, HLMC, JIU and prepare bulletins to inform members of changes in staff conditions of work.
•Liaise with the Staff Federation on common system issues.
•Prepare information bulletins on GSU positions on policy related issues.
•Provide information and guidance to members and others related to the work of the GSU,with a view to encouraging wider membership.
•As requested, brief staff members on the work of the GSU, with a view to encouraging wider membership.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:

•Advanced University degree in Law, or First University degree in Lawwith additional relevant experience and training in private, commercialor public Law.

•Must be qualified to practice or admitted to practice by a recognizednational or state bar or law society.
Experience:

•At least five years or more of relevant progressively responsibleexperience in providing a wide range of legal services.

•At least three years' experience with UN employment law.

•Proven experience with staff relations issues.

•Strong knowledge of WFP/FAO Regulations, Rules and Manuals.

•Good knowledge of UN entities and impact of their decisions on staff,such as the General Assembly, the International Civil ServiceCommission, the Joint Inspection Unit and the High Level Committee onManagement.

•Previous experience with UN Staff Associations/Unions or Legal Servicefor staff assistance is an asset.
Knowledge & Skills:

•Knowledge of, and ability to apply, legal principles, concepts,procedures and

•terminology for review, examination and processing of a range oflegal documents.

•Knowledge of various legal research sources, techniques and abilityto interpret and apply legislative instruments and draft legal papers.

•Knowledge of tribunal processes and procedures.

•Business acumen.

•Strong time management skills.

•Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Languages:

•Proficient in written and spoken English
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR SHORT-TERM/CONSULTANCY CONTRACTS

•Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese,French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP's workinglanguages) is desirable.

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Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: 

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.