Legal Officer P3, LEGC, Public Law Team

Organizational context: The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity. The Legal Office ensures WFP's activities comply with legal frameworks and manages associated risks. This role is within the Public Law Team of the Contractual and Constitutional Law Branch at WFP Headquarters in Rome.

Job purpose: The Legal Officer (P3) will provide comprehensive legal services within the Public Law Team, focusing on WFP's constitutional framework, governance, international law, and agreements. This role involves extensive legal research, drafting and reviewing legal documents, and providing advice on complex legal matters to ensure compliance and manage risks. The incumbent will advise on WFP's General Regulations, Financial Regulations, and other normative instruments, as well as public international law, including humanitarian and human rights law.

Key responsibilities
include negotiating agreements, advising on privileges and immunities, and supporting dispute resolution. The position requires strong analytical, drafting, and negotiation skills, with a commitment to upholding WFP's values and contributing to its mission of saving and changing lives.

Responsibilities:
The P3 Legal Officer, under the supervision of a senior colleague, is responsible for conducting extensive legal research and analysis on complex, multi-disciplinary legal matters. This includes interpreting and applying legal instruments, WFP's regulations, policies, and international conventions to provide timely and quality legal services. The role involves reviewing and drafting various legal documents such as agreements, memoranda of understanding, and contracts, identifying legal issues and risks, and ensuring compliance. The officer will prepare legal advice, opinions, reports, and correspondence for country, regional, and headquarters functions. Responsibilities extend to preparing and reviewing agreements with public and private entities, participating in negotiations, and managing claims and disputes, including liaising with external counsel and supporting representation in dispute resolution processes. A key aspect is identifying potential liabilities and managing legal risks to support informed decision-making. The role also includes assisting in servicing committees and working groups, contributing to legal approaches, building partnerships within WFP and the UN system, representing the Legal Office, and contributing to legal training and knowledge-sharing activities. The officer may also supervise junior colleagues.

Education:
An advanced university degree in law is required. Alternatively, a first university degree in law combined with relevant experience and additional training is acceptable. Candidates must also be qualified to practice law or admitted to practice by a recognized bar or law society, or possess equivalent professional legal practice experience.

Work

experience:
Requires at least five years of progressive experience in providing a broad range of legal services. Of this, a minimum of three years must be in an international context. Knowledge of public international law is considered desirable.

Skills:
Legal research and analysis, Legal document drafting (agreements, MOUs, contracts), Legal advice on regulations, policies, and international law, Drafting legal opinions and reports, Negotiation and dispute resolution, Risk management, Legal strategy development, Communication and interpersonal skills, Teamwork and collaboration, Ethical conduct and discretion

Required languages: English

Desired languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, English