Legal Officer, P-3

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 22 Jan 2010

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

DUTY STATION: The Hague

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-LEG-ICTR-423121-R-THE HAGUE

The appointment is limited to ICTR. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Remuneration

Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

More Info

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Coordinator of the Chambers Support Sub-Unit of the Appeals Chamber Support Unit (The Hague), the incumbent provides specialized legal and judicial administrative support to the Appeals Chamber. Duties include: 1. Conduct and supervise legal research, analysis, drafting and editing of judicial documents; 2. Coordinate and contribute to the preparation of individual Judgements, decisions, and orders; 3. Provide legal advice to the Coordinator and Judges of the Appeals Chamber; 4. Assist in providing legal support during hearings, status conferences, and plenary sessions; 5. Assist with organizational and administrative matters; 6. Monitor relevant developments in international law.

Competencies

Planning and organization: Develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Use time efficiently. Accountability: Operate in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Creativity: Actively seek to improve services. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Managing Performance: Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibilities, roles and reporting lines clearly. Judgement/Decision making: Aptitude to treat sensitive or confidential information appropriately. Vision: Demonstrated ability to put forth sound strategically planned realistic goals and objectives. Professionalism -Knowledge of procedural and substantive law at either the national or international level; experience in applying legal expertise to a diverse range of complex legal issues; analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research; proficiency in legal drafting and ability to prepare legal memoranda and opinions under pressure and short deadlines; ability to balance a number of cases and work in an efficient and directed manner; discretion and sound judgement in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues; ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. 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 the 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. Creativity - Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box"; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches. Planning and Organising - 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. Leadership - Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. 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. Building Trust - Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to others; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately. Judgement/Decision-making - Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior t making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organisation; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Advanced university degree in law, with a focus on international humanitarian law or criminal law.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional legal experience is required, preferably with an emphasis in criminal, humanitarian, or international law.

Languages

English and French are the working Languages of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). For the post advertised, fluency in English or French is required; a good knowledge of the other is desirable.

Other Skills

Strong organizational, drafting, and interpersonal skills; proven ability to conduct comprehensive legal analysis; proven ability to work well under pressure and meet strict guidelines; ability to use computer applications essential.

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

How to apply

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark.

Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to “My UN” page and check the status of your application by clicking on “View Application History”, and resubmit the application, if necessary.

To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password.

After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications.

In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed.

UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reposts to the relevant HRO/PO via fax.

E-mail: ictr_Personnel@un.org,

Fax: 1-212-963-2848, 255-27-250 4000, 255-27-250 4373

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems when applying.