Legal Officer

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to assignment at the Secretariat must be borne by their authorities.

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization.

Legal Services provides advice and assistance on a wide range of legal issues to the Secretary General and the Secretariat's departments, the Chairmanship, the Institutions and field operations and, as required, to the Delegations. Currently, Legal Services comprises eight staff members.

Under the general supervision of the Director of the Office of the Secretary General and the immediate supervision of the Senior Legal Adviser, the incumbent performs the following duties:

1. Drafts legal opinions and provides legal advice on complex legal matters, on the interpretation and application of OSCE Staff and Financial Regulations, decisions and instruction, especially for the field operations;
2. Prepares legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions including matters involving the status, mandate, institutional and operational modalities of the OSCE institutions and especially the field operations;
3. Deals with multidisciplinary and complex legal matters, including contentious claims which require the application of law and legal analysis of detailed technical, commercial and financial facts, especially in relation to the field operations and extra-budgetary activities;
4. Reviews and provides advice on draft contracts, agreements, and other legal documents, in particular related to extra-budgetary activities;
5. Participates in negotiations with senior executives of various commercial and non-commercial organizations for the purpose of concluding major contracts;
6. Formulates and negotiates solutions and alternatives to problems for which no precedents exist and which involve major questions of international commercial law;
7. Counsels, acts for and, in major areas of a complex or novel nature, represents the OSCE, in negotiations and before courts, and/or before juridical, arbitral, other dispute resolution bodies and administrative panels/tribunals;
8. Assists in the negotiation and settlement and/or adjudication, of claims and disputes arising from activities of the Organization;
9. Participates in various internal committees, boards and ad-hoc interdepartmental working groups, including interview boards;
10. Provides guidance to junior staff in the research and study of background documentation on complex and sensitive topics of international commercial law;
11. Performs other related duties as required such as participating in conferences and training courses.

• Advanced university degree in law with specialisation in international, commercial labour or comparative law
• At least three years of directly related professional experience
• Excellent interpersonal and analytical skills
• Professional fluency in the English language, including excellent drafting skills; knowledge of other OSCE working languages would be an asset
• Ability to operate Windows applications including word processing and email
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under http://www.osce.org/employment.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see http://www.osce.org/who/83.

The OSCE is committed to achieving a better balance of women and men within the Organization. The nomination of female candidates is particularly encouraged.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Please apply to your relevant authorities several days prior to the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered.