Temporary Appointment: Legal Affairs Specialist (P-3), Office of Executive Director, New York

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child,   commitment

How can you make a difference? 

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Section in Geneva (Senior Legal Affairs Specialist) and the direct supervision of the Legal Affairs Specialist in Geneva, the Legal Affairs Specialist (TA) will provide guidance and advice on private sector fundraising matters and private sector partnerships, as well as institutional and commercial procurement, donor agreements and contracts related to programme support and project implementation to ensure adherence to organizational financial, procurement, contracting and legal policies, rules and procedures; and to ensure that the organization is protected from legal exposure.

Members of the UNICEF Legal Team are expected to be open-minded and resourceful, responsive, and dynamic, transparent and approachable, and clear and authoritative. The overall direction of the Legal Team is set in New York.

The Legal Affairs Specialist will support more senior members of the Office in:

1. Advising on the legal dimensions of establishment, structure and implementation of UNICEF collaborations with external partners including but not limited to the private sector, other UN organisations (including international financial institutions), and civil society and by developing draft agreements and term sheets, identifying risks and possible mitigation strategies, developing and supporting on negotiation strategies.
2. Advising on commercial contract negotiations for the procurement of goods and services, including but not limited to, those relating to digital fundraising and digital products.
3. Researching and advising in relation to negotiations with host governments in relation to UNICEF’s presence in country.
4. Advising on the resolution of disputes, particularly those disputes involving possible liability for the Organisation (under the general guidance of the General Counsel and the Chief / Senior Legal Affairs Specialist).
5. Supporting the design and implementation of new and existing team management, knowledge sharing and professional development initiatives.
6. Supporting the coordination of projects managed by the Office throughout their entire lifecycle, including design & planning, stakeholder engagement, monitoring & evaluation.
7. Conducting other duties as directed.

The Legal Affairs Specialist will be expected to:

• Take ownership of matters; proactively highlighting potential issues and present possible solutions to more senior members of the Office. This involves taking ownership and having sense of accountability over your portfolio as a whole, consciously answering the need for creativity and resourcefulness in all situations (i.e. show initiative, be proactive, create and use networks, think outside the box). 
• Support more senior members of the Office in taking leadership in action and being responsive with clients. This involves communicating with the client regularly, maintaining high levels of responsiveness to the client, keeping your supervisor regularly informed and seeking their input and guidance appropriately, managing the expectations of the client and knowing when to escalate.
• Take charge – be responsible and be accountable, proactively seeking support of more senior members of the Office when needed. This involves:
  • taking a risk-based approach, prioritizing and, where matters warrant your investment, taking a forward-looking strategic approach - demonstrating coherence, rigor and thought over your matters;
  • being pro-active in stakeholder management, and following up on outstanding matters and queries;  
  • being resourceful, for example, use networks to unlock matters. 
• Exercise good judgement on emerging challenges, especially where there is a need to escalate so as to avoid or overcome an im