Senior Legal Advisor, Legal Affairs-Consultancy or Secondment

This is an interim position, which is expected to require the equivalent of a 40 hour working week for 6 months, with the possibility of a limited extension. Anticipated starting date is as soon as possible with preference for June 2023 start.

Closing Date: 15/06/2023

Who We Are

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Our research is carried out in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations, and the private sector.

It is a truly exciting time for us, as we undertake a transformation into a more integrated “One CGIAR” that will allow us to achieve greater impact with our research. One CGIAR is a dynamic reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge, assets, and global presence in key areas where innovation is needed to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It focuses on collaborating more closely in a way that enables us to deploy scientific innovations faster, on a larger scale, and at a reduced cost so that they can have a more significant impact where they are needed the most. The transition to One CGIAR has profound implications on how CGIAR and its constituent parts are structured and operate: with unified governance, more integrated operations, a new research modality, and more pooled funding.

Please find more information about CGIAR at www.cgiar.org , about One CGIAR here.

Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced legal expert to bring surge legal capacity to CGIAR on a broad range of legal matters that affect CGIAR, such as governance, privileges and immunities, partnerships, operations, policies, compliance and funding.

This 6-month position offers an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic and evolving global legal team, under the general supervision of the Director, Legal Affairs, System Organization, and strategic oversight of CGIAR’s General Counsel.

As Senior Legal Adviser, your key duties will include:

• Handling a range of multi-disciplinary complex legal matters, including interpretation and application of various legal instruments;
• Undertaking legal research and analysis, and preparing legal opinions or advice as relevant;
• Carrying out legal risk analyses and proposing effective mitigation strategies.
• Drafting or reviewing legal documents, identifying and analyzing key issues, and presenting findings and recommendations to contribute to decision-making processes (e.g.; delegation of authorities from relevant Centers and the System Organization to One CGIAR roles; the CGIAR Internal Rules Framework, etc.).
• Providing legal advice to the Ethics and Business Conduct Office on matters under investigation or brought to their attention.
• Supporting collaboration mechanisms with internal legal teams and external stakeholders to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of legal services across CGIAR.
• Supporting the One CGIAR transition process from a legal perspective.
• Actively participating in working groups and other bodies, as assigned.
• Taking responsibility for incorporating gender, diversity and inclusion perspectives in all areas of work.
• Performing other duties as required.

As Senior Legal Adviser, you will work to a timetable agreed with CGIAR regarding the relevant deliverables, proactively identifying areas where CGIAR and/or other external inputs are required to deliver informed counsel and advice.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will be a highly skilled and experienced professional able to provide risk-based legal expertise in dynamic and/or complex organizations. The ideal candidate will have:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in law from a reputable university.
• A minimum of 15 years of relevant working experience in law, including contracting law, policy recommendation, legal analysis, research and writing, in the legal office of an international organization or law firm.
• Knowledge of public international law is essential. Experience in ethics and governance is dessirable.
• Proficiency in legal writing and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions as well as ability to advise se