Result of Service
The individual contractor will create an InDesign template and format five project documents for electronic distribution.
Work Location
Home-based (remote)
Expected duration
4 months from 19 October 2026 to 18 February 2027
Duties and Responsibilities
Organizational Setting and Reporting This individual contractor position is located in the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations (the Division). The core functions of the Division are reflected in Section 9 of the Secretary-General’s Bulletin on the Organization of the Office of Legal Affairs (ST/SGB/2021/1).
Under the overall supervision of the Director of the Division and a Principal Legal Officer, the individual contractor will report directly to a Programme Management Officer with a Senior Legal Officer as the second reporting officer.
Background The Project “Promotion of a better understanding of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), including the strengthening of capacities of developing States toward becoming parties to the BBNJ Agreement and implementing it” (the Project) is a strategic partnership between the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat of the United Nations, through its Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, and the European Union.
The Project, implemented by the Division in the context of its capacity-building activities undertaken in response to General Assembly resolution 77/321, seeks to address critical capacity barriers at the regional and national levels in becoming parties to the Agreement and for its implementation. The Project comprises three main activities, namely:
(1) capacity needs and priority assessments with a view to informing the subsequent regional workshops;
(2) regional workshops for parliamentarians and government officials of African and of Latin American and Caribbean States, and for Caribbean small island developing States; and
(3) the publication of case studies on experiences of States in becoming parties to the Agreement. Further activities include communication and outreach.
Among the reports produced under the Project and to be published as electronic documents are four needs assessments detailing the particular capacity needs and priorities of African and Latin American States and of Caribbean small island developing States with respect to becoming parties to the Agreement and implementing it, as well as the report on case studies of experiences of States in becoming Parties to the Agreement in order to facilitate the sharing of such experience among States, including lessons learned.
Duties and Responsibilities The individual contractor will create a common InDesign template to be used in formatting the four needs assessment reports and the case studies publication. The individual contractor will also carry out the graphic design (desktop publishing) of the four needs assessment reports and the case studies publication based on the created template. The five documents were prepared in English and range between approximately 65 pages and 325 pages.
The responsibility to obtain original and stock images lies with the individual contractor, if not otherwise agreed with the Division. It is the individual contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all outputs of the assignment are copyright and royalty free, and that all waivers and releases have been obtained. Scope of Work and Deliverables The main deliverables under this assignment are the following:
A Common InDesign template to be used for all project reports (four needs assessments and one case studies publication);
Five project reports, professionally designed and formatted as high-quality documents containing text, tables and images, to be published as PDF files in webpages and shared electronically. The individual contractor will provide:
Low- and high-resolution PDF versions suitable for online publication and electronic distribution; and
The editable InDesign files for each project report, along with the common InDesign template and all associated files. Timeline and payment Phase 1
Approved: InDesign template and designed documents for case studies publication and one needs assessment (week 3) Phase 2
Approved: Designed document for needs assessment on Atlantic African States (month 2.5) Phase 3
Approved: Designed documents for two remaining needs assessments (month 4) This individual contractor position is part-time at a level B with a total contract sum ranging between US$12,240 and US$15,200, depending on qualifications and level of experience of the selected candidate. Payment will be made in three instalments: 20% of the contract sum will be due upon the completion of
phase 1 above, 40% will be due upon the completion of
phase 2 above, and 40% will be due upon the completion of
phase 3 above. Subject to the availability of funds, the Division and the individual contractor may mutually agree to add one additional document for desktop publishing, which would involve an additional payment to compensate for the additional workload. This document contains a toolkit for undertaking assessments of the capacity-building needs and priorities of developing States in relation to becoming parties to, and implementing, the BBNJ Agreement. Confidentiality The contents of the documents produced under the EU-funded BBNJ project are under embargo until released publicly by the Division, and the individual contractor must treat all materials related to this assignment as confidential unless expressly authorized in writing by the Division.
Qualifications/special skills
Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field. A minimum of 7 years of experience or a minimum of 5 years of experience (with an advanced university degree) in graphic design is required. Demonstrable graphic design skills with a strong portfolio, including reports and publications. Proficiency with relevant desktop publishing tools.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official United Nations languages is an advantage.
Additional Information
Pursuant to United Nations regulations, persons who are in active government service are not eligible for this appointment. Candidates should list all work experience and diplomas in the relevant part of the application. Work experience and diplomas only mentioned in the cover letter will not be considered for screening purposes. Statements must include concrete start and end dates, detailed description of tasks and achievements and whether the experience was obtained in full-time or part-time.
Candidates should note that eligibility and fees will be decided based on their submitted application only. There is no option to revise an application after submission. An appointment shall not be granted to a person who is the father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister, including step-parents, step-children, and step-siblings of a staff member.