Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs (OUSG) in the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA). The incumbent is the Personal Assistant of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.
Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, and within limits of delegated authority, the Legal Assistant is responsible for the following duties:
Provides personal assistance to the Under-Secretary-General, including maintaining her calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, coordinating travel, and other tasks as needed.
Reviews, prioritizes and follows up on incoming correspondence and requests, liaises with senior officials and offices throughout the Secretariat, organizes high-level meetings and official events.
Conducts basic research using a variety of sources, including, in particular, the OLA Registry and Epona.
Ensures that confidential and sensitive matters are handled appropriately, and maintains confidential files and records.
Assists in the maintenance of a body of legal reference files, both paper and electronic, to ensure rapid retrieval of critical information; conducts reference searches upon request; reviews material and determines appropriate file classification category; identifies material for inclusion in files; coordinates with Archives on retirement, storage and retrieval of files; participates in initiatives to enhance existing systems for records management and retrieval, including development of proposals for consideration.
Independently handles a variety of relatively complex verbal and written inquiries from internal and external parties, including providing detailed information on processes and procedures related to a range of legal activities, instruments, issues, etc.
Assists in servicing various committees and other meetings, including assisting in the preparation of pre-, in- and post-session documents, preparation of draft of Journal and summaries, establishes log and assigns document identification symbols; coordinates with relevant units; prepares and updates programme of work, delegation and documents lists; tracks status of meetings and monitors follow-up actions, etc.
Provides technical assistance and organizes logistical aspects for meetings including the annual meetings of the Network of Legal Advisers of Specialized Agencies, Related and other Organizations (UN System), the network of Legal Advisers and Legal Liaison Officers of the United Nations Offices, Funds and Programmes, and the meeting of Field Legal Officers.
Coordinates ceremonies (e.g., signings, etc.) and related meetings, ensuring timely receipt of legal instruments and other requisite documentation.
Maintains internal databases on cases for tracking and trend analysis; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases and posts documents on the website.
Provides general office support services; processes, drafts, edits, proofreads and finalizes for signature/approval a variety of correspondence, memoranda, and other communications and specialized legal documentation, including for the signature of the Under-Secretary-General; performs budget preparation input, monitoring and implementation, etc.; sets up and maintains files/records (electronic and paper).
Assists in creating a working environment that is conducive to gender equality and ensuring that a gender perspective is systematically integrated in the work of the Office. In addition, the Legal Assistant will also provide, under minimal supervision, administrative and substantive support to the Chief of Office and the Head of Evaluation & Strategic Planning Unit in performing their day-to-day activities:
Coordinates administrative services (e.g., translation of legal publications), including preparing and monitoring requests, liaising with relevant units, and maintaining related statistics for reporting purposes as required.
Performs a variety of administrative duties through standard internal tools such as Inspira and Umoja, for matters of attendance reporting, requesting office supplies, and requesting facilities management services.
Assists the Chief of Office and the Head of Evaluation & Strategic Planning Unit in preparing the Under-Secretary-General for meetings, including compiling and organizing background notes, talking points, meeting files, and other preparatory materials — including for the SG's Executive Committee and Management Committee meetings, as well as materials necessary for Legal Counsel's official missions.
Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to office support staff to ensure smooth functioning of the Office; oversees the work of office support staff; trains staff in administrative, protocol, and other relevant procedures.
Performs other ad hoc duties as assigned.
Competencies
Professionalism: Knowledge of organizational legal framework, relevant legal processes, procedures and terminology for review, examination, preparation and processing of legal documents. Ability to conduct research using diverse legal research sources (including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other data bases). Ability to review and synthesizes information and present findings and recommendations in a required format. Knowledge of information management, classification and retrieval systems. Ability to show tact and discretion in dealing with confidential matters.
Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results: is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns: shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges: remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
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 decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Planning and Organizing: 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.
Education
High school diploma or equivalent.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of experience in supporting legal proceedings/procedures, conference servicing, general office support or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working in a legal or judicial environment is desirable. Experience working in a Front Office environment is desirable. Experience in handling sensitive and confidential information is desirable. One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or a related area is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Required Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
English | UN Level II | UN Level II | UN Level II | UN Level II
Desirable Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
French | UN Level I | UN Level I | UN Level I | UN Level I
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities.
Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts.
The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places 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. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.
By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised.
This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening.
No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2
(a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2.
(c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.