Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is based in the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an international organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ISA is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS shall, in accordance with the regime for the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established in Part XI and the 1994 Agreement, organize and control activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Director/Legal Counsel and within delegated authority, the Legal Officer (Regulatory Affairs) will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Serve as a lead officer in the development of regulatory instruments for the conduct of deep-sea mining activities in the international seabed Area, including the Mining Code and associated standards and guidelines. 2. Support and provide secretariat services in relation to the regulatory work of the Legal and Technical Commission and the Council, including relevant working groups, including drafting working papers and meeting reports as necessary. 3. Performs extensive legal research and analysis and prepares legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports and correspondence; provides legal advice to the unit/division. 4. Coordinate and supervise work carried out by consultants and experts. 5. Service task forces, expert groups and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, meeting reports. 6. Review, advise on and draft complex contracts, agreements, institutional and operational modalities, or legal motions/submissions and other legal documents; develops new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances. 7. Participate in the preparation of Council meetings, including drafting speaking notes for the President in relation to regulations, prepare speaking notes for facilitators, chair and rapporteurs. 8. Participate in the development of road maps for the continued work on the mining code 9. Prepare oral reports for the working groups and informal informals in respect of outcomes of Council meetings 7. Serve on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; promotes the work of ISA and represents the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. 8. Coordinate and direct teams of other legal officers dealing with significant problems as required, and/or mentors and supervises the work of junior officers on specific projects. 9. Contribute to review and design of new, or new applications of, legal instruments, policy, guidelines, etc. 10. Perform other duties as requested by the Secretary-General.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of legal documents. Ability to conduct legal research and analyze information from various resources on a wide range of legal issues. Knowledge of the civil law and/or common law legal systems and principles. Ability to interpret and apply legislative instruments, develop and present results, recommendations, and opinions clearly and concisely. Ability to draft legal papers and work under pressure. Ability to apply legal judgment in the context of assignments given. Ability to negotiate and influence others to reach agreements. Ability to work and meet tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/case. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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 group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

Advanced university degree in law (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in the International Law, the Law of the Sea, and the law of International Organizations is required. A first-level university degree within combination two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Admitted to the bar of a member State of the Authority, or otherwise qualified to practice law is preferable.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the practice of law is required. • Experience in the legal office of an international organization or the legal office of a government is required. • Experience in a regulatory environment, including experience in legal drafting of international regulatory instruments is required. • Experience in international law and the law of the sea, international organizations law and international administrative law is desirable. • Experience in presenting and representing the work of an organization both in writing and orally is desirable. • Experience in liaising with Member States, corporate entities, UN agencies, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the International Seabed Authority. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official language of the United Nations is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. 1. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference verification process in accordance with the ISA policy. The process will include but is not limited to, verification of the information provided in the personal history form and a criminal record check. All candidates should be in a position to submit electronic copy of their passport and all diplomas listed on their profile when requested; 2. Applicants may check the status of vacancies on inspira web-site; 3. Only nationals of ISA Member States are eligible for consideration; 4. Consideration is given to achieving diverse gender, geographical and economic representation at the ISA, to the extent possible; 5. The ISA reserves the right to not make any appointment to the vacancy, and/or to make an appointment at a lower level from the one advertised.

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. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.