Political Affairs and Legal Officer
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
P4 Mid-level Professional Full-time Internationallly Recruited Close on 11 Mar 2026
The Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau provides advice and assistance to the Secretary General and through that Office to the various bodies of the Organization and to ICAO Member States, on legal and external relations matters. With regard to legal matters, the Bureau is responsible for: the provision of legal advice to the Governing Bodies and the Secretariat on any issue of law, and in particular on international law and air law; the general development of air law; the review of all agreements and contracts; and the performance of the treaty depositary and registration of agreements functions of the Organization. With regard to external relations matters, the Bureau is responsible for: maintaining close and harmonious working relations with Member States; serving as focal point for the Organization’s relations with the Host Government; carrying out liaison and protocol functions; and monitoring and providing policy guidance and advice on current political events which might affect ICAO.
Under the general authority of the Director, Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau (D/LEB), the Political Affairs and Legal Officer (PLO) reports directly to the Senior External Relations and Legal Officer (SELO). D/LEB, SELO or other Senior Officers of the Bureau, will provide supervision to the PLO, including guidance on political matters, delegation and distribution of tasks, and decisions on priorities. The incumbent receives assignments and directions directly/indirectly from supervisors and performs tasks independently, which necessitates initiative, effective time management and the ability to work under pressure.
Performs assigned external relations functions, achieving results such as:
Provides advice and recommendations on matters of international law and political affairs, achieving results such as:
Provides Secretariat services, achieving results such as:
Carries out protocol functions, achieving results such as:
Performs other related duties, as assigned.
Desirable
Essential
Fluent reading, writing and speaking abilities in English and French.
Desirable
A working knowledge of any other language of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish).
Professionalism: 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
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 the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
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.
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.
Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.
