Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library)

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. The Knowledge Management Officer (KMO) serves as the primary custodian of the organization’s legal memory. This role bridges the gap between traditional librarianship and modern digital knowledge management, ensuring that international legal instruments, jurisprudence, internal legal opinions, and institutional records are preserved, searchable, and accessible to legal officers and Member States. Unlike general information roles, this post is a law-focused knowledge management role situated within OLA. It is designed to support the Secretariat’s legal work, including regulatory development, compliance, and internal governance, by providing high-level research and maintaining the institutional archive of legal decisions.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Director/Legal Counsel and within delegated authority, the Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library) will be responsible for the following duties: A. Law Library & Content Management • Specialized Law Library Oversight: Manage the acquisition, organization, and digital archiving of legal materials, including access to specialized law databases (directly or through cooperation agreements) • Legal Taxonomy: Develop and keep up-to-date terminology, taxonomies, and indexing systems specifically for legal documentation, such as UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement. • Standardization: Develops and maintains common formats and metadata schemes for the internal (including through Library’s) online information services to standardize the capture, storage, search and retrieval of content. • Prepares results-based work plans and budgets for the library and the archive, including knowledge management activities. • Coordinates the creation, organization, management and preservation of digital and audio archival records in line with the ISA / UN requirements and standards and facilitates their accessibility for internal and external use including audio records of meetings in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the organs of the Authority. • Archival Preservation: Coordinate the preservation of the Authority’s historical legal documents, including the records of the PrepCom and UNCLOS III. B. Legal Knowledge Strategy & Records • KM Plan Implementation: Develop and facilitate a knowledge management plan tailored to the legal department, including conducting knowledge audits to identify gaps in institutional memory. • Policy Coordination: Prepare and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing internal electronic records and legal work outputs. • Retention & Disposition: Oversee the management of records transfer and retention schedules in line with ISA/UN requirements. C. Legal Research, Investigation & Retrieval • Specialized Investigation: Act as the lead focal point for the legal team to search, retrieve, and synthesize international instruments, national legislation, case law, decisions of the Assembly and Council, doctrine, and other relevant sources. • Mandate Verification: Conduct targeted investigations to verify institutional precedents and specific mandates • Legal Support: Provide research memoranda and compilations of legal authorities to support the drafting of Secretary-General reports, regulatory frameworks, and policy notes. • Jurisprudence Management: Maintain searchable collections of international jurisprudence (e.g., ITLOS, ICJ) and treaty texts relevant to the Law of the Sea. D. Coordination & Training • Internal Training: Provide specialized training to Secretariat staff and stakeholders on legal research methods and the use of the Law Library’s digital platforms. • Inter-Agency Collaboration: Liaise with other international law libraries and UN agencies to facilitate resource sharing and stay abreast of emerging legal research technologies. • Scientific Coordination: Coordinate with the assistant librarian to ensure a clear delineation between legal and scientific materials, providing cross-indexing where necessary.

• Professionalism: Coordinates the knowledge and information management systems and services at the Authority to support mandate implementation. 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. • Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology. • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits inputs 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 decisions, even when such decisions many not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

An Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in Law (LL.B. or LL.M.), Library and Information Studies, Library Science, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree, combined with an additional two (2) years of relevant qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Not available.

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive professional experience in an international organization, government, law firm or legal office, library or knowledge management environment or comparable setting with responsibilities in one or more of the following areas: knowledge or information management, modern library services, digital records management, and complex legal research, or related fields, is required. • Legal and Institutional Expertise: Experience in legal and/or policy research, including within an international organization, government legal department, law firm, legal office, law library or comparable multilateral setting is desirable. • Multilateral Coordination: Experience supporting intergovernmental or multilateral processes, including coordination, preparation of analytical or briefing materials, and/or follow up to negotiations or intersessional work, is desirable. • Technical Skills: Experience in managing metadata, taxonomies, and classification schemes, particularly for legal materials is desirable. • Systems Experience: Proficiency in digital library systems, or knowledge management systems, web-based collaborative platforms, and/or digital records preservation systems is desirable. • Content Management: Experience in developing content management standards, procedures, and guidelines is desirable.

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

Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of two (2) years subject to availability of funding and satisfactory performance in the role. At the International Seabed Authority, 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 International Seabed Authority is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The International Seabed Authority recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. The International Seabed Authority Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. 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. Only nationals of ISA Member States are eligible for consideration.

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.

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.