The Legal Assistant position is located in the Legal Unit, Office of the Executive Director.  The Legal Associate reports to the Chief, Legal Unit and provides administrative support to and conducts basic legal research.

Main Tasks & Responsibilities

• Draft, edit, proofread and finalize for signature a variety of correspondence and other communications, including specialized legal documentation.
• Conduct basic research on assigned legal issues, using existing files and alternative sources (e.g., databases available on the internet or intranet). 
• Manage systems for records management and retrieval.  Maintain legal reference files (electronic and paper) to ensure rapid retrieval of critical information.
• Manage system for case tracking and trend analysis.
• Review, verify and process legal instruments, ensuring conformity with relevant guidelines.
• Manage a variety of verbal and written inquiries from internal and external parties, including providing detailed information on processes and procedures related to a range of legal activities and issues.
• Schedule meetings and appointments.
• Manage Legal Unit duty travel.

Qualifications and Experience

• Completion of secondary school, with additional training in administration, office management, paralegal or similar field. 
• Five years of progressively responsible administrative experience, including relevant experience in research, paralegal and/or human resources, preferably in the UN system or an international organization.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.  Proficiency in a second working language (French, Spanish) desirable.
• Proficiency in standard computer applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, internet, etc.). 
• Excellent drafting and editing skills.
• Candidates must pass UN English GGST to be appointed to this position.

Required Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Strategic alignment of Human Resource practices:   Understands the organizational structure, knows key functional and operational areas of organizational units and delivers HR and legal services according to their unique requirements
• Promoting organizational change and development/impact and influence:  Demonstrates ability to diagnose problems and identifies opportunities to support and assist change.  Operates with transparency.  Maintains confidentiality.  Demonstrates concern for due process. 
• Organizational awareness:  Uses the formal structure or hierarchy in the organization effectively in order to get work done.  Understands when issues or problems can and should be resolved at own organizational level, when the assistance/input of other organizational units is required and when issues should be raised to a higher level.
• Client orientation:  Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationship within the work unit and with internal and external clients.
• Job knowledge: Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of HR and the legal discipline.  Strives to keep job knowledge updated. 

Core Competencies:

• Achieving Results
• Being Accountable
• Developing and Applying Professional Expertise/Business Acumen
• Thinking analytically and Strategically
• Working in Teams/Managing Ourselves and our Relationships
• Communicating for Impact

UNFPA Work Environment

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities for all including persons with disabilities.