Job Details

Job Description

Grade

NOA

National Professional Officer

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

B

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2024-07-15

2025-01-31

July 15, 2024

Standard Job Description

Assistant Legal Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Legal Officer is a member of the protection or legal team in a Country or Sub-Office. He/she may report to the (Senior) Protection or (Senior) Legal Officer, Head of Sub-Office or to the Assistant Representative for Protection. In smaller Offices, the post may report directly to the Representative.

The Assistant Legal Officer assists the Office in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (POC). S/he is also required to assist the office in ensuring that POC are involved with the Office in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern and authorities as well as protection and assistance partners.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
– Assist in the preparation of legal advice and drafting of position papers and guidelines on pertinent legal and operational issues.
– Stay abreast of the domestic legal issues and pertinent laws regarding POC and advise the Office accordingly.
– Contribute to advocacy towards proper interpretation of law and doctrine as well as in the development of standards of protection.
– Consistently apply international and national law and UNHCR policies and standards.
– Assist the Office in providing legal counselling to persons of concern.
– Liaise and intervene with local authorities on the legal issues pertaining to POC.
– May act as interpreter during meetings with authorities, if required.
– Participate in meetings within UNHCR and with external counterparts at the relevant level.
– Assist in the development of project proposals and project implementation.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law; Human Rights Law; Refugee Law;
International Humanitarian Law;

or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not Specified.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.
Desirable
Completion of UNHCR learning programmes on protection would be an asset or any other equivalent external courses.

Functional Skills
LE-Legal Research
LE-Draft legal settlement agreements
UN-UN System – Legal Status and Structure
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.74532

The desired candidate should hold a degree in law with a strong preference for demonstrated interest in, study, or practical experience in refugee law, human rights law and/or international humanitarian law. The successful candidate will have excellent drafting skills with a proven track record of conducting legal analysis, research and/or providing legal advice. Additionally, s/he should demonstrate the ability to draft legal analyses, position/policy papers and/or guidelines on legal issues. The ideal candidate will have experience in delivering training and capacity building support to external stakeholders on legal topics relevant to UNHCR’s work. Sh/e will have experience of liaising, intervening or advocating with government or judicial authorities on legal issues. Experience of working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals will be highly regarded. An added advantage would be experience in offering legal counsel and assistance to underserved communities and the development or implementation of legal assistance proposals and implementation of legal assistance projects. Experience in conducting Refugee Status Determination (or representing asylum seekers going through RSD) will be a distinct advantage. The role necessitates strong organizational and planning abilities. The incumbent must have excellent English communication skills and be an effective and clear communicator orally and in writing.

Operational Context
UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

In Zambia, UNHCR supports the Government of Zambia to provide an enabling protection environment that allows asylum seekers, refugees and former refugees to be protected, be self-reliant and achieve durable solutions.
Zambia has adopted a comprehensive refugee response approach as envisioned by the New York Declaration of 2016 and the Global Compact on refugees of 2018, which guide the country’s refugee and asylum response. The framework envisages an all-of-society approach with solid investment and support from the international community to meet both immediate life-saving humanitarian needs and long-term solutions through development action.
As of end of December 2023, Zambia hosts some 95,518 Forcibly displaced persons (72,414 Refugees; 5,554 Asylum seekers and 17,550 Former refugees – Others of Concerns) in three refugee settlements (Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and Mantapala) and other urban areas including Lusaka. The vast majority of them live in the three refugee settlements, namely Mayukwayukwa (25,264), Meheba (40,510), the newly established settlement in Mantapala (8,171), and in urban locations (21,573).

The Government of Zambia (GRZ) coordinates the asylum and refugee management through the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) in close collaboration with other government departments and the inter-governmental steering committee established for this purpose, with the direct support of UNHCR.

UNHCR in Zambia has two field offices (one in Solwezi and one in Kawambwa) and one Representational Office in Lusaka.

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

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Skills

LE-Draft legal settlement agreements, LE-Legal Research, UN-UN System – Legal Status and Structure

Education

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Human Rights, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Humanitarian Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Refugee Law

Certifications

HCR Protection Learning Program – UNHCR

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.