12-month consultancy.

Expected to require the equivalent of a 40-hour working week.

18,5 days per month (or 222 days over 12 months).

Location: The successful candidate should be in a location where there is some cross over with CET.

Deadline to submit a candidacy: Friday 5 April 11:59 PM

Starting date: ASAP.

Role Purpose:

The CGIAR System Organization plays a critical role in facilitating the work of key stakeholders and processes to discharge its responsibilities and support the delivery of the mission of CGIAR. This involves playing a key stewardship role in supporting CGIAR’s multi-faceted governance structure and serving as the lead contracting partner for the disbursement of substantial multilateral financial resources to CGIAR’s research Centers.

The Legal Affairs Unit builds and develops the legal culture across the System Organization and CGIAR through all levels of operations and management. It provides legal counsel and support on a broad range of matters that affect the System Organization and CGIAR, including operations, funding, partnerships, employment, procurement, privileges and immunities, governance, policies, data protection and compliance.

The Senior Legal Advisor serves as a trusted legal focal point to stakeholders across CGIAR, collaborating closely with lawyers and other stakeholders across CGIAR. The Senior Legal Advisor provides proactive legal counsel and support across all areas which affect CGIAR and the System Organization, in a way that is robust, pragmatic and solution-focused, in a context which is fast-paced and rapidly changing.

The Senior Legal Advisor may be assigned to have a primary focus in either operations and finance, or institutional matters. However, to encourage cross-team collaboration, the Senior Legal Adviser may be assigned work in other areas.

The Senior Legal Advisor will work under the general supervision of the Director, Legal Affairs, System Organization.

Requirements

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Senior Legal Adviser’s key duties will include:

• Handling a range of multi-disciplinary complex legal matters, including interpretation and application of various legal instruments
• Undertaking legal research and analysis, and preparing legal opinions or advice
• Carrying out legal risk analyses and proposing effective mitigation strategies
• Drafting or reviewing legal documents, identifying and analyzing key issues, and presenting findings and recommendations to contribute to decision-making processes
• Drafting, negotiating and reviewing agreements including those with host countries, funders, partners, vendors and consultants
• Developing or reviewing policies, procedures and guidelines, ensuring they are legally sound and represent fit-for-purpose solutions for the operational context
• Supporting collaboration mechanisms with internal legal teams and external stakeholders to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of legal services across CGIAR
• Supporting CGIAR’s integration process from a legal perspective
• Actively participating in working groups and other bodies, as assigned
• Performing other duties as required.

The Senior Legal Adviser will work to a timetable agreed with the supervisor regarding the relevant deliverables, proactively identifying areas where CGIAR or external inputs are required to deliver informed counsel and advice.

Benefits

CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-colour, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment, with a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and flexible working arrangements. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.