Legal Officer

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Grade: P2

Vacancy no.: RAPS/6/2023/NORMES/01
Publication date: 24th November 2023
Application deadline (midnight Geneva time): 4th January 2024

Job ID: 11433
Department: NORMES
Organization Unit: APPL
Location: Geneva
Contract type: Fixed Term

The following are eligible to apply:

• ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the ILO Staff Regulations.
• External candidates.

Staff members with at least five years of continuous service with the Office are encouraged to apply.

Applications from candidates who have already separated from ILO service upon retirement or early retirement, will not be considered.

The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.

The ILO welcomes applicants with experience in working within ILO constituents (governments, employers’ and business membership organizations, and workers’ organizations).

Applicants from non- or under-represented member States, or from those member States which staffing forecasts indicate will become non- or under-represented in the near future would be particularly welcome. A list of these countries can be found here: ILO Jobs: Non- and under-represented Member States

In addition to the interviews and tests that any candidate may be required to take, successful completion of the ILO Assessment Centre is required for all external candidates and any internal candidate applying to a higher category.

Notwithstanding the general considerations set out in the ILO Staff Regulations, this vacancy announcement is the only authoritative document pertaining to the qualifications required for this position. The minimum required qualifications were determined in view of the specific duties and responsibilities of this position.

The specific language requirements for this position are detailed hereunder. However, candidates applying for the professional category vacancies who have not already successfully completed their probationary period within the ILO and whose mother tongue is not one of the working languages of the Office (English, French and Spanish), shall be required to possess a fully satisfactory working knowledge of at least one of the ILO working languages. If appointed they may be required to acquire a knowledge of a second working language of the Office during their initial years of service.

The position is located in the Application of Standards Branch (APPL) within the International Labour Standards Department (NORMES). In accordance with ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, NORMES strives to enhance the relevance of international labour standards to the world of work and to ensure their role as a useful means of achieving the constitutional objectives of the Organization.

More specifically, NORMES is responsible for: (i) designing and implementing the ILO standards-related activities in accordance with the standards policy adopted by the Governing Body; (ii) supporting and servicing all the supervisory bodies of the ILO; and (iii) the promotion of Office-wide coherence and cooperation on international labour standards.

The Legal/Labour Law Officer will be assigned to one of the thematic units within APPL. The thematic units provide support to the supervisory bodies and technical assistance to the Member States on the broad range of subjects covered by international labour standards, including: child labour, forced labour, equality and non-discrimination, labour administration, labour inspection, occupational safety and health, social security, wages, working time, migrant workers, seafarers, fishers, as well as indigenous and tribal peoples. The Legal/Labour Law Officer may periodically be called on to change from a thematic unit to respond to the evolving workload within the Department.

The main role of the position is to prepare draft comparative legal analyses and draft legal opinions on a wide range of issues related to international labour standards.

The position will report to the Chief of APPL.

1. Under the close supervision of a senior official, draft comparative analyses of the legislation and practice of the Member States. Prepare initial draft documents to be considered by the supervisory bodies, in particular in relation to the Committee of Experts and in the context of the representations procedure under article 24 and complaints procedure under article 26 of the ILO Constitution, on issues within the Unit’s portfolio.
2. Prepare initial comments on questions related to international law or labour standards. Undertake research and studies on international labour standard-related issues.
3. Provide support towards seminars, meetings and other activities in relation to technical assistance to member States on international labour standards and the supervisory system.
4. Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

These specific duties are aligned with the relevant ILO generic job description, which includes the following generic duties:

1. Examine reports by governments and comments by employers’ and workers’ organizations on ratified and unratified Conventions and Recommendations. Perform comparative analyses of the legislation and practice of the different States. Draft comments for the high-level committees and/or groups of experts.
2. Draft notes, reports and comments concerning the application of Conventions, for consideration by governments, the Governing Body, and the International Labour Conference.
3. Undertake research and studies on problems relating to internal administration, international law or labour standards.
4. Participate as a member of the secretariat of various committees dealing with legal issues or labour standards, including the preparation of background material and documents, drafting records of meetings, drafting reports, etc.
5. Draft replies to requests from constituents or clients on questions relating to international labour standards or other legal questions.
6. Prepare summaries of judgements and national labour law case.

First-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in law.

At least three years of experience in labour or international law.

Excellent command of one working language (English, French or Spanish) of the Organization and a working knowledge of a second working language of the Organization.

In addition to the ILO core competencies, this position requires:

Technical

Ability to analyse defined aspects of legal issues, draft clearly and concisely to prepare studies and comments and take initiatives to keep up-to-date with new developments in the occupational area. Ability to carry out assignments in accordance with instructions and guidelines; work within tight deadlines and respect confidentiality; adaptability.

Behavioural

Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.

Conditions of employment

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to ILO Staff Regulations and other relevant internal rules. Any offer of employment with the ILO is conditional upon certification by the ILO Medical Adviser that the person concerned is medically fit to perform the specific inherent requirements of the position offered. In order to confirm an offer from the ILO the successful candidate will be required to undergo a medical examination.
• The first contract will be issued for a twenty-four month period.
• A successful external candidate will be on probation for the first two years of assignment.
• Any extension of contract beyond the probation period is subject to satisfactory conduct and performance.

For more information on conditions of employment, please visit the ILO Jobs International Recruitment page.

Important Information

Any officials of the General Service category interested in applying to this position are hereby informed that, if selected, they will be offered the salary and allowances applicable to the grade of the position applied for, which may result in substantial changes in their take-home remuneration. In accordance with Article 3.4 of the Staff Regulations, the salary of an official, upon promotion, shall in no case be greater than the maximum salary of the grade to which he or she was promoted. For any questions or clarifications, please contact your HR partner at hrpartner@ilo.org

Recruitment process

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit the ILO Jobs website. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

Evaluation (which may include one or several written tests and a pre-interview competency-based assessment centre) and the interviews will tentatively take place during the 3 to 4 months following the application deadline. Candidates are requested to ensure their availability should they be short listed for further consideration.

Depending on the location and availability of candidates, assessors and interview panel members, the ILO may use communication technologies such as Skype, Video or teleconference, e-mail, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates at the different stages of the recruitment process, including assessment centres, technical tests or interviews.

The ILO has zero tolerance for acts of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and is determined to ensure that all staff members and all beneficiaries of ILO assistance do not suffer, directly or indirectly, from sexual exploitation and abuse.
To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organisation, the ILO may conduct a background verification of candidates under consideration.

Fraud warning

The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account – @ilo.org – should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.

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