Chief of Section, Legal Affairs, New York, United States

## Chief of Section, Legal Affairs, New York, United States - Organization:OLA - Office of Legal Affairs - Office:UN Office of Legal Affairs, New York Organizational Setting and Reporting The Office of Legal Affairs is the central legal service of the Organization and provides legal advice to the Secretary-General, Secretariat departments and offices and United Nations organs in the field of public and private law, represents the Secretary-General in legal conferences and in judicial proceedings; performs substantive and secretariat functions for legal organs involved in public international law, the law of the sea and ocean affairs and international trade law; and performs the functions conferred on the Secretary-General in Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations. The position is located in the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA). The Chief of Treaty Section reports directly to the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs. In the area of concentration and within delegated authority, the Chief of Treaty Section will be responsible for the following duties: - Formulates the work programme of the Section, particularly by determining priorities and identifying implementation modalities, and allocates resources accordingly for the completion and timely delivery of outputs; - Oversees the administration and management of the Section, including supervision of the preparation of budgets, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance; - Manages the assignment and completion of tasks within the Section and maintains and evaluates programme performance; - Supervises the conduct of research and analysis on a variety of complex and intricate treaty law and other related international law issues; - Supervises the provision of legal advice and assistance on treaty-law related questions, including the drafting and interpretation of final clauses of multilateral treaties to be deposited with the Secretary-General and the discharge of the functions of the Secretary-General as depositary of more than 550 multilateral treaties; - Promotes the wider participation in the multilateral treaty framework, including through organizing treaty events and other activities; - Supervises the interpretation and application of the regulations adopted by the General Assembly to give effect to Article 102 of the Charter in order to determine the acceptability of registration requests by States and intergovernmental organizations and directs the execution of the registration or filing and recording of treaties/subsequent treaty actions; - Responds to inquiries from Member States, treaty bodies and international organizations, as well as private individuals; - Plans and supervises the activities aimed at the dissemination and wider appreciation of international law, including the dissemination of treaty-related information through the Treaty Information and Publication System; - Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet high-quality standards; - Supervises the processing of treaty-related data and its availability for the desktop and web-publishing shortly after the registration or filing and recording of treaties/subsequent treaty actions, as well as the preparation for publication of the volumes of the United Nations Treaty Series; - Supervises the preparation and publication of other publications; - Supervises the functioning and further development of the Treaty Information and Publication System; - Supervises the organization and conduct of capacity-development activities at Headquarters and at the regional level, including in cooperation with other UN entities; - Participates in international conferences and seminars in the field of law of treaties, missions to treaty services of Member States or to intergovernmental organizations; - Communicates with Permanent Missions, Governments and international organizations on matters related to the work of the Section; - In an advisory capacity to the USG/ASG, contributes to the overall management of strategies, activities and operations of the Office of Legal Affairs; - Performs other related duties as requested by the Under-Secretary-General. PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of public international law and its application to legal principles, issues and concepts; knowledge of treaty law and practice; analytical skills, sound judgment and ability taking into account various policy implications. Knowledge of UN policies, procedures and operations with familiarity of publication processes, including desktop publishing. Understanding of modern computer technology, with particular knowledge of document management systems. 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. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Interacts with ease with Member States, international organizations and other stakeholders on issues within the responsibility of the Section. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law with training in public international law is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job - Specific Qualification Ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in public international law is required. Managerial experience in a multicultural environment in an international organization or government is required. Experience in the specialty of treaty law is desirable. Experience designing and applying innovative approaches to address complex organizational challenges is desirable. Experience applying behavioral science insights to strengthen programme design,