Overview
Provides personal assistance to the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, including managing schedules, coordinating travel, and handling correspondence. Assists in research, document preparation, and logistical support for meetings and events.
Key Responsibilities
- Provides personal assistance to the Under-Secretary-General, including maintaining her calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, coordinating travel, and other tasks as needed.
- Reviews, prioritizes and follows up on incoming correspondence and requests, liaises with senior officials and offices throughout the Secretariat, organizes high-level meetings and official events.
- Conducts basic research using a variety of sources, including, in particular, the OLA Registry and Epona.
- Ensures that confidential and sensitive matters are handled appropriately, and maintains confidential files and records.
- Assists in the maintenance of a body of legal reference files, both paper and electronic, to ensure rapid retrieval of critical information; conducts reference searches upon request; reviews material and determines appropriate file classification category; identifies material for inclusion in files; coordinates with Archives on retirement, storage and retrieval of files; participates in initiatives to enhance existing systems for records management and retrieval, including development of proposals for consideration.
- Independently handles a variety of relatively complex verbal and written inquiries from internal and external parties, including providing detailed information on processes and procedures related to a range of legal activities, instruments, issues, etc.
- Assists in servicing various committees and other meetings, including assisting in the preparation of pre-, in- and post-session documents, preparation of draft of Journal and summaries, establishes log and assigns document identification symbols; coordinates with relevant units; prepares and updates programme of work, delegation and documents lists; tracks status of meetings and monitors follow-up actions, etc.
- Provides technical assistance and organizes logistical aspects for meetings including the annual meetings of the Network of Legal Advisers of Specialized Agencies, Related and other Organizations (UN System), the network of Legal Advisers and Legal Liaison Officers of the United Nations Offices, Funds and Programmes, and the meeting of Field Legal Officers.
- Coordinates ceremonies (e.g., signings, etc.) and related meetings, ensuring timely receipt of legal instruments and other requisite documentation.
- Maintains internal databases on cases for tracking and trend analysis; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases and posts documents on the website.
- Provides general office support services; processes, drafts, edits, proofreads and finalizes for signature/approval a variety of correspondence, memoranda, and other communications and specialized legal documentation, including for the signature of the Under-Secretary-General; performs budget preparation input, monitoring and implementation, etc.; sets up and maintains files/records (electronic and paper).
- Assists in creating a working environment that is conducive to gender equality and ensuring that a gender perspective is systematically integrated in the work of the Office.
- Coordinates administrative services (e.g., translation of legal publications), including preparing and monitoring requests, liaising with relevant units, and maintaining related statistics for reporting purposes as required.
- Performs a variety of administrative duties through standard internal tools such as Inspira and Umoja, for matters of attendance reporting, requesting office supplies, and requesting facilities management services.
- Assists the Chief of Office and the Head of Evaluation & Strategic Planning Unit in preparing the Under-Secretary-General for meetings, including compiling and organizing background notes, talking points, meeting files, and other preparatory materials — including for the SG's Executive Committee and Management Committee meetings, as well as materials necessary for Legal Counsel's official missions.
- Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to office support staff to ensure smooth functioning of the Office; oversees the work of office support staff; trains staff in administrative, protocol, and other relevant procedures.
- Performs other ad hoc duties as assigned.
Required Experience
A minimum of seven years of experience in supporting legal proceedings/procedures, conference servicing, general office support or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working in a legal or judicial environment is desirable. Experience working in a Front Office environment is desirable. Experience in handling sensitive and confidential information is desirable. One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or a related area is desirable.
Qualifications
High school diploma or equivalent.
