The World Food Programme (WFP) celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

This position is located in the Legal Office (LEG) at WFP Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The position is assigned to the LEG Front Office and works under the direct supervision of the Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Director, LEG and in close coordination with the Business and Knowledge Management Officer, LEG.

LEG is organized in three branches that advise on the various aspects of WFP’s work:

• The Administrative and Employment Law Branch (LEGA) provides advice to management on all aspects of the employment relationship between WFP and its employees;
•  The Contractual and Constitutional Law Branch (LEGC) provides advice on legal aspects of WFP’s internal governance, public international law, partnerships with resource partners and other external parties, commercial law, including in connection with financial arrangements, general contractual law and operational legal issues; and
• The Maritime, Transport and Insurance Law Branch (LEGM) provides advice on all aspects of WFP’s supply chain activities, including Procurement (Food, Goods & Services), maritime, aviation, logistics (inland transportation, storage and warehousing), United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots and insurance.

In July 2023, LEG started adopting a pooled service arrangement aimed at promoting inter-branch engagement and expanding staff knowledge and skills. This includes an expectation for part of the Legal Officers to undertake up to 50% of work on matters pertaining to the other branches.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the general supervision of the Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Director, LEG, and in close coordination with the Business and Knowledge Management Officer, LEG, the incumbent shall perform the following tasks:

1. Inform, coordinate and monitor the cross-functional assignment of cases across the LEG branches, through continuous consultation with individual legal officers and advice to team leaders.

2. Contribute to the effectiveness and timeliness of LEG services to the organization and the continuous professional development of the legal officers that are involved in the pooled service arrangement, by facilitating their balanced involvement in handling legal matters pertaining to different areas of expertise.

 3. Develop, document and maintain updated guidelines and standard procedures to facilitate the smooth cross-functional assignment of matters as well as the identification of trends in the demand for cross-functional work and LEG services, best practices and lessons learned.

4. Monitor workflows, collate data and prepare data analysis as required to provide LEG Management with accurate information and reports for efficient planning and decision making on status and potential developments in LEG’s pooled service arrangement.

5. Coordinate the process for the provision of feedback to lawyers that are involved in the pooled services arrangement and disseminate reports to supervisors to inform their performance management actions.

6. Identify potential issues in the implementation of cross-functional case assignments and assist the Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Director, LEG in preventing or addressing related change management issues.

7. Pro-actively engage LEG team members in pooled services and cross-functional skills development, including through the design and development of training initiatives and preparation and distribution of internal newsletters.

8. Support the Business Manager and Knowledge Management Officer, LEG in:

• Implementation of LEG’s knowledge management strategy by monitoring the correct usage and continuous development of LEG’s case management system and related IT tools that support the pooled services arrangement;
• Definition and application of Artificial Intelligence solutions to LEG’s case management system and more broadly in connection with LEG’s knowledge management;
• Finalization of special projects and system/process enhancements for LEG;
• Proposing and facilitating the development of internal training sessions, and assisting in preparing the annual training plan for LEG team members.

9. Assist in the development of LEG’s decentralization strategy, consisting in the out-posting of certain legal officer positions closer to WFP countries of operation, by identifying modalities for cross-functional work in the context of a decentralized legal function.

10. Any other business, as appropriate.

RESULTS EXPECTED

1. Articulate and concise thinking and drafting.

2. Comprehensive research and reporting.

3. Capacity to develop a sound understanding of WFP legal work and internal processes.

4. Ability to adapt in evolving context.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

At least 5 years post-graduate, progressively responsible professional experience; experience in office management, international development, audit and evaluation, processes or other related fields required.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Knowledge of and ability to apply international organization style principles, concepts, procedures, and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of documents.
• Experienced in managing a large volume of data.
•  Knowledge of various research sources, techniques, and ability to interpret and apply knowledge; draft strategic and working level papers and devise implementation plans to support a variety of LEG initiatives.
• Business acumen.
• Strong time-management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential information.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Visio, Word, PPT).

LANGUAGES

Working knowledge (proficiency/Level C) of English; limited knowledge (intermediate/Level B) of another official WFP language i.e., Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is Sunday, 2 June 2024.

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.