Legal Specialist (Retainer)

Tirana

Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
Location: Tirana
Grade: Mid level - LICA-10, Local Individual Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Legal - Broad
- Documentation and Information Management
Closing Date: 2025-01-06

Job categories Legal

Vacancy code VA/2024/B5131/29449

Department/office ECR, AUMCO, Albania

Duty station Tirana, Albania

Contract type Local ICA Specialist

Contract level LICA Specialist-10

Duration Retainer basis for an estimated 160 days over a 3-year period, with the possibility of extension based on organizational needs.

Application period 20-Dec-2024 to 06-Jan-2025

Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Project Manager, the Legal Specialist is responsible for ensuring that legal advice and recommendation is provided to the project team for the implementation of the activities:

Legal Analysis: Assess existing national laws, regulations, and policies relevant for the implementation of project activities; identify potential legal gaps, risks and compliance issues.
Stakeholder Engagement and Legal Updates: Regularly consult with stakeholders, including government agencies, judicial institutions, and EU representatives, to stay informed about developments in the justice sector. Monitor changes in national laws, regulations, and best practices, adapting strategies to address emerging legal risks and ensure alignment with current standards.
EU Standards and Integration: Analyze and consider relevant EU standards, practices, and requirements related to national justice reform and EU integration. Ensure that project activities align with EU directives and support Albania's broader objectives of harmonization with EU frameworks.
Technical and Quality Support: Contribute to the design and development of digital solutions by offering relevant legal analysis and advisory support, ensuring compliance with national and EU regulations. This includes evaluating legal gap analysis, addressing data protection and privacy concerns, and ensuring the interoperability of digital systems aligns with best practices and legal frameworks.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Support the project manager in conducting preliminary risk assessments to identify factors that could impact project viability from technical and regulatory perspectives, and recommend proactive solutions.
Due Diligence and Documentation: Prepare a due diligence checklist, document legal advice and compliance activities as requested by the supervisor.
Review and Advisory: Evaluate local best practices and research on copyright, intellectual property, data protection, information security, procurement, and contracting.

The advice provided by the Legal Special will be limited to providing necessary local law advice in the context of project implementation and the matters listed above. Any issue that relates to other legal matters shall be referred to UNOPS Legal Group.

Matters falling under the purview of UNOPS Legal Group include, but are not limited, to the following:

Legal clearance and interpretation of engagements and any amendments thereof;
Legal clearance of deviations to and interpretation of General Conditions in UNOPS grant agreements and procurement contracts, including works contracts;
Legal advice related to disputes between UNOPS and external parties, including representation of UNOPS in legal proceedings;
Other legal advice related to UNOPS’ operations that does not require local law advice;
Legal advice related to UNOPS privileges and immunities and UNOPS’ status as a UN entity;
Administrative law advice and personnel disputes.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in law, or a closely related area is required or a first-level university degree in law (Bachelor’s or equivalent) from an accredited university in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

At least 5 years experience in legal analysis and advising on national laws is required
Familiarity with Albania's legal system and national regulations, as well as EU regulations especially in relation to the judiciary and public administration is required;
Demonstrated experience working on projects involving the legal aspects of developing, implementing, and deploying IT systems, ideally within the government sector
Expertise in data protection and privacy laws (e.g., GDPR or local data protection regulations) and applying these principles to IT projects is highly desirable.
Knowledge of cybersecurity legal issues, information security regulations, and best practices for protecting sensitive data and systems is an asset.

Certification

Language Skills

Fluency in English and Albanian is required

We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.

Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.

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