Legal Officer - Institutional and General Legal Affairs (OLC) at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Legal Officer - Institutional and General Legal Affairs (OLC)

Req Id: 2326
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Reports to: Principal  Legal Officer - Institutional and General Legal Affairs
Directorate/Department: Office of the Legal Counsel 
Division: Institutional and General Legal Affairs Section
Job Grade: P2
Contract Type: Regular

Purpose of Job

• To provide technical support for the Institutional and General Legal Affairs Division of the African Union Commission.

Main Functions

• Assists in the following up on the activities of the division, including monitoring and evaluating progress made in line with a predefined strategic plan.
• Suggests new and expand on existing policy areas for planned research.
• Contributes in conducting analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the respective Unit/Division and AU’s internal use.
• Assists in setting the overall research direction of a relevant policy area.
• Responsible for the delegation and execution of defined research areas.
• Participates in the organisation of relevant meetings, congresses and conferences with stakeholders.
• Engages with relevant mid-level stakeholders and develop working relationships. Support the promotion of the activities of the Division including preparing leaflets, guidelines and fact sheets.
• Assists in drafting reports and participate in the preparation of budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Unit/Division
• Provides technical support to internal and external stakeholders.

Specific Responsibilities

• Provides legal advice to senior Officers, teams within OLC, the LC, and to stakeholders
• Contributes to legal or policy analyses and publications.
• Assists in developing and implementing capacity building and training programmes.
• Contributes to standard-setting, through participating in meetings, drafting work and promoting international standards.
• Participates in the organization of relevant meetings, congresses and conferences with stakeholders
• Engages with relevant mid-level stakeholders and develop relationships
• Contributes to the day-to-day administrative management of the Division
• Assists in following up on the activities of the Division, including monitoring and evaluating progress made in line with a predefined strategic plan. 
• Assists senior colleagues in servicing Policy Organs.
• Assists with the preparation of seminars and symposia, and presentations on various legal issues at such events. 
• Provides guidance to more junior staff.
• Performs other ad hoc duties as assigned.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Law with a minimum of five (5) years releavant work experience. 

OR 

• Master’s Degree in Law with a minimum of two (2) years relevant work experience.

Required Skills:

• Communication ability both orally and in writing.
• Analytical skills.
• Ability to work across business units / geographies; cultural sensitivity
• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic);  fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage;

Leadership Competencies:

• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Accountability awareness and Compliance
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Job Knowledge and information sharing
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Focus

Tenure of Appointment:

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Language:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of US$ 31,073.00 (P2 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 22,932.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
4th November, 2024; 11h59 p.m. EAT.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click Here to Download CV Template (MS Word)

Note

• Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
• Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor's degrees (Bac+3), Master's degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
• The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates from less represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, Somalia and Tunisia.