Snr Legal Officer (Statelessness)

Senior Legal Officer (Statelessness)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Senior Legal Officer (Statelessness) will function as a Deputy Head of the Section, helping to devise the Section's strategy and work plan and to lead and empower the team to deliver high quality products within tight deadlines. The incumbent will have lead responsibility for preparing for external meetings with certain partners, including quarterly meetings with the Group of Friends of the Campaign to End Statelessness (a large group of UN Member States) and will need to regularly liaise with external actors, including UNICEF, the World Bank, and NGOs supporting implementation of statelessness activities. In addition, the Senior Legal Officer (Statelessness) will help to manage and plan expenditure of the Section's resources, including any funding received to support implementation of the Campaign. Finally, the incumbent will liaise with DER staff working on the digital and fundraising sides of the Campaign about annual strategies for both.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- Relationships with external partners will be strengthened and new ones created.
- The statelessness team will enjoy a clearer division of roles and responsibilities.
- The Section's annual strategy, budget and work plan will be delivered and implemented on time.
- The Section will meet internal deadlines and deliver high quality products to further its goals.

Responsibility
- Draft and/or clear documents, strategies, and reports related to all policy and law matters related to statelessness that the Section produces, including all input to UNHCR's print and online publications as well as doctrine, guidance and tools on statelessness. 
- Responsible for the Section's work on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems, including birth registration.  This work needs to be scaled up substantially in line with the goals of the Campaign to End Statelessness and the upscaling of this work across the UN system in response to Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which relates to ensuring legal identity and birth registration for all.  This will involve working with the CRVS Working Group in NY and providing UNHCR with an overall strategy for engagement in support of SDG 16.9.
- Help the Senior Legal Coordinator (Statelessness) lead the team and empower team members by working with them closely on their division of responsibilities and assignments. 
- Work independently with many external stakeholders to build and sustain partnerships for UNHCR on statelessness.
- Lead and prepare for UNHCR's engagement with the Group of Friends of the Campaign to End Statelessness and for UNHCR's engagement in an annual retreat on statelessness with civil society groups.
- Liaise closely with the HRLU within DIP to ensure that external stakeholders participating in the Human Rights Council are well informed of opportunities to address statelessness through the mechanisms of the Council, including the Universal Periodic Review.
- Serve as the Section's liaison with DER on all external relations aspects of the #IBelong Campaign.
- Providing support to the Bureaux and operations within his or her continents of geographical coverage and for liaising with the relevant regional statelessness officers to ensure effective support is provided where it is required. 
- Devise in partnership with the regional statelessness officers within the area of coverage.
- Devise annual and multi-year statelessness strategies in line with the Global Action Plan and supporting their implementation.

Authority
- Take decisions necessary to achieve the objectives in her/his annual work plan and exercise independent judgment in representing UNHCR with certain external partners and seeking to strengthen these.
- Represent the Section in day to day matters with those working on the Campaign to End Statelessness in DER, and with other UN agencies on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics matters and other thematic areas of responsibility.
- Motivate the team as a whole.
- Make recommendations to the Senior Legal Coordinator (Statelessness) about all matters related to the Section's strategy, work plan, and budget.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Advanced degree in Law and at least 10 years of progressively responsible work.
- Experience in a relevant field, including substantial statelessness expertise to include a very solid understanding of the causes and consequences of statelessness and its technical solutions.
- Excellent analytical and research skills, very good judgment, and a strong strategic sensibility.
- Demonstrated understanding of CRVS and experience working with Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems and advising on how these can be strengthened. 
- Thorough knowledge of UN systems and procedures and experience building and managing partnerships across the UN system and with civil society groups.
- Knowledge of how to use communications technology, including social media, to promote awareness of and support for the #IBelong Campaign.
- Fluent in English and possess excellent oral and written communication skills.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Work experience with UNHCR, including in the field, and detailed knowledge of UNHCR's planning and budgeting tools and systems, including a facility with FOCUS. 
- Demonstrated capacity to represent UNHCR externally with a wide variety of senior stakeholders (e.g., government officials, UN officials, NGOs).
- Inter-personal skills in building and manage strong partnerships with these stakeholders. 
- Demonstrated experience researching and writing high-quality substantial position papers statelessness matters.
- Experience promoting an international campaign and successfully raising funds from diverse sources.
- The ability to work in at least one UN language besides English.