Legal Specialist (Commercial)

Overview

The Legal Group advises organizational management, project offices, regional offices, and other specialized units on institutional, commercial, and administrative law matters. Legal Advisors provide legal advice across public international law, dispute resolution, commercial law, and administrative law.

This role provides timely, efficient, solution-driven legal services to protect the organization against legal, financial, and reputational risks.

Role Purpose

The Legal Specialist (Commercial) delivers legal services under the Legal Group’s Commercial scope and works within defined authority and instructions provided by the Legal Advisor, Commercial.

Responsibilities

Legal Advice and Representation

• Advise Project Offices on commercial matters, including review and negotiation of legal agreements, interpretation, alignment, and development of the organization’s legal framework.
• Provide legal advice and support for partnership and framework or funding agreements.
• Negotiate model agreements with partners, and support procurement contract templates and grant agreements.
• Provide legal advice and support for hosted initiatives, joint programmes, and multi-donor trust funds.
• Provide timely advice and actively find solutions to everyday implementation challenges using policy and best practices.
• Represent the organization in negotiations with external parties on legal topics, including negotiations on contracts and agreements.
• Coordinate interactions between business units and local legal retainers, external legal counsel, and legal advisors from the Office of Legal Affairs or other UN agencies.

Business Efficiency, Policy Development, and Implementation Support

• Recommend changes to policies, processes, and operating standards based on feedback and experience from country offices.
• Support transparent and efficient project implementation in line with policy and business needs.
• Collaborate with other units to address mission-critical issues and develop fit-for-purpose solutions, contributing technical and practical knowledge to strategies that improve efficiency and strengthen internal controls.
• Support cross-functional initiatives to ensure internal policies, procedures, systems, and tools are consistent with the overall legal framework and add value to organizational operations.

Knowledge Management and Capacity Building

• Support documentation and updating of legal precedents and templates.
• Contribute to research and coordination within the team and across the organization.
• Provide structured legal knowledge and subject matter expertise used across practice areas to deliver coherent, tailored advice.
• Stay informed about internal and external developments and best practices.
• Deliver and facilitate training on commercial matters to internal colleagues.

Regional Focal Point (if applicable)

• Serve as Focal Point for the Legal Group Commercial Practice for a region (as assigned by the Legal Advisor).
• Liaise with the Regional Office and regional actors (internal and external) on legal matters related to the regional portfolio.
• Manage regional workload while delivering the functions listed above.
• Foster dedicated collaboration to provide tailored legal support, capacity building, and solutions to the region.
• Coordinate and oversee the legal advice and support provided by other Legal Group members to ensure consistency for the specific region.
• Liaise and communicate with other regional focal points on novel, high-risk, and/or problematic issues to ensure consistency in strategy and advice across the Commercial Practice.

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on Commercial Law topics.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned from Commercial Law activities.
• Conduct research on Commercial Law-related topics and contribute to drafting reports, summaries, and briefing notes.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Law or other disciplines with 7 years of relevant experience, or
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines with 5 years of relevant experience.

Experience

• Relevant experience working within a law firm or national or international organization as a commercial, international, or commercial dispute lawyer in legal analysis, advice, research, drafting of texts, or related fields.
• Experience communicating complex legal concepts across a range of audiences.

Language

• English: Fluent (Required)
• French: Fluent (Desirable)
• Spanish: Fluent (Desirable)
• Arabic: Fluent (Desirable)
• Chinese, Mandarin: Fluent (Desirable)
• Russian: Fluent (Desirable)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts.

Competencies

• Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, anticipates impacts of decisions, and considers implications for other parts of the organization.
• Treats individuals with respect, upholds ethical norms, and acts as a role model for diversity and inclusion.
• Contributes to team spirit, collaborates effectively, and supports the development of others (for people managers: provides positive leadership).
• Understands the impact of their role on partners and, where relevant, prioritizes the end beneficiary.
• Establishes an effective course of action, delivers quality work, takes initiative, and uses resources responsibly.
• Adapts to change in a fast-paced environment and pursues continuous improvements.
• Uses analytical and logical decision-making with unbiased, rational judgment.
• Communicates clearly and concisely, listens actively, shares knowledge proactively, and handles conflict effectively.

Skills

International law; legal advice; legal affairs; legal research; liability analysis.

Compensation & Benefits

Not specified in the vacancy announcement.

Location

• Duty Station(s): Copenhagen, Home based

Additional Information

• Internal candidates only.
• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will not request candidates to make payments at any stage of the recruitment process.
• Applications must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement: 01-Nov-2026.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed; the process may include assessments.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, the organization reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level.
• For retainer contracts, mandatory courses (around 4 hours) must be completed in advance; no compensation is provided for taking courses and refreshers. (Additional contract details are referenced in the announcement.)
• All personnel must perform duties in accordance with the UN Charter and organization policies and instructions, and demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Background checks are conducted for all potential personnel; recruitment is contingent on results.
• Background checks are conducted to help ensure individuals with a history of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other abusive conduct are not hired.

Posting Details

• Position Title: Legal Specialist (Commercial)
• Vacancy Type: Internal candidates only
• Job Category: Strategy & Corporate Services
• Seniority Level: Mid Level
• ICS Level: ICS 10
• Contract Type: Staff - IP - FTA
• Contract Level: IP P-3
• Posting Start Date: 22-Oct-2026
• Posting End Date: 01-Nov-2026
• Duration: Initially for one year, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and budget availability.