Senior Professional, Legal

Job Description: Senior Professional, Legal (Corporate and institutional)

The Legal Department, with reporting line to the President, delivers comprehensive legal support to the New Development Bank (NDB), its governing bodies, management, and organizational units. This includes drafting, reviewing and negotiating legal agreements, as well as providing legal advice on matters related, but not limited, to policies, guidelines, privileges and immunities. Additionally, the department acts as the Bank's legal representative in administrative or judicial proceedings and in any issues affecting NDB's interests. These functions are essential to ensuring NDB's compliance with its Articles of Agreement (AoA) and maintaining legal integrity in the process of implementation of its mission and functions.

The Senior Legal Professional, reporting directly to the Director General, Legal (or Chief, Institutional, if applicable), will be responsible for providing comprehensive legal advice on corporate and institutional matters. Key areas of responsibility include institutional governance, human resources, information technology, and administration, including corporate procurement, among others. The role shall ensure compliance with the AoA, all relevant regulations, policies, guidelines, and standards of NDB.

Duties and Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Provide legal advice on matters in connection with the Bank's Articles of Agreement, policies, guidelines, procedures and internal rules, corporate, institutional and administrative issues, including, without limitation, corporate procurement, privileges and immunities of the Bank and its staff, membership matters, legal matters relating to the Bank's leases and other issues involving NDB's headquarters and regional offices, information technology, intellectual property, data residency and protection, personnel matters including staff grievances and legal issues arising out of investigations, governance matters etc. and managing all aspects of the Bank's legal compliance.
• Stay abreast of the internal legal framework of the Bank and updates, as well as of relevant legal regulations and international legal practice, aiming to anticipate and assess legal risks associated with the internal procedures and activities of the Bank and provide inputs to the Legal Department and relevant organizational units and management to mitigate legal risks.
• Conduct due diligence and prepare reports/legal documents to support the Director General in defending the Bank from any legal issues/disputes in national and international courts, arbitration or other legal proceedings.
• Conduct research, gather information on legal issues and prepare, draft and review legal opinions and complex legal documentation.
• Prepare memoranda, drafts of legal documents and resolutions, examine documents for legal sufficiency and consistency.
• Assist in analysis of different cases to identify legal risks.
• Other duties and responsibilities assigned from time to time.

Communication Skills

• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines, demonstrating high motivation, integrity, and responsibility.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Exceptional legal thinking, problem solving, communication, conflict management and resolution and interpersonal skills with high resilience and drive in achieving objectives and goals.
• Relevant experience in a multi-cultural work environment fostering a climate of teamwork and collaboration.
• Advise team on possible impediments to sustaining delivery standards to develop strategies.
• Engage clients proactively to define expectations/needs and build an informed framework for delivery of legal support.

Position requirements

• Minimum 7 years of relevant legal work experience. Prior work experience in a multilateral development bank or an international organization will be considered as an advantage.
• Admission to practice law in at least one of the Bank's member countries.
• In-depth knowledge of public international law, including international institutional law, international civil service law and contract law.
• Experience in delivering legal opinions and advice to senior leadership in order to maintain legal compliance in an international organization.
• Excellent legal drafting and analytical skills.
• Bachelor's and master's degree or equivalent in Law from a reputed university.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Knowledge of another language, preferably from one of the Bank's member countries, will be considered