JOB DESCRIPTION

Deadline for Applications:

09/09/2025

Organizational Unit:

Legal Advisory Section, Office of the Prosecutor

Duty Station:

The Hague

Type of Appointment:

Short Term Appointment

Minimum Net Annual Salary:

€55,830.00

Contract Duration:

To be determined

Special Notice:

A Short-Term Appointment is used to recruit staff to meet short-term needs. The duration of this assignment is provided above. The maximum duration of a short-term appointment including extensions shall not exceed 12 months.

A Short-Term Appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal and shall not be converted to any other type of appointment.

A current ICC staff member who is holding a fixed-term appointment may apply for any short-term position. Where a current ICC staff member is selected to a short-term position, he or she will be temporarily assigned to the position in line with section 4.10 of ICC/AI/2016/001.

The terms and conditions of service for staff members appointed under a short-term appointment are governed by ICC/AI/2016/001.

Organisational Context

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) investigates and prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression committed by nationals of or an the territory of a State Party under the Court”s jurisdiction on or after 1 July 2002.

The Legal Advisory Section (LAS) combines a commitment to legal excellence with a result-oriented and policy- friendly approach in delivering legal services. The LAS operates as a dynamic and multifaceted international law practice in anticipation of and in response to client requirements, in both operational and policy matters.

The LAS provides legal advice to the Prosecutor, the Deputy Prosecutors and other components of the OTP on issues related to the activities and administration of the OTP involving international and national law, including public, private, procedural, and administrative law. The LAS supports the performance of the OTP’s functions under the Court’s legal framework including in particular Rome Statute, Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Regulations of the Court, Regulations of the Office of the Prosecutor, Financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Rules and Regulations and other legal instruments governing the ICC.

The Section provides a broad range of legal services including drafting, negotiating, advising and litigating.

The LAS is headed by the Senior Legal Adviser who reports to the Prosecutor, and together with the Prosecutor, the Deputy Prosecutors and other senior officials of the OTP, is a member of the OTP Management Team.

The Assistant Legal Officer reports to the (Senior) Legal Adviser.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within this framework, and under the direct supervision of the (Senior) Legal Adviser or Legal Adviser, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

• Conduct extensive legal research and analysis;
• Contribute to the preparation and drafting of (complex) legal documents, including legal submissions in particular in connection with administrative law matters, correspondence, memoranda, opinions and briefs;
• Contribute to providing advice to client sections and assists in providing advice to the Prosecutor, the Deputy Prosecutors and other senior officials of the OTP;
• Assists in negotiating contracts, agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with a variety of parties within the OTP; preparing summaries and updates of legal and factual issues;
• Providing support in developing and maintaining the operational framework for delivery of legal services, including establishing and managing work flows, work processes, SOPs, systems, case law digest, jurisprudence databank, and databases and central repositories of legal opinions and research, agreements, contracts and MoUs;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the (Senior) Legal Adviser.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

Advanced university degree in law with specialization in international law. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of two years (zero years with an advanced level university degree) of relevant professional experience in a legal or judicial environment, is required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Thorough theoretical and practical knowledge of the law governing the Court or other international organisations: public international law, international institutional law, international administrative law and international criminal law.
• Strongly developed legal skills, including excellent drafting (concise, well-reasoned, persuasive, and legally and factually accurate) and research skills.
• Strong analytical skills, and effective communication, negotiation and advocacy skills, combined with interpersonal skills and political sensitivity.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of the legal, political, administrative, financial and procedural framework of the Court or other international organisations in both operational and policy matters.
• Possesses sound judgment; ability to contribute to innovation and eliminate barriers to effective and efficient work practices.
• Proven track record of good customer service within an international organization and a complex multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to balance priorities, multi-task and provide timely services that meet requirements.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, notably Excel, PowerPoint and Word, as well as demonstrated experience with electronic document and information management tools, especially SharePoint or similar.
• Attention to detail and proven ability to take initiative. tact, discretion and professionalism.

Knowledge of languages:

Proficiency in either of the working languages of the Court (English and French) is required. Working knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) would be considered an asset.

ICC Leadership Competencies
Purpose
Collaboration
People
Results

ICC Core Competencies
Dedication to the mission and values
Professionalism
Teamwork
Learning and developing
Handling uncertain situations
Interaction
Realising objectives

Learn more about ICC leadership and core competencies.

General Information

– Candidates appointed to posts at a P-5 grade or in the Director category are subject to a maximum aggregate length of service of seven years. This is pursuant to a decision of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP Resolution ICC-ASP/23/Res.2) to implement a tenure policy at the Court as of 1 January 2025.

– The selected candidate will be subject to a Personnel Security Clearance (PSC) process in accordance with ICC policy. The PSC process will include but will not be limited to, verification of the information provided in the personal history form and a criminal record check.

– Applicants may check the status of vacancies on ICC E-Recruitment web-site.

– Post to be filled by a national of a State Party to the ICC Statute, or of a State which has signed and is engaged in the ratification process or which is engaged in the accession process. This is pursuant to a decision of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP Resolution ICC-ASP/23/Res.3) to introduce a moratorium on the recruitment by the ICC of staff of non-States Parties’ nationality.

– In accordance with the Rome Statute, the ICC aims to achieve fair representation of women and men for all positions, representation of the principal legal systems of the world for legal positions, and equitable geographical representation for positions in the professional category.

– Applications from female candidates are particularly encouraged.

– Personnel recruited at the General Service level are not entitled to all of the benefits granted to internationally-recruited staff;

– The International Criminal Court applies the Inter-Organization Mobility Accord and can support secondment of staff from organizations of the United Nations Common System.