Reference No:   REC/ 105 /21

Job title: Legal Advisor

Location: Addis Ababa with travels to the field sites

Reports to: Systems Director

Number of Posts: 1 (One)

Closing date:  December 19, 2021

About GOAL

GOAL is an Irish international humanitarian organization founded in 1977 and currently operational in 13 countries[1]; in both protracted crisis

and long-term development contexts. GOAL has four programmatic foci: people survive crisis; people have resilient health; people have food and nutrition security; and people have sustainable livelihoods.

Globally, GOAL’s systems approach guides our partnerships to create shared value and promote inclusive growth by linking communities, government, business, and civil society. These initiatives blend social and economic objectives, strengthening the bottom line whilst contributing to social, economic, and environmental outcomes for society. Partnering with the permanent players i.e., government, community & civil society and the private sector is key to improving the systems in which the people we work for live. GOAL works with corporate players to leverage; technology and skills, financial and business development service; and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to increase access to goods and services and economic opportunities for poor people.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE

The Legal Advisor is responsible for providing accurate and timely legal advice to the organisation and its management on a variety of legal matters including but not limited to, Labour and Employment, Tax directives and government related guidelines, Immigration, Finance, Supplies, Service & Works contracts, and general operations. Responsibilities include conducting legal analysis and researching and evaluating different risk factors and offering proactive advice on possible legal issues. S/he must also know how to apply the law to the organisation’s circumstances. The Legal Advisor will maintain the country knowledge of laws and provide clarification on legal language and advise the organisation and its management accordingly. The Legal Advisor will regularly monitor and ensure the organisation’s compliance with local laws. In addition, this role will be responsible for handling the organisation’s legal responsibilities, organizing court order responses, preparing and review of contracts and documentation as well as providing a variety of legal support. The Legal Advisor will be delegated by the Country Director to legally represent on behalf of the organisation and expect to perform his/her duty with integrity complying with the rules and regulation of the country and organisation code of conduct policy.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY/DUTIES:

• Keeping up with current changes on all relevant areas of laws and contributing to the enhancement of the knowledge base of the organization's legal function
• To conduct legal analysis and research on various legal matters of the organization
• To provide advice on different legal issues and assist in drafting legal opinions, memoranda, and other briefing documents
• To be actively involved in preparing and drafting of different acts and legal submissions and draft the authoritative legal opinions as well
• To conduct legal research by utilizing various resources and selecting the relevant material to analyze the legal information
• To assist in reviewing the legal material and any other relevant documents and to identify the most important issues that need to be sorted out on a priority basis
• To draw up formalities regarding the settlement of disputes and monitor the implementation of the legal clauses
• Provide monthly legal reports and status to the Country Director and Systems Director
• Give accurate and timely counsel to the organization and management in a variety of legal topics not limited to, Labor Laws, Tax regulation, Data Protection, Employment, Immigration, Finance, Supplies, Service & Works contracts, and overall organization's operation
• Research and evaluate different risk factors regarding business decisions and operations and apply effective risk management techniques and offer proactive advice on possible legal issues
• Maintain current knowledge of alterations in legislation
• Serve as liaison between the organization and external attorneys.
• Document and maintain legal files and issues.

High quality advice to the organization and management on major legal issues and problems

• S/he is responsible for formulating the best possible legal solution after analyzing the legal problem in depth.
• S/he should be able to provide the much-needed legal assistance while dealing with legal tasks, litigations, contracts, dispute resolution and guide the organization on taking an appropriate decision.
• S/he should be skilled enough to come out with a desired outcome from the organization's point of view.
• He/she should be able to take correct decisions and provide the necessary professional support.
• S/he should advice whether all the court proceedings of the organization are in compliance with the requirements of the legislation.
• S/he will supervise, analyze and research the implication of laws, legislation, etc., that may affect the organization business.
• S/he advises the organization to minimize legal exposure and liability
• Collaborate with management to devise efficient defense strategies
• Specify internal governance policies and regularly monitor compliance
• Deal with complex matters with multiple stakeholders and forces
• Support HR department in the preparation of disciplinary hearing documents.
• Support in conducting investigations and prepare witnesses in advance of a disciplinary hearing.

Departments Support:

• S/he will support in the review of supplier, contract of employment, donor and partners agreement reviews refencing to the relevant country laws
• Provide clarification on legal language or specifications to the organization and its management
• Draft and solidify agreements, contracts, and other legal documents to ensure the organization's full legal rights
• Work collaboratively with departments/sectoral heads to ensure compliance

Safeguarding:

• To foster an inclusive working environment which is non-threatening and safe for all. An environment that addresses safeguarding adequately in its processes and where the barriers to raise and discuss concerns about safeguarding issues are identified and where possible mitigated.

Work Schedule:

The job of Legal Advisor is full time job and requires him/her to work in accordance to the organization working and may be required to work after working hours

Values & Behaviors:

• Strong commitment to upholding and promoting GOAL’s values; Respect, Integrity, Courage, Partnership and Humanitarianism.

Other duties:

• Support in the review of HR handbook
• Take lead in training staff on data protection policy
• Network with GOAL Global Legal/Data Protection/HR departments to keep informed of disciplinary and employment contractual matters (related to HR)
• Any other task assigned by the line manager.

COMMITMENTS:

GOAL’s recruitment procedure is fair and transparent which is also in line with the organization’s commitment to its integrity, honesty and culture. GOAL is committed to ensure that, its performance complies with the terms and conditions of relevant agreements, applicable laws & regulations. Hence, pre-employment background checks will be conducted, and employees are required to read, understand, sign and implement different polices including safeguarding and child protection policy, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and abuse policy, sexual harassment policy, code of conducts and any other policy, rules and regulation of the organization. 

Job Requirements

JOIN US

Do you want to join an exciting organization that brings high level impact to the community and add value to your professional advancement? Then join us if you have:

• Bachelor' or /Master’s degree in law-related fields
• Experience as a Legal Counsel and able to attend to routine administrative labor law among other related litigation tasks.
• Must pass bar exam and acquire state licensure
• Previous working experience as a Legal Counsel in business environment
• Must be prepared to make ethical and moral decisions
• In-depth knowledge of administrative law and procedures
• Good organizational, prioritization and time-management skills
• Arbitration and mediation skills
• Exemplary writing and editing skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Office: - Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook etc.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills and analytical skills in both written and spoken; English, Amharic and Afaan Oromo.
• Working well under pressure
• Attention to detail
• Ability to use your initiative.
• Discretion in handling confidential matters and proactive approach to problem solving.
• ·Excellent judgment and ability to anticipate legal issues or risks
• High degree of professional ethics, integrity, and responsibility

Note: This description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position.

REMUNERATION and BENEFITS:

• GOAL will pay a competitive basic salary based on the salary grading with addition benefits.
• A chance to develop tangible experience.
• Being part of a team who continue to make a real difference to the lives of the most vulnerable people. 

How to Apply

APPLICATION PROCEEDURE:

Interested and qualified applicants need to submit ONLY once their non - returnable application with CV for one vacancy. The vacancy reference number along with the title & Duty station need to be written in the application letter and/or subject of the email. Applicants can apply using the following option.

Applicants can directly apply online using CLICK HERE or goaljobs@et.goal.ie

GOAL strongly encourages female candidates to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview and exam. Shortlisted candidates will need to submit other supporting documents upon request at later stage.

GOAL is not able to contribute towards any costs incurred by candidates during the recruitment process