Senior Counsel

Job #: req22676

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Legal

Grade: GG

Term Duration: 4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: International Recruitment

Location: Almaty,Kazakhstan

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s): Russian. French, Spanish and Portuguese also desirable.

Closing Date: 6/1/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

The World Bank Group (WBG) consists of five institutions that specialize in different aspects of development: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank: the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

With twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, the WBG works in more than 100 developing economies to improve living standards and to fight poverty. For each of its clients, the WBG works with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to formulate assistance strategies. A network of offices worldwide delivers the programs in countries, liaises with governments and civil society, and works to increase understanding of development issues. The World Bank is owned by 189 member countries whose views and interests are represented by a Board of Governors and a Washington, DC-based Board of Directors. With more than 150 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.

The World Bank Group uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data.

Legal Vice Presidency. In the context of the World Bank’s broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel (SVP-GC), is responsible for providing legal advice and support to internal and external Bank clients on operational, advisory, financial, administration, and institutional matters.

LEGLE is the unit within LEG that works on Bank operations in the Europe and Central Asia Region and the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

LEGLE invites qualified candidates to apply for a Senior Counselposition based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Senior Counsel will be assigned to work on operations in the Central Asia region.

Selected candidates will work under the general supervision of the Chief Counsel. The Senior Counsel will be a lawyer who can operate independently to handle legal and policy issues related to the Bank’s work while working collaboratively with other lawyers within LEGLE and LEG as a whole.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Senior Counsel position requires demonstrated technical depth, ability to apply rigorous analytical skills, to work harmoniously in a team, and to exercise good judgment within a broad range of contexts on increasingly complex projects. The level and quality of these skills will be a determining factor in the selection for the position, and references will be given consideration in this determination.

The Senior Counsel will function as a principal legal advisor to one or more assigned internal World Bank clients. The Senior Counsel will be expected to handle the following areas of responsibility:

•  Draft, review, negotiate and finalize legal documents under the Senior Counsel’s portfolio.
•  Cover a broad portfolio of countries, providing advice to management and staff on legal and policy issues in operations.
•  Identify, assess and provide advice to management and staff under the legal risk management framework being developed, including rating and reporting of legal risks, and serve as a champion as that framework is developed and fully implemented.
•  Play a leading role on initiatives or teams, through coordination of portfolios or programs, management of client relationships, participating in dialogue on corporate priorities and other areas relevant to the assigned functional scope.
•  Supervise and guide Counsels, Associate Counsels, Legal Analysts and Paralegals and provide training and advice to them to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and skills.
•  Develop innovative approaches and share best practices with colleagues.
•  Develop knowledge products and manage tasks independently and as a leader of a team of colleagues.
•  Handle issues within an area of specialization to enable clients to create solutions.
•  Provide legal advice to ongoing projects and programs, including reviewing project and program documents, for adherence to World Bank Group policies, procedures and business objectives.
•  Conduct comparative legal analyses on a range of issues within operations, identify legal and policy issues, research relevant precedents, and propose appropriate solutions to colleagues and clients.
•  Engage in policy discussions and negotiations with officials internally and externally, developing relationships with members of the legal profession and lawyers working in development partner agencies or other counterparty organizations.
•  Protect World Bank’s interests and promote its goals and values.
•  Write and review policy papers, undertake legal research on topics in an area of concentration and contribute to dissemination of policy and best practices in a given field.
•  Prepare legal briefs on diverse topics, as required.
•  Ability to serve in an acting capacity for supervisor.
•  Work to advance the LEGVP’s knowledge management agenda and use of technology.
•  Perform ad hoc assignments as requested by the Chief Counsel or designated Lead Counsel.

Selection Criteria

Employment Value Proposition

The World Bank Group (WBG) offers comprehensive benefits including a retirement plan; health (medical dental, pharmacy, vision), life and disability insurance; generous annual leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Please note that certain benefits may vary based on appointment type (Term or Extended-Term Consultant/Temporary; HQ or Country Office appointment). We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

The WBG aspires to remain competitive in all markets by providing compensation that attracts and retains top talent to deliver on the WBG mission of reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development.

WBG entry salaries are determined based on the grade, years of relevant experience and internal comparators. Consistent with our entry salary methodology, new hires are likely to be offered a salary between the minimum and midpoint of the salary scale for the advertised grade. In addition to the base-line salary, international staff posted to a field assignment receive generous field benefits and those at HQ receive expatriate benefits for five years, provided they are not US citizens or permanent residents.

Academic qualifications and experience:

•  Law degree: JD or LLM (required)
•  Admission to the Bar (or equivalent) in at least one jurisdiction
•  At least 8 years of relevant experience

Competencies: General Competencies:

•  Ability to communicate and defend, orally and in writing, difficult and complex issues and positions to senior Bank management, government officials and civil society groups
•  Excellent legal research, writing, drafting, analytical and communications skills.
•  Experience in international, commercial or contract law, in transactional legal work and the preparation and negotiation of legal agreements.
•  Familiarity in the use of varied legal research sources (including electronic sources on the internet) and other databases.
•  Proven ability to operate effectively as a member of one or more teams; must be a self-starter and collaborate well with others; ability to exercise sound judgment in recognizing which issues to bring to the attention of the Chief Counsel and/or another.
•  Supervising Lead Counsel, and which to handle autonomously.
•  Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives.
•  Proven ability to manage legal risk, through sound judgment, determining and escalating risk appropriately, providing risk-based advice, and guide more junior staff on the same.
•  Proven ability to deal sensitively in multicultural and multi-ethnic environments and build effective working relationships with clients and colleagues.
•  Ability to supervise and work with local counsel in a collaborative and collegial way.
•  Ability to work under time pressure and to manage multiple tasks within tight deadlines.
•  Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
•  Demonstrated ability to effectively mentor/guide staff and design training/skills enhancement initiatives to ensure transfer of knowledge/skills.
•  Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries

Other competencies required:

Deliver Results for Clients: Adds value by constantly looking for a better way to get more impactful results; sets challenging stretch goals for oneself. Immerses oneself in client experiences and perspective by asking probing questions to understand unmet needs. Demonstrates accountability for achieving results that have an impact. Identifies and proposes solutions to mitigate and manage risks.

Client Orientation: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.

Flexibility: Able to adapt strategy, and objectives; making corresponding structural or organizational changes as needed, to move the work forward and meet the needs of the situation.

Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries: Ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams, brings differing ideas into the forefront, integrates and initiates collaboration across boundaries.

Pressure: Ability to handle demands related to the delivery of multiple tasks within demanding and occasionally conflicting time constraints.

Lead and Innovate: Contributes to new insights to understand situations and develops solutions to resolve complex problems. Adapts as circumstances require and manages impact on own behaviors on others in context of WBG’s values and missions. Identifies and pursues innovative approaches to resolve issues.

Create, Apply and Share Knowledge: Leverage departments and WBG body of knowledge by applying lessons learned and expertise. Actively invests in knowledge and seeks feedback. Builds personal and professional networks within and beyond the work group.

Make Smart Decisions: Seeks diversity of information and inputs, research possible solutions, and generates recommended options. Identifies and understands risks and proposes recommendations. Based on risk analysis, makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility, considering the interests and concerns of stakeholders.

Professional Maturity: Understands others and the reasons for their behavior. Takes the time to clarify others’ points of view so that progress can be made, particularly in situations of stress or conflict. Is never condescending or arrogant.

Values, Leadership Potential

•  Demonstrated commitment to the World Bank Core Values for WBG and a proven track record of fostering a strong and healthy culture of diversity, inclusion, teamwork, honesty, trust, openness, integrity, and accountability.
•  Demonstrated ability to be sensitive to issues around race, gender, ethnicity, inclusion, and intersectionality.
•  Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and foster a positive working environment.
•  Demonstrated commitment to the Bank’s mission, and ability to work towards WBG’s corporate targets for successful outcomes.
•  A strong results-oriented mindset.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.