Paralegal at the OPEC Fund for International Development

The OPEC Fund for International Development is a multilateral development finance institution established in 1976. Our 12 Member Countries are:  Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Paralegal

Location: Austria

Job Profile

• The Paralegal assists senior team members by investigating facts, preparing legal documents, researching legal precedent, conducting general research to support a legal proceeding, and drafting a legal opinion to formulate a defence, initiate legal action or provide legal advice, all in accordance with the institutional strategy and framework, contributing to solving legal problems and providing technical input into complex matters.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct a variety of legal tasks under the direction of relevant supervisor.
• Draft legal instruments (including loan and grant agreements or equivalent), as well as amendments to legal instruments.
• Conduct legal research on a diverse range of policy and legal issues using varied research sources.
• Present findings/recommendations on policy issues and procedures, and answer questions from relevant supervisor; prepare background papers, written records of proceedings, and memoranda summarizing documents, legislation and other legal source materials, or equivalent.
• Assist relevant supervisor and Counsels in drafting and reviewing draft documents, highlighting issues, inconsistencies, and generally conducting quality control of documents etc.
• Respond to diverse inquiries and make decisions with guidance of relevant supervisor or Counsels.
• Participate in task/project teams as assigned by the relevant supervisor.
• Serve as an information resource on the status of ongoing projects.
• Organize project and departmental documents and records, in accordance with appropriate standards, and file in the appropriate document management system.
• Perform ad hoc assignments as requested by the relevant supervisor and various Counsels.
• Handle tasks in absence of primary Counsel, with limited supervision.
• Assist with portfolio supervision tasks (amendments, consents, waivers, cancellations).
• Assist with organizing team meetings, taking minutes, and preparing reports related to various tasks.
• Support Counsels in the achievement of departmental objectives.
• Work with external stakeholders (authorized legal officials of partner countries/institutions) and internal stakeholders (e.g. all OPEC Fund departments/units) on the subject of legal services and advice on an ongoing basis.
• Carry out other tasks assigned by the supervisor that are related to the job functions.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in law or equivalent. 
• A minimum of two years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience (e.g. bachelor’s degree and 4 years of experience).
• In addition, preferably 1-2 years at an international development finance institution.
• Fluent in English. Good working knowledge of French, Arabic, German or Spanish is an added advantage.

Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Skills such as research and writing are imperative for drafting documents.
• Ability to work well under pressure and deliver high quality output within set timelines.
• Knowledge of legal principles and practices, legal research techniques, legal terminology, as well as legal communication principles and practices.
• Proficiency in Adobe and Microsoft Office, specifically Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Ability to effectively multi-task, manage time-sensitive documents, and exhibit exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability to function effectively in a busy, team-oriented environment.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.