Legal Officer, P3 at United Nations – September 2026

United Nations is recruiting a Legal Officer, P3 for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), based at its Arusha branch.

Job Details

Category	Details
Position	Legal Officer, P3
Organization	United Nations – IRMCT
Duty Station	Arusha, Tanzania
Job Category	Legal
Employment Type	Full-time
Posted	3 September 2026
Level	P-3
Contract	Temporary, initially until 31 December 2026, subject to possible extension

Job Purpose

The Legal Officer will work within the Office of the President of the IRMCT, providing specialised legal, policy, administrative and judicial advice to support the President’s mandated functions, decision-making, risk management and institutional responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal, policy, administrative and judicial advice to the President.
• Draft and review:
  • Orders and decisions
  • Policies and practice directions
  • Memoranda and reports
  • Press releases and speeches
  • Talking points and correspondence
• Conduct and supervise legal research, particularly in:
  • International humanitarian law
  • International criminal law
  • Administrative law
• Monitor relevant legal developments in regions covered by the Mechanism.
• Assist with supervision of sentence enforcement and detention conditions.
• Support independent inspection matters arising from both branches of the Mechanism.
• Advise and support press and external-relations matters.
• Represent the President’s Office at institutional meetings, boards and ad hoc committees.
• Coordinate with other sections and both branches of the Mechanism.
• Collect and analyse data to identify trends and patterns.
• Present analytical findings using graphs, charts, tables and data-visualisation methods.
• Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Required Education

Essential

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, preferably specialising in:

• International Law
• Criminal Law
• Humanitarian Law
• Administrative Law

Alternative: A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced degree.

Desirable

Successful completion of degree and/or non-degree programmes in:

• Data Analytics
• Business Analytics
• Data Science

Required Experience

A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional legal experience at national or international level is required.

Preference is given to candidates with experience in:

• Criminal law
• International law
• Humanitarian law
• Administrative law

Desirable Experience

• Working with UN International Criminal Tribunals
• Detention and sentence-enforcement matters
• 2+ years of experience in data analytics or a related field

Core Competencies

Professionalism

• Strong knowledge of international, criminal, humanitarian or administrative law.
• Professional competence and mastery of subject matter.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to analyse and interpret data for decision-making.

Communication

• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to adapt language, tone and style to different audiences.
• Strong listening and interpersonal communication skills.

Teamwork

• Ability to work collaboratively.
• Values colleagues’ expertise and contributions.
• Supports collective decisions.
• Takes shared responsibility for team outcomes.

Languages

Both English and French are required.

Minimum UN Language Framework level:

Language	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
English	UN Level II	UN Level II	UN Level II	UN Level II
French	UN Level II	UN Level II	UN Level II	UN Level II

Selection Process

Qualified candidates may be required to complete an assessment exercise, potentially followed by a competency-based interview.

Important Contract Information

• The position is temporary, initially available until 31 December 2026.
• The appointment may be extended.
• Appointment is subject to budgetary approval and funding.
• Eligibility may be restricted to candidates based at the duty station depending on the funding source.
• The position is limited to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
• Candidates must ensure that all fields, professional experience and contact information in the UN application are complete and up to date.
• The UN strongly encourages candidates to apply online as soon as possible.

Application Deadline

The deadline is not stated in the vacancy text you provided.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted through the official United Nations Careers portal:

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Important: The United Nations does not charge any fee at any stage of its recruitment process.