Senior Legal Officer - 26285-TA

World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO; Genf; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO in Geneva seeks a Senior Legal Officer to lead commercial and regulatory legal counsel for the Central Services Division. The role focuses on robust contracting, risk mitigation, and governance for procurement, IT/AI, and campus facilities.

The incumbent will steer high-stakes negotiations, serve as CRC secretary, and coordinate with the Office of Legal Counsel on audits and regulatory matters, ensuring value for money and compliance across the

Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in law (preferably LLM or equivalent).
• At least seven years of professional legal experience in contract drafting, negotiation, and advisory services.
• Experience with public/private procurement, international organizations, and IT/AI/cloud contracts.

Responsibilities

• Provide lifecycle legal advice on drafting, negotiating, and concluding complex contracts and SLAs.
• Advise leadership on interpreting and applying WIPO rules and regulations and relevant administrative issuances.
• Coordinate with OLC on governance, disputes, and regulatory matters; act as CRC secretary when needed.
• Represent the Organization before arbitral or administrative hearings related to procurement actions.
• Lead governance activities and risk/audit management within the division; support enterprise risk reporting.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Risk management

Legal advisory

Audit management

English/French writing

Education

Advanced law degree

Tools

Microsoft 365

ERM tools

Job description

Central Services Division, Corporate Management and Transformation Sector

Grade - P4

Contract Duration - 8 months

Duty Station: CH-Geneva

Application Deadline: 15-Oct-2026, 11:59:00 PM CEST

1. Organizational Context

a. Organizational Setting

The position is located in the Central Services Division (CSD) of the Corporate Management and Transformation Sector (CMTS). The Division is responsible for the strategic and operational procurement of goods and services, individual consultancies, travel and event arrangements, campus sustainability programs, and the continuous modernization, maintenance, and facility management of WIPO Headquarters infrastructure.

b. Purpose Statement

The Senior Legal Officer serves as the lead commercial and regulatory legal counsel for CSD, ensuring that all operations, tendering exercises, and contractual commitments strictly adhere to WIPO's regulatory frameworks while proactively mitigating operational, financial, and reputational risk.

The primary purpose of this role is to enable the Organization to secure vital commercial and technological capabilities through robust, agile, and legally sound contracting. By steering high-stakes commercial negotiations, serving in a senior governance capacity on the Contract Review Committee (CRC), orchestrating audit compliance, and anchoring the Division's enterprise risk register, the incumbent acts as a strategic legal partner who safeguards WIPO's institutional interests, ensures accountability and value for money, and upholds operational continuity.

c. Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Director of the Division, with functional accountability to the High-Level Officer for Procurement (HLOP) for dedicated assignments and advice on specialized commercial frameworks or regulatory matters.

d. Work Relations

The incumbent serves as legal advisor across all sections of CSD, coordinating closely with the Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC) on institutional governance, disputes, and regulatory matters. The role acts as Secretary to the CRC and serves as the primary focal point for internal and external audits, evaluations, and enterprise risk management initiatives.

2. Duties and Responsibilities

• a. Commercial Contracting and Strategic Procurement Support:

  Provide lifecycle procurement legal advice on drafting, negotiating, and concluding complex commercial agreements (contracts, Long Term Agreements, SLAs, MoUs, settlements) with particular focus on IT/Cloud/AI technologies, construction, and campus facility management. Engage directly in negotiations with suppliers whenever needed.

• b. High-Level Legal Advice and Policy Guidance:

  Advise Sector leadership, the Director of CSD, and the HLOP on interpreting, applying, and updating WIPO’s rules and regulations, Office Instructions and other administrative issuances from the Division.

• c. Policy Research and Process Improvement:

  Research procurement and contracting policy trends, especially in IT, construction, and emerging technologies; propose best-practice improvements and coordinate related sector initiatives under HLOP/Director guidance; update and improve the Division's regulatory documentation.

• d. Guidance and Legal advice:

  Provide advice to CSD personnel and across WIPO on the rules and regulations of procurement, travel and premises.

• e. Coordination and Dispute Representation:

  Coordinate the Division’s legal activities with the Office of Legal Counsel and participate regularly in meetings on complex legal issues; in collaboration with the Office of the Legal Counsel, represent the Organization before any arbitral or administrative hearings resulting from a procurement action.

• f. Governance and Committee Secretariat:

  Serve in a senior secretarial capacity for the Contract Review Committee and related boards or task forces to advance sound managerial and legal practices for WIPO.

• g. Institutional Representation:

  Represent CSD and CMTS at specialized meetings, internal bodies, and committees, deliver presentations and prepare high-level legal documentation.

• h. Risk Management Focal Point:

  Act as the Division's risk management focal point and advise the Director on the management of legal and business risks; review and report on the identified risks and associated mitigation plans; manage the inclusion of the Division's risks in WIPO's Enterprise Risk Management tool.

• i. Audit Focal Point:

  Act as the Division's audit focal point, advising the Director on the management of any ongoing audits or evaluations and the implementation of agreed management actions; maintain the Division's inputs in the relevant digital audit management software platform and portal of audit recommendations.

• j. Perform other duties as required.

3. Requirements

Advanced university degree in law, preferably with an emphasis on commercial law, contract law, international law, or public procurement law.

A first-level university degree in law plus two years of relevant experience in addition to the experience requested below may be acceptable in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience (Essential)

• At least seven years of progressively responsible professional legal experience in contract drafting, complex negotiation, and legal advisory services.
• Experience in drafting procedures and regulatory frameworks.
• Experience with legal advice in the context of public or private procurement.
• Experience in an international environment, such as in international or multinational organizations.
• Experience in drafting/reviewing commercial contracts in the latest IT technologies (including AI) or services such as Cloud or managed services.
• Experience in Swiss commercial law (Code des obligations).
• Experience in building/construction contracts.
• Experience in risk management and audit management.
• Experience in service in the capacity of Secretary of key committees.
• Excellent written and spoken knowledge of English or French and good working knowledge of the other since WIPO contracts are drafted in both languages.
• Excellent knowledge of both English and French.
• Working knowledge of other official UN languages.

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

• Excellent legal drafting and attention to detail.
• Excellent negotiation skills, business acumen and commercial awareness.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills, with an ability to prioritize and to meet deadlines.
• High level of client-orientation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Proficiency in modern workplace productivity suites (Microsoft 365).

Job Related Competencies (Desirable)

• Proficiency in enterprise procurement platforms/ERM tools, and an ability to leverage digital and AI-enabled productivity tools effectively as applied to legal drafting and legal research.
• 1. Communicating effectively.
• 2. Showing team spirit.
• 3. Demonstrating integrity.
• 5. Producing results.
• 6. Showing service orientation.
• 7. Seeing the big picture.
• 8. Seeking change and innovation.
• 9. Developing yourself and others.

For more information, including on the salaries and benefits, please check the WIPO Careers website.