Legal Assistant

CIMMYT; New Delhi; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Fixed-term contract

Job summary

CIMMYT is seeking a Legal Assistant for Asia based in New Delhi to support the Regional Legal Counsel. The role focuses on contract lifecycle management, legal operations, compliance coordination, and document control across the Asia region.

The ideal candidate will have a law degree and at least 3 years' experience in legal support or contract administration, with strong English proficiency and familiarity with CLM tools.

Qualifications

• A law degree from a reputable university.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in a legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role.
• Full professional proficiency in English (minimum C1 CEFR).
• Experience with CLM systems and ability to learn new tools.

Responsibilities

• Support contract lifecycle, drafting from templates, formatting, and version control.
• Perform contract management activities including intake, verification, and signatures.
• Maintain matter files and version histories with confidentiality.
• Operate the regional legal control desk and process tickets.
• Assist in process improvements and rollouts of legal tools and dashboards.

Skills

Law degree

Contract administration

English proficiency

CLM systems

Documentation

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Education

Law degree

Tools

CLM systems

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. For more information, visit cimmyt.org. CIMMYT is looking for an outstanding, self-motivated, and detail-oriented professional for the position of Legal Assistant ? Asia to support the Regional Legal Counsel in delivering legal, contractual, and administrative services across the Asia region. The role provides contract lifecycle management, legal operations, compliance coordination, document control, and administrative support to strengthen the efficiency, governance, and effectiveness of the Regional Legal function. Acting as a key member of the regional legal team, the position supports contract administration, legal systems and workflow management, matter tracking, external counsel coordination, and the implementation of legal processes, tools, and performance reporting to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant legal service delivery across multiple country offices. The role will be based in New Delhi, India.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the contract lifecycle, assisting with drafting from approved templates, formatting, version control, amendment, release, and quality control for agreements entered into by CIMMYT with national and international public and private entities, under the direction of the Regional Legal Counsel and in coordination with the Operations Legal Counsel at HQ Legal.
• Perform contract management activities (intake, verification, follow-up of documents, signature preparation, and processing (Cover Sheet Preparation and Adobe Sign process) and execution tracking through the CLM.
• Maintain matter files, records of regional agreements and host country instruments, and version histories, observing the Department's confidentiality and need-to-know protocols.
• Operate the regional legal control desk assigning, following up, and processing tickets and requests through the Department's systems.
• Support the updating, creation, and implementation of processes, practices, guidelines, procedures, and workflow optimization that improve the day-to-day efficiency of the legal function and advance the Regional Legal Operating Model.
• Support the rollout and adoption of Legal Department tools (Ticketing System, CLM, Adobe Sign, D365) within the region and among internal clients, including workflow automation.
• Support the maintenance of processes, KPIs, and dashboards that enable accurate and timely service and the continuous improvement of CLM processes, including automation and reporting.

Skills/Experience:

• A law degree from a reputable university.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in a legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role in a company, law firm, or international organization.
• Full professional proficiency in English (minimum C1 CEFR; test administered).
• Proficient computer skills (at a minimum Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat); familiarity with CLM systems (ICERTIS an advantage) and willingness to learn and master new tools.
• Excellent organizational, writing, research, and communication skills, including the ability to handle legal documentation accurately and to communicate clearly with non-legal stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality and discretion.
• A demonstrated sense of urgency and commitment to responsibilities and deadlines.
• Competencies: Proactivity, Communication, Problem Solving, Achievement Orientation, Flexibility/Adaptability, Multicultural Awareness/Sensitivity, Teamwork, Time Management, and Collaboration.

Benefits

The position is for an initial fixed-term contract of 12 months, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package, with a range of benefits including health insurance. Screening and follow-up of applications will begin on June 29th 2026. Applications must include a CV with contact details (telephone and email address) of 3 work-related references along with the confirmation that Recruitment team can contact them) and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. This position is recruited locally. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the duty station country at the time of application. CIMMYT does not provide visa sponsorship or work permit support for locally recruited staff roles. Please note that only short‑listed candidates will be contacted. CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.