Legal Specialist

CIP - International Potato Center; Lima Metropolitana; On-site; PEN 138,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

One-year contract with renewal

Diversity and inclusive workplace

Job summary

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic and experienced Legal Specialist to support our Legal Team in Lima, Peru. The role provides specialized legal advisory and contractual support to contribute to the Unit’s goals and reports to the Legal Senior Manager in Lima.

You will draft, review, and negotiate contracts, ensure compliance with CIP policies, monitor changes in law across regions, and deliver training on legal topics. This is a full-time on-site position in Lima, Peru.

Qualifications

• Law degree with professional title and active bar membership.
• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience in a similar legal position.
• Proven experience drafting and negotiating contracts and agreements.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate and timely legal advice on contractual, institutional, and operational matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and agreements (HCAs, Collaboration Agreements, MoUs, NDAs, third-party agreements).
• Support implementation of CIP policies and procedures to promote legal, compliance, and risk management best practices.
• Monitor legislative changes affecting CIP operations across regions.
• Coordinate due diligence and validation of partners, contractors, and suppliers.
• Design and deliver legal training to business units.
• Own legal templates, clause libraries, and monitoring tools; recommend process improvements.
• Coordinate and manage signing of legal documents and contracts; supervise the Legal Intern if assigned.
• Own legal intake, ticket registration, and workload tracking with metrics reporting.

Skills

Analytical skills

Spanish & English proficiency

Education

Law degree

Tools

MS Office

Job description

• Resource Type National Recruited Staff (NRS)
• Region HQ
• Date Opened 10/29/2026
• Job Type Full time
• Industry Research and Development
• City Lima
• State/Province Lima

Job Description

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking adynamic and experienced Legal Specialist to support our Legal Team in Lima,Peru. The Office of Legal Affairs provides legal advisoryservices and ensures effective management of legal and contractual risks byproviding such advice and assistance to the Area leaders of research andoperations in HQ and regions.

The Center:

CIP is a not-for-profitinternational agricultural research-for-development organization with a focuson potato, sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots andtubers improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving foodsecurity, improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root andtuber farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partnersto contribute to high-quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening forsustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, withstaff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and LatinAmerica. CIP is a member of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership. CGIAR is a globalresearch partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to transforming food,land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Its science is carried out by 15Research Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.

About the role:

The successful candidate will providespecialized legal advisory and contractual support to contribute to the Unit’sgoals. The Legal Specialist will report to the Legal Senior Manager and will bebased in Lima, Peru.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide accurateand timely legal advice to managers and staff on contractual, institutional,and operational matters.
• Draft, review, andnegotiate contracts and agreements (HCAs, Collaboration Agreements, MoUs, NDAs,and third-party agreements), identifying risks and proposing mitigation.
• Supportimplementation of CIP policies and procedures, promoting legal, compliance, andrisk management best practices.
• Monitor legislativechanges affecting CIP operations across LAC, Africa, and Asia.
• Coordinate duediligence and validation of partners, contractors, and suppliers.
• Design and deliverlegal training to business units.
• Own legaltemplates, clause libraries, and monitoring tools, recommending processimprovements.
• Coordinate andmanage the signing process of legal documents and contracts, ensuring timelyfollow-up and filing in electronic and physical archives, directing supportfrom the Legal Intern, if assigned.
• Own legal intake,ticket registration, and workload tracking, producing periodic metrics andreports on legal workload and service delivery, with data-entry and trackingsupport from the Legal Intern, if assigned.
• Supervise and guidethe Legal Intern, if assigned.
• Comply, in theperformance of assigned tasks, with applicable national and international laws,regulations, and standards, including health and safety requirements.

Requirements

What are we looking for?

• Law degree with professional title (Título deAbogado) and active bar membership (Colegiatura – CAL or regional equivalent).
• At least 6 years of relevant professionalexperience in a similar legal position.
• Proven experience drafting and negotiatingcontracts and agreements.
• Specialization in contracts law (desired).
• Experience in international organizations or NGOsis preferred.
• Familiarity with Peruvian legal procedures andinternational agreements.
• Knowledge of intellectual property law applicableto science and development (desired).
• Advanced qualitative and quantitative analyticalskills.
• Proficient in MS Office, especially Excel.
• Fluent in Spanish and advanced English (written andoral, C1 or higher) required.
• Strong innovation, accountability, teamwork, andintegrity; ensure confidentiality and ethical handling of sensitive legalinformation.

Whyshould you consider this opportunity?

• CIP is a global and reputable international organizationthat has a strong, state-of-the-art R&D background.
• CIP is dedicated to achieving food security, improvingnutrition and well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuberfarming and food systems in the developing world.
• CIP is a member of the CGIAR, a global researchpartnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated totransforming food, land and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research iscarried out by 15 CGIAR Research Centers in close collaboration with hundredsof partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil societyorganizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector.
• Be part of a vibrant legal community of practice composedof lawyers from CGIAR’s 15 International Centers.
• Work in an international environment with operationsacross LAC, Africa and Asia.

What are we offering?

• Greatcareer opportunity in an international organization.
• One-yearterm contract with the possibility of renewal.
• Work in an equal and diverseworkplace.