Project Management Support Specialist (Local Law)

UNOPS; Kansas; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UNOPS in Albania seeks a Project Management Support Specialist to lead legal analysis and advisory work for land governance reform. You will adapt policies to national contexts, ensuring compliance with EU requirements and supporting cadastral service improvements.

The role requires extensive experience in Albanian law, property rights, and relevant EU frameworks, with a focus on risk mitigation and due diligence throughout project activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in law with 7+ years of relevant experience or Master’s degree with 5+ years.
• Extensive experience in legal analysis of national laws and EU alignment.
• Strong knowledge of Albanian property and land administration frameworks.
• Ability to translate legal analysis into practical recommendations for cadastral services.

Responsibilities

• Provide authoritative legal analysis and advisory support to the project team.
• Assess laws, regulations and policies relevant to project activities and gaps.
• Monitor EU acquis alignment and advise on compliance with EU standards.
• Support digitisation and improvement of cadastral maps and LPIS components.

Skills

Legal analysis

Albania law familiarity

Property rights knowledge

Cadastral knowledge bridge

Education

Bachelor’s in law with 7+ years

Master’s in law or related field with 5+ years

Job description

Job Highlight

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to Albania's critical land administration reform, directly impacting property rights, legal certainty, and the country's EU accession efforts. You will leverage your legal expertise to navigate complex national and EU regulatory landscapes, ensuring project activities align with best practices and drive sustainable improvements in land governance.

About The Project Office

Established in 2020, the UNOPS Office in Albania supports national efforts to improve economic and social conditions in the wake of the November 2019 earthquake. Through its flagship initiatives, UNOPS is contributing to the rehabilitation of cultural heritage sites and the digital transformation of the justice sector. By combining project management, infrastructure development, and technical expertise, UNOPS aims to strengthen Albania’s resilience, enhance public services, and promote sustainable development. The Albania office also plays a role in fostering connectivity and advancing healthcare standards across the country.

Role Purpose

The Project Management Support Specialist acts as a seasoned professional, providing authoritative legal analysis and advisory support to the project team. This role involves independently managing legal aspects of the project, adapting existing policies to meet emerging needs in property rights and land administration, and ensuring compliance with national and EU regulations to facilitate Albania's land governance reform and EU accession.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Project Manager, the Project Management Support Specialist is responsible for providing support to the project team for the implementation of the activities, as follows:
• Legal Analysis: Assess existing national laws, regulations, and policies relevant for the implementation of project activities and provide the overview of the legislative base related to the identified processes and data flows; identify potential legal gaps, risks and compliance issues, and if necessary propose the judicial amendments.
• Legal Updates: Stay informed about developments on property rights, state cadastre and land parcel management. Monitor changes in national laws, regulations, and best practices, adapting strategies to address emerging legal risks and ensure alignment with current standards.
• Alignment with EU Regulations, Standards and Integration: Analyze and consider relevant EU regulations, standards, practices, and requirements related to property rights, land parcel management and administration. Ensure that project activities and outputs align with EU acquis and support Albania's broader objectives of harmonization with EU frameworks.
• Technical and Quality Support: Contribute to the design and development of proposed solutions by offering relevant legal analysis and advisory support, ensuring compliance with national and EU regulations. This includes:
  • Evaluating legal gap analysis, including addressing data protection and privacy concerns;
  • Analysing existing legal barriers to cadastral processes to facilitate the transition to modernized, efficient service delivery mechanisms;
  • Providing legal advice and support in the Business Process Review - assessing, optimizing, and strengthening the efficiency and transparency of the State Cadastre Agency business processes and service delivery mechanisms through the Land Administration Business Value Chain (BVC) for cadastral services;
  • Providing support in digitisation, and update and improvement of cadastral maps components;
  • Providing support to the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) component.
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Support the project manager in conducting preliminary risk assessments to identify factors that could impact project viability from regulatory perspectives, and recommend proactive solutions.
• Due Diligence and Documentation: Prepare a due diligence checklist, document legal advice and compliance activities as requested by the supervisor.

The advice provided by the Project Management Support Specialist will be limited to providing necessary local law advice in the context of project implementation and the matters listed above. Any issue that relates to other legal matters shall be referred to the UNOPS Legal Group.

Matters falling under the purview of UNOPS Legal Group include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Legal clearance and interpretation of engagements and any amendments thereof;
• Legal clearance of deviations to and interpretation of General Conditions in UNOPS grant agreements and procurement contracts, including works contracts;
• Legal advice related to disputes between UNOPS and external parties, including representation of UNOPS in legal proceedings;
• Other legal advice related to UNOPS’ operations that does not require local law advice;
• Legal advice related to UNOPS privileges and immunities and UNOPS’ status as a UN entity;
• Administrative law advice and personnel disputes.

Education Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) preferably in law or a closely related area with 7 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required

Experience Requirements

• At least 5 years experience in legal analysis and advising on national laws, with specific emphasis on property rights and land administration.
• Familiarity with Albania's legal system and national regulations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Albanian property legal framework.
• Technical understanding and ability to bridge the gap between technical cadastral operations (e.g., geodetic mapping, registration records) and legal requirements.

Desired

• Expertise in data protection and privacy laws (e.g., GDPR or local data protection regulations).
• Knowledge of information security regulations, and best practices for protecting sensitive data and systems.
• Experience in providing legal advisory on EU accession.