Legal Officer - Internal Market Division (IMD) - VA 01/2021

Scope

The Internal Market Division (IMD) is responsible for support and assistance to the EFTA States in their work related to the incorporation of EU legislative acts into the EEA Agreement. The Division coordinates the work of Subcommittees I-IV and the several working groups thereunder that consist of experts from the EFTA States, covering all EU policy areas falling within the scope of the EEA Agreement.

IMD consists of 22 staff members and among them there are currently 2 legal officers. The successful candidate will become the third legal officer in IMD.

The Legal Officers in IMD report to the Director of IMD. They are also part of EFTA’s EEA legal team, which is led by the Head of EEA Legal Coordination in the EFTA Secretariat’s Coordination Division (ECD).

We are looking for a highly motivated and qualified candidate to take on the challenging post as Legal Officer in IMD. The successful candidate will play a central  role in IMD, cooperating closely with and providing legal advice to colleagues and the EEA EFTA States.  

The main tasks of the successful applicant will be to:

• provide legal services and advice to the EEA EFTA States and colleagues in IMD within a wide selection of policy areas covered by the EEA Agreement (in particular energy, environment and transport),
• draft EEA Joint Committee Decisions incorporating EEA-relevant EU legal acts into the EEA Agreement,
• draft legal and explanatory notes related to the management of the EEA Agreement,
• cooperate closely with the IMD policy officers,  administrative coordinators, Registrar and EFTA´s EEA legal team,
• cooperate closely with Ministries in the EEA EFTA States, the EFTA Missions to the EU and EU counterparts regarding the incorporation of EU legislation into the EEA Agreement,
• contribute to EFTA’s outreach activities, sharing knowledge and building competence on how the EEA Agreement functions and its legal implications, by giving presentations and seminars.

The successful candidate must be flexible and willing to take on other tasks, both non-legal and administrative, as required and depending on the workload and needs within IMD.

Qualifications

• University Degree in Law, preferably a Master’s in European Union Law.

Experience

• Minimum three years’ relevant work experience in a national administration, international organisation, a law firm or other relevant private sector company
• Experience working with EU law
• Experience working with the EEA Agreement
• Experience working in an international and multicultural environment

Skills

• Excellent analytical skills and focus on results
• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Self-reliance and autonomy, together with a facility for teamwork in a task-oriented environment
• Flexibility with a positive, service-minded and enthusiastic attitude
• Ability to draft legal texts and opinions concisely, clearly and swiftly in English
• Proficient user of standard Microsoft Office software

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Knowledge of French and other EU or EFTA languages an asset.

Employment Terms

Grade: A4
Annual salary: EUR 97.397

Appointments are made at the first step of the grade. The Secretary-General reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level different from that advertised. Through its recruitment policy, the EFTA Secretariat wants to ensure diversity in terms of gender, age and culture.

EFTA is an international organisation and the salaries and related payments are normally exempt from income taxation by the EFTA States and the host states of the EFTA duty stations. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.

Applicants must be nationals of one of the EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

Applicants must apply online via the EFTA e-recruitment tool. Please note that only applications received via our web tool will be considered.

For further information on this post, please contact:

On job content: Ms Audur Yr Steinarsdottir, Deputy Director IMD, audur@efta.int

On process: Ms Inga Hanna Gudmundsdottir, Head of HR, ihg@efta.int

Technical issues: HR Support, HR.support@efta.int  

Any questions about the application and selection process should be directed to HR.

Deadline for applications: 20 February 2021.