Head of Co-ordination Secretariat Unit

Head of Co-ordination Secretariat Unit

OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Paris, France

From € 11 134.80 per month

The ISRP is looking for a Head of Co-ordination Secretariat Unit to lead and provide senior institutional legal counsel, governance support and co-ordination across the ISRP’s legal, committee and stakeholder-facing activities. Reporting to the Head of the ISRP, the incumbent will ensure high-quality legal analysis, sound interpretation of applicable rules and regulations, effective support to committees and working groups, and the timely delivery of legally robust advice and documentation.

Job Description

Main Responsibilities

Strategic legal advice and institutional governance

• Lead the provision of senior legal analysis and advice on pensions, remuneration, institutional obligations, governance arrangements and the interpretation of applicable rules and regulations
• Advise the Head of the International Service for Remunerations and Pensions (ISRP), the Committee of Representatives of the Secretaries/Directors-General (CRSG), the Co-ordinating Committee on Remuneration (CCR), the Pensions Administrative Committee of the Co-ordinated Organisations (CAPOC) and client organisations on complex legal, governance and procedural matters.
• Oversee the preparation and quality assurance of legal opinions, technical notes, committee proposals, reports and institutional documents submitted to the CRSG, the CCR and CAPOC.
• Ensure that legal advice, institutional documents and committee submissions are clear, consistent, risk-aware and aligned with the applicable legal and governance frameworks.
• Lead the drafting, review and presentation of complex legal, governance, policy and institutional documents in both English and French, ensuring that advice and analysis are clear, accurate, well-structured and tailored to senior legal and non-legal audiences in an international context.

Committee secretariat and stakeholder co-ordination

• Direct the Unit’s secretariat support to the CRSG, the CCR, CAPOC, bilateral, tripartite and working group meetings, including agendas, Chair briefings, summary records, document distribution and follow-up of decisions.
• Ensure effective co-ordination with ISRP units, OECD legal services, committee representatives, Co-ordinated Organisations and Associated Organisations on legal, governance and policy-related matters.
• Represent the Unit in relevant internal and external discussions and maintain trusted working relationships with senior stakeholders, ensuring timely, accurate and professional delivery of advice and documentation.
• Ensure clear and effective written and oral communication in both English and French with committee representatives, senior stakeholders, Co-ordinated Organisations and Associated Organisations and International Financial Institutions, including the preparation of concise briefings, records, conclusions and follow-up documentation.

Regulatory, contractual and dispute-related work

• Lead and oversee the drafting, review and negotiation of legal and institutional instruments, including regulations, memoranda of agreement, exchanges of letters and arrangements relating to special assistance or transfer of pension rights.
• Support litigation-related work and complex individual cases by providing legal analysis, drafting input and co-ordination with relevant legal services and stakeholders.
• Provide legal analysis and drafting input in relation to litigation-related matters, complex individual cases and dispute-related questions, in co-ordination with relevant legal services and stakeholders.
• Monitor legal and institutional developments affecting pension schemes, remuneration frameworks and international administrative law, and assess their implications for the ISRP and the organisations it serves.
• Data protection and information governance.
• Oversee legal and governance aspects of data protection, confidentiality and information handling within the Unit’s areas of responsibility.
• Ensure that legal documentation, committee records and sensitive information are handled in accordance with applicable OECD rules, procedures and good governance standards.
• Orchestrate the implementation of data protection and information governance improvements affecting the Unit’s legal, committee and stakeholder-facing activities.

Service-wide co-ordination and delivery

• Ensure that the Unit contributes effectively to the ISRP’s broader service delivery, including support to Co-ordinated Organisations, Associated Organisations and International Financial Institutions where relevant.
• Provide legal and governance input to cross-unit projects involving pensions, payroll, actuarial studies, compensation and benefits, data protection, communication and services to external stakeholders.
• Support the continuous improvement of Unit processes, documentation standards and knowledge management practices to strengthen efficiency, consistency and service quality.

Unit leadership and people management

• Lead, manage and develop the Co-ordination Secretariat Unit, setting priorities, allocating work and ensuring high-quality delivery across legal, committee and stakeholder-support activities.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and accountable working environment, supporting staff development, performance management, knowledge sharing and continuity of expertise.
• Promote a culture of integrity, sound judgement, service orientation and continuous improvement within the Unit.

Qualifications

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• An advanced university degree in law, preferably with a specialisation in public law, international administrative law, institutional law, international civil service law or another field relevant to the role.

Professional Background

• Extensive professional experience providing legal advice in an international, intergovernmental or comparable institutional environment, including on the interpretation and application of rules, regulations and governance frameworks.
• Proven experience supporting or advising committees, governing bodies or senior management, including the preparation of legal opinions, technical notes, reports, proposals and institutional documentation.
• Strong knowledge of pensions, remuneration, international civil service law or institutional administrative law would be a distinct advantage.
• Proven ability to advise on complex legal, contractual and procedural matters, including memoranda of agreement, exchanges of letters, transfer of pension rights, dispute-related matters and governance documentation.
• Experience in managing, developing and motivating professional staff, setting priorities, ensuring quality control and supporting continuity of expertise.
• Proven ability to communicate complex legal, governance and procedural issues with clarity, tact and authority in a stakeholder-facing environment.
• Excellent drafting, analytical and communication skills in legal, governance, policy and international institutional contexts, with proven ability to prepare, review and present complex legal and institutional documents clearly and accurately in both English and French for senior legal and non-legal audiences.

Tools

• Excellent command of Microsoft Office Suite, in particular Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Ability to work with online platforms, databases and digital repositories used for legal, governance, committee or stakeholder-support activities.
• Experience using document management, collaboration and workflow tools to prepare, review, track and archive legal, committee and institutional documentation.

Core Competencies

• OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring process: Vision and Strategy (Level 3); Enable People (Level 2); Ethics and Integrity (Level 3); Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 3); Achieve Results (Level 3); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 2).
• To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.

Languages

• Excellent command of both OECD official languages, English and French, both written and spoken, with proven ability to draft, review and present complex legal, governance, policy and institutional documents clearly and accurately in both languages.
• Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.