Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library)

The Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library) serves as the primary custodian of the International Seabed Authority's legal memory, managing legal materials and digital archives to support the Secretariat's legal work. The role involves specialized law library oversight, legal knowledge strategy, legal research, and coordination and training within the Office of Legal Affairs in Kingston, Jamaica.

Responsibilities

• Manage the acquisition, organization, and digital archiving of legal materials, including access to specialized law databases.
• Develop and maintain terminology, taxonomies, and indexing systems specifically for legal documentation such as UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement.
• Develop and maintain common formats and metadata schemes for internal online information services to standardize content capture, storage, search, and retrieval.
• Prepare results-based work plans and budgets for the library and archive, including knowledge management activities.
• Coordinate creation, organization, management and preservation of digital and audio archival records in line with ISA/UN requirements and standards, including audio records of meetings.
• Coordinate preservation of the Authority’s historical legal documents, including records of the PrepCom and UNCLOS III.
• Develop and facilitate a knowledge management plan tailored to the legal department, including conducting knowledge audits to identify gaps in institutional memory.
• Prepare and implement Standard Operating Procedures for managing internal electronic records and legal work outputs.
• Oversee management of records transfer and retention schedules in line with ISA/UN requirements.
• Act as lead focal point for legal team to search, retrieve, and synthesize international instruments, national legislation, case law, decisions of the Assembly and Council, doctrine, and other relevant sources.
• Conduct targeted investigations to verify institutional precedents and specific mandates.
• Provide research memoranda and compilations of legal authorities to support drafting of Secretary-General reports, regulatory frameworks, and policy notes.
• Maintain searchable collections of international jurisprudence and treaty texts relevant to the Law of the Sea.
• Provide specialized training to Secretariat staff and stakeholders on legal research methods and use of Law Library digital platforms.
• Liaise with other international law libraries and UN agencies to facilitate resource sharing and stay abreast of emerging legal research technologies.
• Coordinate with assistant librarian to delineate legal and scientific materials, providing cross-indexing where necessary.

Requirements

• An Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in Law (LL.B. or LL.M.), Library and Information Studies, Library Science, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree, combined with an additional two (2) years of relevant qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive professional experience in an international organization, government, law firm or legal office, library or knowledge management environment or comparable setting with responsibilities in one or more of the following areas: knowledge or information management, modern library services, digital records management, and complex legal research, or related fields, is required.
• Experience in legal and/or policy research, including within an international organization, government legal department, law firm, legal office, law library or comparable multilateral setting is desirable.
• Experience supporting intergovernmental or multilateral processes, including coordination, preparation of analytical or briefing materials, and/or follow up to negotiations or intersessional work, is desirable.
• Experience in managing metadata, taxonomies, and classification schemes, particularly for legal materials is desirable.
• Proficiency in digital library systems, or knowledge management systems, web-based collaborative platforms, and/or digital records preservation systems is desirable.
• Experience in developing content management standards, procedures, and guidelines is desirable.
• English is required at UN Level III for reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Skills

• Legal Research
• Knowledge Management
• Library Services
• Physical and Digital Records Management
• Metadata Management
• Taxonomy Development
• Classification Schemes
• Content Management Standards
• Legal Information Management
• Digital Library Systems
• Online Collaboration Platforms
• Legal Policy Research
• Intergovernmental Process Support
• Analytical Material Preparation
• Briefing Material Preparation
• Legal Archives Management
• Training Coordination

Languages

English