Deputy Unit Chief (Legal Services) - LEGF1 & LEGF2

Work for the IMF. Work for the World.

The Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund (the Fund) is seeking to fill up to two Deputy Division Chief positions, in the two divisions comprising the department’s Financial Integrity Group (FIG). The final number of positions and reporting line to the FIG1 and FIG2 divisions will depend on ongoing organizational needs. These positions are based at the Fund’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Travel to Fund member countries is expected.

The Fund is an international organization with a membership of 191 countries. The Fund's Legal Department aims at promoting and preserving the rule of law and financial integrity which is essential to the Fund in carrying out its mandate.

In fulfilling its mission, the Legal Department provides top-quality, professional advice to the Fund's Board of Governors, Executive Board, management and staff, and to the authorities of member countries on Fund law and policy, financial integrity issues, Fund-related administrative issues, and domestic legal and operational policy issues relevant to the Fund's mandate.

The department’s financial integrity work is conducted through FIG under the direct oversight of the General Counsel and Director of the Legal Department. Deputy Division Chiefs are members of the FIG management team, and under the direct supervision of the head of the division to which successful candidate or candidates will be assigned, are directly responsible for supporting their Head of the divisions in leading and overseeing their Division’s work in the financial integrity area, including anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).

The Legal Department offers a unique opportunity to contribute to strengthening and fostering global, regional and country efforts in financial integrity, including AML/CFT, with a view to promoting the integrity of the international financial system.

Duties and Responsibilities

Deputy Division Chiefs will support their Head of Divisions in providing strategic, intellectual and operational leadership in the management of their Divisions and FIG more broadly and in carrying out a broad range of substantive work in the area of financial integrity. More specifically, incumbents will be required to carry out the following duties and responsibilities under the direction of their Head of Divisions:

• Contribute to the effective management of their Divisions and FIG more broadly, including by working collaboratively with their Head of Divisions and other members of FIG’s management team, participating in FIG management team meetings, and contributing to FIG management initiatives;

• Assist their Head of the Divisions in the formulation and implementation of their Division’s work program and activities, and setting priorities for the Divisions in line with the overall financial integrity strategy of the Legal Department/Fund, as well as objectives and deliverables of the Department (as established in the Accountability Framework);

• Assist their Head of the Divisions in managing and assessing the performance of the Division members (staff and contractuals), implementing professional development strategies, recruiting and selecting new employees, and managing the Division’s financial resources, including with regard to resources related to the Thematic Fund that assists in financing most of the Fund’s AML/CFT capacity development and bilateral donor accounts, in a manner consistent with the Department’s overall budget strategy;

• Assist their Head of the Divisions in the supervision of their Division’s activities, including in the context of surveillance, Fund-supported programs, Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), AML/CFT assessments, capacity development, and research, both at a policy level and in a country-specific context;

• Coordinate timely and effectively between the Divisions, the other financial integrity Division and other Divisions of the Legal Department so as to provide consistent, integrated advice; and

lead effective collaboration with other departments and relevant external stakeholders to advance the Fund’s financial integrity issues agenda;

• Provide financial integrity advice and related services to the Fund’s departments and member countries; contribute to the inclusion of financial integrity issues into surveillance; Fund-supported programs, and FSAP; assess countries' implementation of international AML/CFT standards; contribute to capacity development activities; contribute to fostering a global dialogue on financial integrity issues in coordination with relevant regional and global partners; draft policy papers and review briefing papers and reports; conduct research and analysis on complex issues in the financial integrity area; and provide input on policy and operational papers and decisions;

• Represent their Divisions at meetings with senior staff from other departments and high-level officials from member countries, as well as in relevant Fund-wide taskforces and outreach activities such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF-style regional bodies (FSRBs); and

• Carry out other assignments as determined by their Head of the Division.

Qualifications

Completion of LLM, JD, LLB, or equivalent, and licensed to practice law in any Fund’s member jurisdiction, is required, together with a minimum of twelve (12) years of professional legal experience at increasingly senior levels of responsibility, inclusive of managerial and/or supervisory experience, in one or more areas of law that are relevant to the Fund's mandate and to LEG's work program. including at least 8 years of direct professional experience, including experience at the national or international level, preferably within a national government or an international organization, a specialized domestic entity such as a financial intelligence unit or an AML/CFT supervisor or regulator, with the FATF or a FSRB, or with a private sector entity, such as a bank.

Demonstrated experience with AML/CFT topics such as correspondent banking pressures, FinTech and virtual assets, transparency of beneficial ownership, illicit financial flows, and assessing risks (including gathering, using, and interpreting data) would be distinct advantages. Successful candidates will also possess a deep understanding and practice of financial integrity issues and architecture at an international level, and a solid knowledge of Fund policies related to surveillance and conditionality.

Successful candidates will have strong skills in supervising and mentoring staff. Successful candidates will have excellent analytical skills, written and oral communication skills, sound judgment and a strong drive for results. They will have a proven track record as an intellectual leader on financial integrity issues, as well as a collegial disposition, strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to build effective working relations within and outside the Fund. Knowledge of languages other than English (the official language of the Fund) with professional-level fluency would be an asset.

A regular staff member who is selected to fill the vacancy will maintain their open-ended status. Staff members already on a term appointment will continue their current term but may receive an extension provided that their current term appointment has not already been extended.

The position requires Review Committee /Senior Review Committee Approval.

This position is open to eligible economist and specialized staff.

All applicants are expected to include a Statement of Interest as an attachment to the application, which may be used in the screening process for this vacancy.

Contractual employees are ineligible to apply for staff positions that are advertised internally only. This is alignment with the Fund’s Category of Employment (CoE) Framework EBAP/14/89

This vacancy shall be filled by a 3-year Term appointment in accordance with the Fund’s new employment rules that took effect on May 1, 2015. 

Managerial vacancy selections/appointments at Grades A14/A15-B3 require Review Committee/Senior Review Committee approval, with exceptions for (i) intra- and inter departmental lateral selections/appointments for candidates already in titled managerial positions, (ii) MAPs and SWAPs, and (ii) candidates who are currently included on the Review Committee List.

Department:

Hiring For:

The IMF is guided by the principle that the employment, classification, promotion, and assignment of staff shall be made without discrimination against any person. We welcome requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities during the selection process. Information on how to request accommodations will be provided during the application process.