Legal Analyst

Job Posting Organization:
The job posting organization is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is the leading United Nations organization focused on ending poverty, inequality, and climate change. Established in 1965, UNDP operates in 170 countries, partnering with governments, civil society, and the private sector to build integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet. The organization is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture, and encourages individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. UNDP emphasizes the importance of transparency, accountability, and ethical standards in its operations, ensuring that all applications are treated with strict confidentiality and that selected candidates undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Job Overview:
The position of Legal Analyst is crucial for providing legal expertise and advisory support to the UNDP Project team and national counterparts in advancing Moldova’s Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) reform in the agricultural sector. The Analyst will focus on developing, reviewing, and aligning the legal and regulatory framework necessary for the operationalization of the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), which is essential for EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)-aligned area-based support and compliance controls. The role involves engaging with key national counterparts, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) and the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA), to provide targeted legal advice, support legal drafting processes, and contribute to institutional capacity development for IACS implementation. The Analyst will also review existing agricultural legislation to identify gaps and overlaps affecting IACS deployment, ensuring that the legal architecture is coherent and implementable, aligned with Moldova’s EU accession commitments, and supports the broader objectives of agricultural modernization and digital governance.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Legal Analyst will undertake a variety of duties, including:

• Legal analysis and drafting: Provide legal expertise for the design, drafting, and review of primary and secondary legislation, government decisions, and other normative acts required to operationalize LPIS and related IACS modules.
• Support for legal reform and approximation: Contribute to legal screening, approximation assessments, and legislative planning related to agricultural governance reforms required for IACS implementation.
• Advisory support and coordination: Participate in technical meetings and inter-institutional consultations to ensure legal provisions are well understood and effectively implemented. Collaborate with policy and institutional experts to ensure legal coherence across all aspects of the project.
• Prepare and finalize complete legal packages required for formal submission and adoption, ensuring legal soundness and integration of feedback from stakeholders.
• Engage with national counterparts and provide targeted legal advice to support the formulation and adjustment of legal frameworks and institutional arrangements.
• Contribute to knowledge products or briefs on legal and institutional requirements for CAP-aligned agricultural administration and IACS implementation.
• Perform other duties as necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, Public Policy, European Studies, Human Rights, or a related field, combined with at least two years of qualifying experience. Alternatively, a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in one of the above fields, along with four years of qualifying experience, will also be considered. Candidates must have a proven track record in legal and/or regulatory drafting, legal approximation, and institutional or policy reform, as well as a good understanding of the national legal and institutional context in Moldova. Proficiency in using standard office software is also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, Public Policy, European Studies, Human Rights, or a related field. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in one of these fields, combined with additional qualifying experience, will also be considered. Additional training or certification in EU law, legal harmonization, and/or regulatory impact assessments would be advantageous.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of two years of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level in legal drafting, regulatory reform, legal approximation to EU acquis, or related policy and institutional advisory roles. Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree must have at least four years of relevant experience. Experience in EU approximation and legal gap analyses aligned with EU directives/regulations is considered an asset, as is experience in working with UN agencies, governments, NGOs, and civil society organizations.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Romanian is required for this position. Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, such as Russian, Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, or sign language, is considered an asset.

Additional Notes:
The position is full-time and involves working closely with national counterparts and stakeholders in the agricultural sector. UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement and may retain applications for other similar positions. The organization does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, and all selected candidates will undergo relevant checks to ensure compliance with UNDP’s standards and principles.