ROLE PURPOSE 

Gold Standard seeks a Legal Officer, reporting to the Senior Manager, Legal.  Under the supervision of the Senior Manager, Legal, the incumbent will contribute to safeguard Gold Standard’s reputation, minimize exposure to legal and contractual risk, by ensuring that the company complies with all applicable rules and regulations, corporate guidelines, and through the creation of a culture of legal process compliance within the organization. The Officer, Legal will also collaborate with the Senior Manager, Legal in implementing measures and privacy governance framework to manage data use in compliance with the GDPR, and other data protection regulations.

WHAT WE DO

Gold Standard is a standards body and thought leader that promotes the best that can be achieved in climate and development projects. It was established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice standard to ensure projects that reduced carbon emissions under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) also delivered sustainable development benefits. Today, our standard, ‘Gold Standard for the Global Goals’, allows climate and development initiatives within carbon markets, corporate supply chains, and sustainable finance to manage, measure and maximise their impacts toward the Net Zero ambition of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Certification against the standard provides the confidence that these results are measured and verified, enabling credible impact reporting. ISEAL Code Compliant and backed by a broad NGO Supporter Network, Gold Standard has 2000+ projects underway in over 90 countries, creating billions of dollars of shared value from climate and development action worldwide.

YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOLLOWING: 

Legal

• Legal Advice: Providing legal advice and opinions on a wide range of legal issues to the Gold Standard's management, departments, and employees. This involves researching and interpreting laws, regulations, and legal precedents relevant to the organization's activities.
• Contract Review and Drafting: Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating various types of contracts, including agreements with clients, suppliers, and business partners.
• Legal Documentation: Preparing and reviewing legal documents, such as legal agreements, policies, procedures, and other legal instruments. Ensuring that these documents are accurate, enforceable, and comply with legal requirements.
• Risk Assessment and Management: Identifying and assessing legal risks and proposing strategies to manage and mitigate them. This includes conducting risk analysis, providing recommendations on risk avoidance or mitigation measures, and developing risk management policies.
• Legal Research: Conducting legal research to stay updated on new laws, regulations, and legal developments relevant to the organization's operations. Analysing the potential impact of legal changes on the organization and providing guidance accordingly.

Data protection

• Data Protection Compliance: Ensuring the organization's compliance with data protection laws and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or other applicable data protection laws in different jurisdictions. This involves conducting privacy impact assessments, developing and implementing data protection policies and procedures, and ensuring that data processing activities are conducted lawfully.
• Data Processing Agreements: Reviewing and negotiating data processing agreements with third-party service providers to ensure that appropriate data protection clauses and safeguards are in place. Assessing the privacy and security practices of vendors and partners to mitigate data protection risks.
• Data Breach Management: Establishing and implementing procedures to detect, investigate, and respond to data breaches.
• Employee Training and Awareness: Providing training and awareness programs for employees on data protection and privacy matters.
• Regulatory Compliance: Monitoring changes in data protection laws and regulations and assessing their impact on the organization's operations. Keeping abreast of legal developments, industry standards, and best practices in data protection and privacy to ensure ongoing compliance.

YOU WILL BRING TO THE ROLE:  

Qualifications

• Law degree from a law school / university and ideally supplemented by a post-graduate degree in law.
• Data protection and information privacy certifications required.
• Fluency in English is required, and knowledge of French would be beneficial.

Experience

• At least 3-5 years’ experience in a legal environment or working on legal/data related topics, preferably with some experience or exposure to NGO/Non- Profit environment.
• Successful experience in implementing data governance and protection framework and policies in NGOs/international organizations context.
• Proven track record of working successfully in an international environment and in cross-cultural teams.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills that allow to effectively facilitate, influence and communicate with legal teams, stakeholders as well as external partners.
• General agility, sound judgement and a highly developed legal and commercial sense with a pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach.
• Self-motivated, structured working, conceptual thinking, and strategic reasoning, while being hands-on and not afraid of taking decisions
• Team player with highest levels of ethics and integrity

WHAT WE OFFER:

The salary range for this role will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Other benefits to working at Gold Standard include:

• A mission-driven organisation working at the leading edge of climate and sustainability
• Rewarding work in a dynamic non-profit environment
• A collaborative workplace within a multicultural team
• An ambitious, agile and flexible environment

APPLICATIONS 

Applications for this role will close on  17th December 2023. Successful candidates will be contacted for an interview.  Please submit a 1-page cover letter explaining why you want to work for the Gold Standard and a CV through our recruitment portal.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 

Gold Standard provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. We are dedicated to an inclusive culture and we strive to create a workplace where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together.