Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library)

The Knowledge Management Officer (Law Library) serves as the primary custodian of the organization’s legal memory within the Office of Legal Affairs of the International Seabed Authority. The role involves managing legal knowledge resources, supporting legal research, and maintaining institutional archives to support the Secretariat’s legal work and regulatory development.

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.
• 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 the Law Library’s 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.
• Certification in Certified Knowledge Specialist (CKS) or Records and Information Management (RIM) is desirable.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive professional experience in a library and/or law firm or legal office environment, with responsibilities in knowledge management, information management, modern library services, digital records management, and complex legal research, or related fields, is required.
• Proven experience in legal research, law library management, a government legal department, or the legal office of an international organization is required.
• Experience in managing metadata, taxonomies, and classification schemes, particularly for legal materials is desirable.
• Proficiency in digital library systems, web-based collaborative platforms, and 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

• Knowledge Management
• Legal Research
• Law Library Management
• Information Management
• Physical and Digital Records Management
• Metadata Management
• Taxonomy Development
• Classification Schemes
• Digital Library Systems
• Content Management Standards
• Records and Archives Management
• Legal Knowledge Preservation
• Library Sciences
• Legal Office Experience
• Web-based Collaborative Platforms

Languages

English