The Italian Interior Ministry represented by Criminal Police Central Directorate, International Police Cooperation Service together with Austria represented by aed (Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro (EUD) is searching for qualified experts from Montenegro for the positions of full-time local legal advisors in one of the four main components, who provide their know-how to the above-mentioned EU Contribution Agreement project in Montenegro.

The overall objective of the Contribution Agreement is to prepare Montenegro for the accession to the EU by assisting it to align with and effectively implement the relevant EU acquis and EU standards in the fields of Justice and Security under Chapters 23 and 24 in line with the new enlargement methodology. The specific objectives will aim at supporting Montenegro to strengthen the efficiency and performance of the judiciary and enhance the capacities of the institutions to fight against high level corruption and serious and organized crime, to produce a convincing track record on the more complex types of organized crime, including money laundering and tobacco smuggling, as well as in the confiscation of proceeds of crime.

The specific focus will be on the following indicative areas of intervention:

1. Strengthening professional skills and capacities to fight serious/organized crime and high-level corruption.

2. Implementing key judicial reforms, resulting in a strengthened independence of the judiciary and autonomy of the prosecution, as well as their impartiality, accountability, efficiency, and professionalism.

3. Improving the use of special surveillances measures (SIMs) with respect of fundamental rights by law enforcement bodies and of anti-corruption preventive measures and internal control measures within the police.

4. Strengthening judicial and law-enforcement institutions’ capacity to meet the criteria of the negotiation process under the chapters 23 and 24 (especially the benchmarks).

Interested applicants are expected to examine carefully and comply with all instructions and specifications contained in this tender dossier. Failure to submit an application containing all the required information and documentation within the set deadline will lead to the rejection of the application.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Under the supervision of the Team Leader and/or the International Long-Term Experts the legal advisors will assist the project in the implementation of the long-term project objectives and the daily tasks in one of the four indicative areas of intervention by undertaking necessary legal research and drafting and proofreading of various papers and documents on a wide and diverse range of substantive and procedural legal issues related to the project scope of work.

The working language of the project is English.

REQUIRED EXPERT PROFILE

• University degree in law
• A minimum of 5 years of post-degree professional experience required in a practical legal setting, preferably within the context of public administration, the prosecution office, court or law firm
• Previous working experience in an international setting is an advantage
• Sound specific experience in drafting legal opinions and analyses, as well as in interpreting legal texts will be considered as an asset
• Fluency in Montenegrin
• Excellent written and spoken proficiency in English
• Highest standards of integrity and experience in handling confidential information
• Very good oral and written communication and presentation skills, sensitive to political environment, excellent analytical skills, pragmatic approach, strong in strategic thinking and operational planning
• Flexibility, strong adaptation skills and capability of teamwork in a potentially stressful environment under tight deadlines
• National of Montenegro

DURATION AND LOCATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Availability must be ensured for a long-term and full-time engagement for the duration of 35 months and high preference will be given to candidates who are able to report to work after 15^th January 2025. Location of work is Podgorica, Montenegro (no remote work foreseen).