National Legal Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO Representation in Sierra Leone implements an integrated food security programme, focusing on diversification of livelihoods, managing natural resources and building resilience. The office employs diverse team of experts locally, but also attracts the available technical experts from the region and the Head Quarters (HQ). FAO works in close partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone, farmers and other stakeholders, supporting plans and policies that affect the food and nutrition security in the country; our work is part of the corporate commitment to support countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, especially SDG 2 on Zero Hunger.

Since 2014 FAO has been supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in promoting a land reform process, inspired and guided by the principles of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of national food security (VGGT) through legal and policy advice, institutional development, capacity development and support to the establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Land.

The passage of the National Land Policy in 2015 and the Customary Land Act as well as the National Land Commission Act (NLCA) in 2022 represent significant land sector reforms towards decentralization, strengthening of women's land rights, and protecting customary land. The Customary Land Rights Act seeks to secure customary land tenure and provides guidance for customary land registration, which is a new process in Sierra Leone. The National Land Commission Act seeks to reform the institutional structures responsible for land administration by merging several land administration functions in one entity. Further, the new land acts call for the decentralization of land administration structures to the district, chiefdom, and village levels. Both acts emphasize the strengthening of women's land rights and women's decision-making power related to land.

Based on the above background, FAO has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Land, Housing and Country Planning (MLHCP) to provide technical assistance for the implementation of the project titled Innovative Solutions for Land Dispute Resolution in Sierra Leone (UTF/SIL/059/SIL), to pilot innovative approaches for land dispute resolution and capacity building of women, youth and other disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in the context of land sector reforms in Sierra Leone, as provided for in the National Land Policy 2015, Customary land Rights Act 2022, National Land Commission Act 2022 and other applicable land and gender laws.

Reporting Lines

Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative in Sierra Leone and the direct supervision of the Legal Officer of LEGN, in close collaboration with the FAO technical colleagues in the FAO office in Sierra Leone and in HQ, and the Legal Specialist.

Technical Focus

The National Legal Specialist will provide technical legal expertise to support the effective implementation of project activities aimed at strengthening women’s land rights through Gender Transformative Approaches (GTAs), including but not limited to the four districts in Sierra Leone identified by the project. The specialist will assess legal and normative barriers, including the interaction of newly adopted and existing laws with customary systems, with a focus on gender equality and inclusive land governance.

Working collaboratively with the Legal Specialist, the National Legal Specialist will be responsible for delivering high-quality and timely legal analyses, trainings and recommendations. He/she will be responsible for the development of legal and policy proposals, action plans, and capacity-building tools to ensure the efficient and timely achievement of project-related outputs in line with FAO standards and donor (World Bank) requirements.

Tasks and responsibilities

General Objectives:

•     Provide high-level legal expertise to support the effective implementation of project activities aimed at strengthening women’s land rights, improving the land dispute resolution system, and promoting inclusive land governance through Gender Transformative Approaches (GTAs) across four districts in Sierra Leone.
•     Conduct legal analysis of statutory and customary frameworks to identify and address barriers to women’s land rights, in line with recent national legislation (CLRA, LCA, GEWEA) and international standards such as the VGGT and human rights instruments., the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), and the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment.
•     Support improvements to the functionality and gender responsiveness of land dispute resolution mechanisms of Sierra Leone by fostering alignment between statutory law and customary frameworks.
•     Provide legal inputs from national experience to inform legal tools, policy recommendations, and capacity-strengthening efforts that promote gender-equitable land tenure systems.
•     Co-develop training and awareness materials to build the capacity of key actors in land dispute resolution and equitable land governance. 
•     Promote legal literacy and awareness among formal and informal institutions, in close coordination with the Legal Specialist and broader project team to ensure that legal interventions are context-specific, implementable, and aligned with national legislative processes and sociocultural dynamics.
•     Support and ensure that legal activities and outputs are delivered on time, meet high quality standards, and adhere with FAO and donor (World Bank) Environmental and Social Safeguards protocols and reporting requirements.
•     Perform other tasks requested to ensure delivery of project deliverables and legal components.  

Specific Tasks

•     Collect, review, and analyse national policy and legal instruments (including hard-to-access draft laws and customary rules) relevant to land, gender equality, and dispute resolution.
•     Provide technical support for the design and application of the legal assessment tool developed to assess the extent to which national laws align with international legal obligations and voluntary soft law standards (e.g., VGGT, GEWEA).
•     Conduct in close collaboration with the International Legal Specialist a legal assessment of barriers to women’s land rights in Sierra Leone, examining how new and existing laws (e.g. CLRA, LCA, GEWEA, Legal Aid Act, Local Courts Act) interact with customary law systems.
•     Identify gaps, inconsistencies, and implementation barriers in national legal and institutional frameworks, especially those affecting women’s land rights and access to justice.
•     Contribute to the analysis of dispute resolution mechanisms by gathering data on formal, informal, and customary practices, and formulating practical, locally grounded recommendations for their gender-responsive improvement.
•     Collaborate on the development of guidelines or by-laws for land dispute resolution actors, tailored to the requirements of the new legal framework and sensitive to the local contexts and customary practices.
•     Provide legal technical inputs to the design and delivery of training programs sensitization content, and other knowledge products.
•     Provide technical support to consultations with and trainings for national and local actors (e.g., ministries, traditional authorities, CSOs, legal aid bodies) to validate findings and build support for proposed reforms on the content and application of new legal framework.
•     Collaborate closely with the International Legal Specialist and the broader project team to ensure coherence, complementarity, and contextual relevance in all legal activities.
•     Prepare and support the preparation of reports and deliverables, ensuring accuracy and local contextual relevance, and in line with project timelines, FAO quality standards, and donor reporting requirements.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree in law, preferably with specialization in land law, international law, gender, or development law.
•     Minimum of 2 years of national legal experience in land governance, legal reform, and human rights, ideally including previous experience in Sierra Leone or West Africa.
•     Working knowledge (level C) of English. 
•     National of Sierra Leone or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/ Functional Skills

•     Ability to supervise, manage and support to field activities of the project.
•     Ability to manage trainings and capacity building programme of the project. 
•     Relevant experience/ exposure, skills and knowledge in results-based approach/management. 
•     Ability to communicate with different stakeholders.
•     Different types of report writing skills.
•     Computer skill (Microsoft office, Photoshop).
•     Good report writing skills.
•     Experience with the UN agencies in similar position is added advantage.

Selection criteria

•     Demonstrated expertise in applying international instruments such as the VGGT and gender equality frameworks to national legal systems.
•     Proven experience in Sierra Leone conducting legal assessments, producing legal tools or manuals, and advising on institutional or legislative reforms in multi-legal systems (statutory and customary law).
•     Strong legal analysis skills and the ability to provide relevant recommendations.
•     Experience working in coordination with national counterparts (government, customary, civil society).
•     Excellent drafting, analytical, and communication skills in English. 
•     Experience working with FAO, the UN system, or international financial institutions (e.g. World Bank) is an asset.