Litigation Specialist, Office of the General Counsel

Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified nationals of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States and Associate Members of the Caribbean Community to fill the  above-mentioned position in the Caribbean Community Secretariat with assigned duty station in Guyana. 

FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Litigation Specialist is required to assist in the management and execution of all litigation matters in the Office of the General Counsel. The Litigation Specialist is responsible for supporting and managing litigation matters from inception through resolution. This role involves coordinating all activities during the litigation and pre-litigation phases, conducting legal research, maintaining case documentation, communicating with attorneys and external parties, and ensuring compliance with legal procedures and deadlines. The Litigation Specialist serves as a key resource in the efficient handling of disputes, claims, and legal proceedings.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Candidates must possess an LLM or a Postgraduate Degree in International Law, International Administrative Law or other relevant field and must be admitted to the Bar of a CARICOM Member State.  In addition, candidates must have at least seven (7) years of demonstrated experience as an Attorney-at-Law on record, with responsibility for litigation, litigation support, legal operations, claims management, industrial relations, contract disputes, and procurement matters. Relevant experience should have been acquired in one or more of the following settings:

• Functioning as an instructing attorney and/or advocate, with experience appearing before superior courts of record, working with attorneys, court officials, and sound knowledge of legal processes
• An International/regional organisation
• The Legal Department of a Ministry or State Agency of a Member State or a Company
• A Law Firm/Legal Organisation

Candidates must possess specialised training and good working knowledge of: 

• The Caribbean Court of Justice, its jurisprudence, practice and procedure.
• The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
• Drafting of documents and legal submissions to court.
• Familiarity with the Caribbean Community Administrative Tribunal (CCAT) is desirable.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 MANAGES and MONITORS litigation cases, ensuring timely progression and compliance with court deadlines;

4.2 REVIEWS, ORGANIZES, and MAINTAINS legal files, pleadings, discovery materials, and case documentation;

4.3  CONDUCTS legal and factual research to support litigation strategies and case preparation;

4.4 PREPARES and FILES legal documents, motions, subpoenas, and correspondence in accordance with court rules and procedures;

4.5 COORDINATES with internal stakeholders, outside counsel, expert witnesses, and regulatory agencies;

4.6 CONDUCTS trial preparation, including document production, witness coordination, and exhibit management;

4.7 TRACKS litigation expenses, settlements, judgments, and case outcomes;

4.8 ANALYZES claims, disputes, and legal risks, providing recommendations and status updates to management;

4.9 ENSURES accurate recordkeeping and maintenance of litigation databases and case management systems;

4.10 SUPPORTS alternative dispute resolution efforts, including mediation and arbitration proceedings; and

4.11 MAINTAINS confidentiality of sensitive legal and business information.

In addition to the Results and Activities outlined above, the incumbent is expected to perform any other relevant duties and responsibilities in keeping with job functions.

EMOLUMENTS AND BENEFITS

This is an S3 post. The salary range for this position is EC$11,868.00 to EC$15,190.00 per month.

EDUCATION GRANT

The officer shall be eligible for the payment of an education grant in respect of children (including stepchildren and legally adopted children) who require reasonable education facilities that are not available at the assigned duty station or whose education the officer would not want to disrupt in relocating to take up this appointment.

The grant shall apply to children under the age of twenty-three (23) years and shall not exceed seventy-five per cent (75%) of the cost of tuition (including textbooks), room and board up to a maximum total of EC$16,200.00 per year per child for a maximum of two (2) children at any one time. The grant is payable for a maximum of five (5) years.

SETTLEMENT GRANT

On assumption of duty in Guyana, the officer shall be paid a settlement grant in respect of the staff member, his or her spouse and each eligible child or other approved dependant.  The number of dependants eligible for the Settlement Grant shall not exceed six (6) persons.

RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT

Appointment may be on contract, in which case the officer will be required to contribute to the Secretariat’s Pension Scheme or on secondment from a Public Service or a statutory body of a Member State or approved regional organisation. It will be subject to such staff rules and policies, rules, regulations, orders and instructions as exist and as may be introduced from time to time with respect to service with the Caribbean Community Secretariat.

An officer recruited from outside the assigned duty station, on first appointment, will be provided economy class air passages by the most direct route for the officer, spouse and children (provided they are below the age of eighteen (18) years, unmarried and dependent on the officer) and for such other dependants not exceeding two (2) as may be approved by the    Secretary-General, provided that the number of children and other dependants does not exceed six (6) in all.

In addition to passages, the Officer will be granted the following transportation allowances:

1. ocean freight charges, including insurance, for shipping personal and household effects to Guyana, not exceeding 45.3 cubic meters, plus a motor car (if the officer already owns one);  
2. the cost of transporting baggage, personal and household effects from the home of the officer to the place of embarkation and from the port of disembarkation to the place of residence in Guyana; and  
3. the cost of packing and crating personal and household effects.

LEAVE

The officer will be eligible for twenty (20) working days' vacation leave a year and a leave grant after every twelve (12) months of service in respect of the officer, spouse and up to two (2) other approved dependants. 

PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES

The officer will be granted the privileges and immunities extended to officials of the Caribbean Community in accordance with Article 8 of the Community’s Headquarters Agreement with the Government of Guyana.

GROUP HEALTH AND LIFE AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Subject to your acceptance by the Secretariat’s insurance carriers, the officer will be required to participate in the Secretariat’s group health, life and accident insurance schemes. With respect to the health insurance, the officer will contribute fifty per cent (50%) of the premium.  The life and accident insurance scheme is non-contributory.

SUPERANNUATION

An officer appointed to this post will be required to participate in the Secretariat’s Defined Contribution Pension Plan and contribute seven per cent (7%) of basic salary per month, while the Secretariat will contribute thirteen per cent (13%) of the officer’s basic salary to the pension plan. Where the appointment is on secondment, the Secretariat will pay to the officer’s substantive employer, over the period of secondment, a contribution not exceeding twenty-five per cent (25%) of the pensionable salary normally payable to the officer by that employer so as to maintain the pensionable status of the officer in the substantive employment.

APPLICATIONS

Applications in English Language with full curriculum vitae details, including the email addresses of three (3) referees (at least two of whom must be familiar with the applicant’s work), should be addressed to:

Adviser

Human Resource Management

Caribbean Community Secretariat 

Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana

The deadline for the submission of applications is Friday, 23 October 2026.