Head of Chambers Pxad-, Hague - NL

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Requisition
24519
-Posted
21/08/2026

- Professional

- Legal Affairs

- The Hague - NL

Contract Duration:
For initial appointments, the Court offers a two-year appointment with the possibility of extension (six month probationary period).

A roster of suitable candidates may be established for this post as a result of this selection process for fixed-term appointments against both established posts and positions funded by general temporary assistance (GTA).

Organisational Context

Under articles 34(b) and 36(1) of the Rome Statute, the Chambers are composed of 18 judges, distributed between three Divisions:
Pre-Trial, Trial and Appeals. The Presidency decides on the assignment of judges to the Judicial Divisions following consultation with them, assigns situations and cases to the Pre-Trial and Trial Divisions, and manages the overall budgetary and staffing requirements of the Judiciary as a whole.

The Pre-Trial Division handles the pre-trial stage of the proceedings, including by authorising the initiation of investigations, preserving the evidence during the investigation, the issuance of arrest warrants up to the confirmation of the charges following which the case against a person charged proceeds to trial.

The Trial Division is composed of the Trial Chambers, whose mandate is to conduct trials, following confirmation of charges by the Pre-Trial Chambers. The mandate continues until the conclusion of the reparation phase. In conducting the trials, the Chambers are required to ensure, in accordance with article 64 of the Rome Statute, that a trial is fair and expeditious and is conducted with full respect for the rights of the accused and due regard for the protection of victims and witnesses.

The principal statutory function of the Appeals Chamber is to hear final appeals against decisions on acquittal or conviction and sentence, and potentially reparations at the end of a trial, as well as interlocutory appeals against certain decisions of the Pre-Trial and Trial Chambers made in the course of proceedings.

Performance Context

The primary responsibility of the Chambers as a whole is to ensure the conduct of fair, effective and transparent proceedings in accordance with the Statute and other relevant legal instruments, and in so doing to safeguard the rights of all parties and participants.

This position will serve to ensure the quality of legal support to Judges and Chambers and to effectively facilitate communication and provision of services between the Divisions, the Chambers, the Judges, the Divisional Legal Advisers and the legal and administrative staff of the three Divisions. The Head of Chambers’ Staff will report to the Presidency or the Chef de Cabinet, as delegated.

Under the overall direction, authority and supervision of the Presidency, or the Chef de Cabinet, as delegated, the role of the Head of Chambers’ Staff is to coordinate the legal and administrative work carried out by staff of the Judiciary assigned to different Divisions and ensure its quality, to provide high level legal advice to Chambers and Judges, to facilitate communication within Chambers and the Divisions as well as to provide overall managerial advice and leadership and ensure adequate resources for Chambers legal staff and support, in particular by:

• Conducting periodic Chambers-wide reviews of staffing levels and providing to the Presidency recommendations on recruitment needs or other administrative matters, such as evaluation of staff performance;
• Undertaking and overseeing the proper and timely recruitment and allocation of…