Legal Assistant - Asia (Locally Recruited)

About the role

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. For more information, visit cimmyt.org. CIMMYT is looking for an outstanding, self-motivated, and detail-oriented professional for the position of Legal Assistant - Asia to support the Regional Legal Counsel in delivering legal, contractual, and administrative services across the Asia region. The role provides contract lifecycle management, legal operations, compliance coordination, document control, and administrative support to strengthen the efficiency, governance, and effectiveness of the Regional Legal function. Acting as a key member of the regional legal team, the position supports contract administration, legal systems and workflow management, matter tracking, external counsel coordination, and the implementation of legal processes, tools, and performance reporting to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant legal service delivery across multiple country offices. The role will be based in New Delhi, India. Key Responsibilities: Support the contract lifecycle, assisting with drafting from approved templates, formatting, version control, amendment, release, and quality control for agreements entered into by CIMMYT with national and international public and private entities, under the direction of the Regional Legal Counsel and in coordination with the Operations Legal Counsel at HQ Legal. Perform contract management activities (intake, verification, follow-up of documents, signature preparation, and processing (Cover Sheet Preparation and Adobe Sign process) and execution tracking through the CLM. Maintain matter files, records of regional agreements and host country instruments, and version histories, observing the Department's confidentiality and need-to-know protocols. Operate the regional legal control desk assigning, following up, and processing tickets and requests through the Department's systems. Support the updating, creation, and implementation of processes, practices, guidelines, procedures, and workflow optimization that improve the day-to-day efficiency of the legal function and advance the Regional Legal Operating Model. Support the rollout and adoption of Legal Department tools (Ticketing System, CLM, Adobe Sign, D365) within the region and among internal clients, including workflow automation. Support the maintenance of processes, KPIs, and dashboards that enable accurate and timely service and the continuous improvement of CLM processes, including automation and reporting. Provide administrative and document support to the Regional Legal Counsel across the regional portfolio. Assist with coordination of external counsel: assembling instruction packages, collecting documents, tracking deadlines, and monitoring invoices and fee follow-up, under the direction of the Regional Legal Counsel. Maintain trackers of regional deadlines, renewals, and obligations, and provide timely reminders. Prepare agendas, attend meetings, take minutes, capture and follow up on action items, and prepare briefing materials for participants, coordinating across time zones with HQ Legal. Maintain lists, status charts, and matter/agreement data integral to the Department; curate agreement and document databases. Track and report a high volume of tasks daily through the Department's dashboards and KPI tools to support progress updates to relevant areas. Carry out administrative tasks including expense reports, payment processing, travel arrangements, advances, accommodation, and documentation; liaise with Procurement on services, purchases, equipment, and supplies for the Department. Provide other support as directed by the supervisor. Skills/Experience: A law degree from a reputable university. Minimum of 3 years' experience in a legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role in a company, law firm, or international organization. Full professional proficiency in English (minimum C1 CEFR; test administered). Proficient computer skills (at a minimum Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat); familiarity with CLM systems (ICERTIS an advantage) and willingness to learn and master new tools. Excellent organizational, writing, research, and communication skills, including the ability to handle legal documentation accurately and to communicate clearly with non-legal stakeholders. Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality and discretion. A demonstrated sense of urgency and commitment

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