Legal Adviser and Director, Office of Legal Affairs
Legal Adviser and Director, Office of Legal Affairs
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Job Description
1. SUMMARY
The Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) is an Independent Office within the International Staff (IS). It is responsible for the provision of advice to the Secretary General the IS and as appropriate other NATO bodies on all issues which have legal implications particularly with regard to international and national laws and regulations which affect the responsibilities functions operations and activities of NATO. The Office also provides advice directly to the North Atlantic Council (NAC) and Council subordinate Committees.
The Legal Adviser / Director Office of Legal Affairs leads and directs OLA and the OLA staff in developing and providing legal advice and support; drafting preparing and reviewing texts with legal implications; defending the Organization in litigation; and when required representing the Organization in academic and other public fora.
Key challenges facing the successful candidate for the Legal Adviser post will include requirements to:
1. Offer timely and substantive advice to the Secretary General the IS and as appropriate the NAC on fast-moving often politically sensitive issues as well as on policy matters in development;
2. Negotiate and oversee on behalf of the Alliance the drafting of bilateral agreements including with partner countries and international organisations (e.g. status of forces agreements for operations);
3. Exercise policy leadership within the broader NATO legal community and ensure legal coherence across the different NATO bodies (e.g. with respect to NATO juridical immunities).
As part of this application you are kindly requested to attach a MS Word document summarizing your views on these 3 key challenges and explain how you would address them if selected for the position. Please limit yourself to maximum 1 A4 page into total.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- have a university degree in law from an institute of recognized standing;
- have at least fifteen years legal experience in progressively responsible positions in government or international/ intergovernmental organisations with a substantial focus on public international law out of which at least 5 years in managing a legal office or legal functions;
- have experience in policy development in international affairs;
- have knowledge of jurisprudence and legal texts governing international organisations;
- be generally familiar with the structures and operations of NATO and the consultation and decision-making procedures in the HQ; or be able to demonstrate transferable and usable knowledge from national administrations or other international organisations;
- be familiar with salient security policy issues;
- have a proven ability to provide clear and relevant written advice including communication of complex legal concepts to legal and non-legal readers;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATOs official languages (English/French): V (Advanced) in one; and III (Intermediate) in the other;
- be prepared to work outside normal office hours and to travel as necessary.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- an advanced degree postgraduate studies or equivalent level in the field of international law;
- a record of active participation in legal scholarship including publications on legal issues relevant to NATO.
3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Vision and Direction
Develop and formulate strategic goals and objectives advancing from a legal perspective the objectives and priorities set by the Secretary General and Nations. Within OLA maintain a motivating and effective workplace.
Policy Development
Identify legal implications of policy decisions. Apply knowledge of international law international affairs and other international organisations to assist the Secretary General and the IS in developing policies on NATO core political security and military agendas.
Stakeholder Management
Efficiently and effectively provide legal services to senior internal customers within the Organization. Contribute a legal perspective to relevant NATO committees and other working groups. Provide leadership on NATO-wide issues and as possible and appropriate render advice to the other NATO legal staff bodies. Maintain and develop contacts NATO-wide with external legal offices and with other international organisations.
Representation of the Organization
Represent NATO and the Secretary General on legal matters affecting the functioning of the Organization as well as in legal cases engaging the Organization before internal or external tribunals and with opposing counsel. Represent the Headquarters/Organization within the NATO and international legal communities. Engage actively in academic professional and other legal fora considering legal issues of interest or concern to the Organization.
Expertise Development
Analyse and provide advice to the Secretary General and the IS on legal matters affecting the Organization under international law. Analyse the legal implications/interpretation of internal rules and regulations and other policy documents as required. Manage and direct the defence of the Organization before internal or external tribunals. Apply knowledge and experience to support the Secretary General and the IS in the legal aspects related to their tasks and functions.
Knowledge Management
Ensure NATO legal information as well as general legal publications and jurisprudence in the field of international law are available and accessible through appropriate systems and processes within OLA. Collaborate with other NATO legal offices via internal and external knowledge management tools to ensure the most efficient use of NATO-wide legal resources. Promote information sharing and encourage modernisation in the field of knowledge management.
Organisational Efficiencies
Identify develop and implement clear lines of cooperation and communication in order to ensure that legal concerns are addressed efficiently at the Organizational level.
People Management
Lead and direct the legal staff in the preparation of legal texts internal memoranda and other legal documents as well as in the preparation or review of agreements Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) or other legal documents prepared by other Divisions and Independent Offices. Apply sound management principles with staff and provide in-depth mentoring coaching and training opportunities. Be available for guidance at critical moments. Ensure that all staff are aware of Organizational and Office objectives. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance both informally and through the performance review and development system.
Project Management
Ensure legal aspects are considered in the management of projects within the Organization. Direct project work as required on internal systems and processes pertaining to OLA.
Financial Management
Align the Offices financial budgets with objectives and supervise their execution.
Planning and Execution
Align work plans with the objectives of the Office and ensure coordinated implementation while retaining the flexibility to meet urgent requests and to adapt to changing Organizational priorities.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The Legal Adviser / Director Office of Legal Affairs reports to the Secretary General through the Director General Management. The legal advisor works closely with members of the Office of the Secretary General and with senior staff of all Divisions and Independent Offices in the IS as well as throughout NATO bodies. The incumbent maintains an efficient network of legal contacts across other legal offices NATO-wide and externally including within relevant international organisations.
Direct reports: 5
Indirect reports: 11.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Achievement: Sets and works to meet challenging goals;
- Change Leadership: Champions change;
- Conceptual Thinking: Creates new concepts;
- Developing Others: Provides in-depth mentoring coaching and training;
- Impact and Influence: Uses complex influence strategies;
- Initiative: Plans and acts for the long-term;
- Leadership: Communicates a compelling vision;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands underlying issues;
- Self-Control: Stays composed and positive even under extreme pressure.
7. USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member must be submitted using e-recruitment system as applicable:
- For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (link);
- For all other applications: you apply to any position we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process.
Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.
Please note that the competition for this post is provisionally scheduled as follows:
Pre-selection testing on mid-November 2025;
Final selection will be on mid-December 2025 in Brussels Belgium.More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment can be found at our website ( will be subject to receipt of asecurity clearance(provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) approval of the candidatesmedical fileby the NATO Medical Adviser verification of your study(ies) and work experience and the successful completion of theaccreditationand notification process by the relevant authorities.
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared in whole or in part by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools including and without limitation to chatbots such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT) or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared in whole or in part by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATOs sole discretion and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.
8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion and strives to provide equal access to employment advancement and retention independent of gender age nationality ethnic origin religion or belief cultural background sexual orientation and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations and strongly encourages women to apply.
NATO is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible working environment where all candidates living with disabilities can fully participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require reasonable accommodation please inform us during your selection process.
Candidates will be required to provide documented medical evidence to support their request for accommodation.
Building Integrity is a key element of NATOs core tasks. As an employer NATO values commitment to the principles of integrity transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.
Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.
Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature albeit at the same or a lower grade provided they meet the necessary requirements.
The nature of this position may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.
The organization offers several work-life policies including Teleworking and Flexible Working arrangements (Flexitime) subject to business requirements.
Please note that the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels Belgium is a non-smoking environment.
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading Allowances etc.) please visit ourwebsite. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.
NATO does not charge any application processing training interviewing testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. For more info please click here.
Required Experience:
Director
Employment Type
Full-Time
