Jobs at NATO (Now Hiring) — 129 open — Page 6

OPEN TO NATIONALS OF NATO MEMBER STATES ONLY 

STAFF VACANCY 261054

DIVISION:             Director General International Military Staff (DGIMS)

                             Office of the Legal Advisor (O/LEGAD)

Please note that the competition for this post will be conducted on-site (NATO HQ, Brussels) and is tentatively scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2026.  

1.    Post Context.

The Director General International Military Staff (DGIMS) is head of the IMS and is responsible to the Military Committee (MC) corporately for the efficient and effective functioning of the IMS. The Office of the DGIMS (O/DGIMS) provides full spectrum support to DGIMS in the areas of: engagement support; information, advice, and preparation support; and personal support.

The Office of the Legal Advisor (O/LEGAD) is responsible for providing full spectrum expert legal advice, technical guidance and other legal assistance to the Chair of the Military Committee (CMC), Deputy Chair of the Military Committee (DCMC), Director General International Military Staff (DGIMS), IMS Directors and all IMS staff.  The office advises on all legal aspects of IMS activities and MC action to promote compliance with all governing treaties, international agreements and applicable laws, with NATO policy and guidance, and all other Alliance obligations.  Support generally is provided in four primary areas, inter alia, operational law, international law, administrative/institutional law, and host nation law.  It further handles claims and coordinates legal actions before international and national courts and administrative bodies and represents the IMS before the NATO Administrative Tribunal.

This post is identified as a civilian post in a NATO Military Body to provide specific international law expertise and to ensure continuity and corporate knowledge in the Office.

2.    Principal Duties.

Under the direction of the LEGAD and Deputy LEGAD, the incumbent will contribute to the delivery of independent legal advice on external and internal legal and policy matters in line with the Office’s advisory support to the CMC, DCMC, DGIMS, IMS Directors and all IMS Staff:

a.   Support to External Legal and Policy Matters.

•    Supports all legal aspects of the IMS work in support of the MC, including DGIMS, CMC, DCMC and all IMS Divisions and Offices.
•    Conducts research on legal issues relevant to IMS LEGAD in the areas of, but not limited to, customary international law, related to the law of armed conflict, operational and institutional law issues. 
•    Supports the review of operational plans, Rules of Engagement, Use of Force in NATO Missions, in line with NATO’s full Defence and Deterrence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) Implementation.
•    Supports the drafting of NATO policies with legal implications related to ongoing work-strands in line with NATO’s Strategic Concept and NATO 2030 Agenda. 
•    Prepares legal briefs and background papers on all topics of interest to IMS LEGAD, included but not limited to, international, operational and administrative/institutional law issues. 
•    Interprets and analyses existing international agreements (e.g., Ottawa Agreement, Paris Protocol, NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)), directives and regulations. 
•    Supports Military Committee Working Groups (MCWGs) as IMS LEGAD Representation when required.
•    Assists in preparation and execution of legal support to various NATO exercises. 
•    Performs any other tasks necessary to the well-functioning of the Office in support of all IMS LEGAD Members, including surge administrative support when needed.

b.    Support to Internal Legal Matters.

•    Contributes to bettering legal coordination across the NATO Enterprise by conferring with other NATO legal offices. 
•    As directed by LEGAD or Deputy LEGAD, advises DGIMS on all legal aspects of his authorities and administrative responsibilities as Head of NATO Body.
•    Supports the provision of legal advice pertaining to the IMS presence in the Host Nation, including: staff-generated questions, studies and proposals, and/or actions of boards and committees, contracts and purchasing issues.
•    Supports the provision of legal advice pertaining to IMS civilian personnel disciplinary issues and personnel complaints at all levels, in close cooperation with the IMS Civilian Human Resources Office, as necessary.
•    Supports the LEGAD and Deputy LEGAD when representing the IMS before the NATO Administrative Tribunal, as required.

3.    Special Requirements and Additional Duties. The incumbent may be required to:

a.    Undertake TDY assignments both within and outside of NATO’s boundaries.
b.    Perform other related duties.
c.    Perform duties in the NATO HQ Crisis Management Organisation.
d.    Required to work irregular hours and overtime.

4.    Essential Qualifications.

a.    Professional/Experience.

•    A minimum of four years’ working experience as an assistant legal advisor for an international organization or an international law firm.
•    Possess an in-depth understanding of international law and the Law of the Armed Conflict.
•    Proven knowledge of research techniques, including familiarity with computerized databases (e.g. Lexis).
•    Proven ability to draft legal memoranda to summarize issues and suggest recommendations from both a military and civilian perspective and to brief in written and verbal format. 
•    Possess an excellent knowledge of the field of security and defense as it relates to NATO.

b.    Education/Training.

•    Master level University Degree in Law, with a specialization in Public International Law or related discipline.

c.    Languages.

•    Candidates must have an advanced level of spoken and written English. The working language in the IMS is English and therefore candidates will be required to pass a one-hour multiple-choice computer-based test in English at the required level as well as to demonstrate their abilities in the written test and interview.

d.    Computer literacy.  

•    Use of MS-Office applications in crucial to the effective and successful execution of daily duties; Advanced knowledge and user experience of Word; Outlook/Email client; Excel; SharePoint and web applications.  In addition, familiarity with current ICT systems and their application to document processing, record keeping, and information sharing.

5.    Desirable Qualifications.

a.    Professional/Experience.

•    Previous work experience in a military environment.
•    In-depth understanding of current geopolitical dynamics.
•    In-depth understanding of Law of Armed Conflict and Rules of Engagement. 
•    Knowledge of Belgian (Host Nation) law.

b.    Education/Training.

•    Qualification to practice as a lawyer.

c.    Language.

•    An elementary level of French.

6.    Personal Attributes/Competencies.

Works under broad discretion as work is often self-initiated. Understands the relationship between own specialism and wider organizational requirements. Advises on the available standards, methods, tools and applications relevant to own specialism and can make appropriate choices from alternatives. Facilitates collaboration between stakeholders who have diverse objectives. Demonstrates a Customer Service Orientation. Demonstrates creativity, innovation and ethical thinking in applying solutions for the benefit of the Organisation.

•    Competencies.

o    Achievement: Works to meet standards. 
o    Analytical Thinking:  Sees multiple relationships. 
o    Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work. 
o    Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts. 
o    Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems. 
o    Empathy: Is open to others’ perspectives. 
o    Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade.
o    Initiative:  Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation. 
o    Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.

7.    Managerial Responsibilities.

The Incumbent is fully responsible for meeting allocated technical and/or project objectives. Establishes milestones and has a significant role in the assignment of tasks and/or responsibilities. Undertakes work which requires the application of fundamental principles in a wide and often unpredictable range of contexts. Demonstrates leadership.

8.    Professional Contacts.

Influences Organisation, partners and peers on the contribution of own specialism. Builds appropriate and effective business relationships.

9.    Contribution to the Objectives.

The incumbent makes decisions which impact the success of assigned work. Performs an extensive range and variety of complex technical and/or professional work activities. 

10.    Remarks.

•    Security Clearance – NATO SECRET (if not currently held, the incumbent must be eligible for this level of clearance).
•    Work Environment – Normal office environment.

11.    How to apply.

Applications must be submitted by 23 August 2026 (23:59 Brussels time) using one of the following links, as applicable:
•    For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (for more information, please contact your local Civilian HR Manager);
•    For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment 
Applications are automatically acknowledged within one working day after submission. In the absence of an acknowledgement, please make sure the submission process is completed, or, resubmit the application.
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 NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

12.    Additional Information.

The successful applicant will be offered a three-year definite duration contract which may be renewed.  If the successful candidate is seconded from a national administration, public institution or the armed forces of a NATO member state, he/she will be offered a three-year definite duration contract which may be renewed for a further period of up to three years. The maximum time of service in post for seconded staff is six years. Serving NATO international civilian personnel will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.

Appointment will be subject to the deliverance of the appropriate security clearance by the national authorities and approval of the medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser.

Technical written assessment will be held as part of the selection procedure.

Applicants who meet the necessary requirements and who prove to be competent but who are not appointed to a vacancy as a result of this particular competition, may be considered for posts of a similar nature, albeit at a lower grade, which may become vacant in the near future.

NATO as an employer values diverse backgrounds and perspectives and is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce.

 NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all Member States 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 NATO’s 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.

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 IMS at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is committed to providing equality in working opportunities regardless of sex, race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation. 

The IMS is a non-smoking environment.

For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website. 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.