ACT Legal Advisor

Post Context

ACT contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading, at Strategic Command level, Warfare Development required to enhance NATO’s posture, military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.

The Command Group provides general support, coordination, management, administrative service and specialist advice to SACT, DSACT and COS.

Chief of Staff (COS) is responsible to SACT and DSACT for the staff activity necessary to execute ACT’s mission. It is the focal point for the implementation of the Commander’s direction and guidance as well as the initiation and co-ordination of all ACT staff efforts.

The Staff Advisory Group (SAG) is comprised of different competencies grouped into several offices (Political Advisor, Legal Advisor, Gender Advisor, Financial Controller, Command Auditor, Communication Branch and Pentagon Liaison). It works under the direction and guidance of COS and provides general staff support, coordination, management, administrative service, and specialists’ advice to SACT.

As part of the Staff Advisory Group, the Legal Affairs Office at HQ SACT has two main functions:

To organize, oversee, and provide for the delivery of legal services throughout Allied Command Transformation, including HQ SACT and subordinate activities at the Joint Warfare Centre (Norway), the Joint Force Training Centre (Poland), the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (Portugal) as well as the ACT Staff Element (Mons, BE) and SACTREPEUR (Brussels).

To provide advice, analyses and implementing documents to the Supreme Allied Commander and his headquarters staff and subordinate activities regarding the applicability of NATO policy and regulations and also international and national laws and regulations that affect the responsibilities, functions, and activities across ACT.

The Branch Head Legal supervises the delivery of legal services for all of Allied Command Transformation.

Principal Duties:

• Under the general supervision of the Chief of Staff, the Branch Head directs the activities of the Office of the Legal Advisor at HQ SACT and is also responsible as ACT Legal Advisor for overseeing the provision of legal services throughout Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and its subordinate NATO headquarters, bodies, and elements.
• The Office of Legal Advisor primarily provides advice to SACT and his headquarters staff on the legal aspects of all work conducted in support of Allied Command Transformation. This includes the international and national legal implications of products generated by HQ SACT and the legal aspects of ACT activities and presence in various NATO and non-NATO nations. Specific duties include:
  • Overseeing the development, negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of international agreements and similar MOAs/MOUs throughout ACT.
  • Providing general legal guidance for all HQ SACT personnel matters, including review of individual personnel contracts and legal evaluations of all matters affecting international and local status employees throughout ACT; providing support to complaints and disciplinary committees; and representing HQ SACT and, as required, subordinate activities before the NATO Administrative Tribunal.
  • Proactive legal enablement of all international business contracts and procurement involving HQ SACT. Providing solution-oriented input regarding the application of NATO and ACT financial regulations, protection of intellectual and tangible property rights, transfer of NATO property, impact of EU tax, labor and other fiscal regulations. This includes identifying viable alternatives to navigate regulatory constraints, review of statements of work being contracted out, handling of contract appeals, and developing legally sound best-business practices that facilitate mission accomplishment. 
  • Processing all legal claims for and against ACT, and defense of ACT interests against civil lawsuits.
  • Legal staffing of exercise and experimentation staffs throughout ACT, with special focus on support for activities related to the NATO Response Force, to ensure legal doctrine is adequately factored into NATO’s training programs.
  • Providing a broad spectrum of individual legal assistance (e.g. work permits, license waivers, tax exemption documentation, lease/contract reviews, application of SOFA privileges) for all HQ SACT staff members and their dependents. Serving as the ACT point of contact for asylum, immigration, visa, tax, and SOFA issues vis-à-vis U.S. Federal and Commonwealth of Virginia authorities.
  • Serving as ethics advisor and trainer for HQ SACT staff. Advising on and processing all disciplinary/criminal matters involving U.S. members of HQ SACT staff.
  • Strategic development and review of HQ SACT directives to ensure they act as enablers for transformation. Legal support and representatives for HQ SACT boards, working groups, integrated process teams, and other matrix functions focused on finding ‘how-to” solutions with the bounds of the law.
• As ACT Legal Community Manager, providing supervisory oversight and mentoring for all subordinate and affiliated legal offices within the ACT claimancy (Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Poland and Norway). Provide the legal expertise and continuity necessary to develop, coordinate, manage, and complete long-term ACT and BI-SC initiatives.
• Providing direct legal services for those ACT activities without a staff legal advisor. (Example: certain ACT subordinate activities, such as the Joint Analysis Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) do not have their own legal staff, but rely on the HQ SACT Legal Affairs Office for their primary legal support, including specialized legal services for labour, contract, and Morale and Welfare issues. Similarly, subsidiary bodies such as the NATO School at Oberammergau rely heavily on the HQ SACT Legal Advisor Office to provide support for curriculum development, direct teaching support, and management of host-nation support and SOFA issues. Also, the Branch Head has responsibility and authority to coordinate with Legal Advisor NCIA on matters of mutual interest.)
• Closely coordinates the activities of the Legal Office with USDOD legal offices for those entities that undertake functions relevant to ACT. This coordination requires legal oversight in the areas of fiscal, contracting, international and administrative law, and requires negotiation, interpretation and review of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement concluded between HQ SACT and the US.
• Directs the Office’s engagements in drafting and negotiating protocols, memoranda, and implementing agreements related to PfP activities led by ACT, to include symposia, personnel exchanges, and host nation support.
• As directed, represent SACT at meetings, seminars, conferences and similar functions of a professional or protocol nature.
• Conduct appropriate liaison with international, national, state, and local authorities to accomplish responsibilities listed above.

Essential Qualifications / Experience:

• University Degree  and  10 years related experience. The emphasis is on candidates who have operated at the intersection of law, technology, and international diplomacy.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience within major international organizations, global NGOs, or multinational corporate legal departments (e.g. International Arbitration) with a proven track record of solving multi-jurisdictional challenges
• Sound knowledge of administrative, contract, labor, and international law.
• Polished, persuasive communicator, orally and in writing, with strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated capacity to work independently, exercise initiative, with a demonstrated capacity to pivot strategies under high-stakes uncertainty, typical of "General Counsel" roles in organizations facing disruptive change.

Language:

English – SLP 4343 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience:

• Minimum of five years previous experience leading legal strategy in a large-scale international executive environment (Private or Public).
• Minimum of three years previous experience directing a multinational legal office focused on "Legal Enablement" and strategic risk-taking.
• Sound knowledge of multilateral organizational structures, inter-agency dynamics, and global security missions.
• Familiarity with the legal complexities of hosting international entities and diplomatic status within sovereign nations.
• Advanced law degree (e.g. LL.M) in international law.

Attributes/Competencies:

Personal Attributes:

• Ability to work harmoniously in a multinational environment, while negotiating and securing strategic advantages for the organization..
• Problem-solving creativity and judgment and in the numerous instances when precedents are unavailable or inappropriate. The incumbent must be a "Legal Architect" capable of building new frameworks when precedents are non-existent.
• Willingness to travel in support of the listed duties.

Managerial Responsibilities:

Branch Head, Legal Affairs has ACT legal community responsibilities for the delivery of legal services at (1) the Joint Warfare Centre Legal Office in Norway, consisting of an OF-5, A-3, and OF-4 legal team; (2) the HQ SACT Staff Element Legal Office in Belgium, consisting of an A-4 and B-4; (3) the Joint Force Training Centre Legal Office in Poland, consisting of an OF-4 and B-4; and (4) the HQ SACT Legal Office, currently consisting of an A-4, OF-4, A-3, A-2 and B-4. The Branch Head also has coordinating responsibilities with the existing A-5 Legal Advisor for NCIA and the OF-4 Legal Advisor at the NATO School (Oberammergau).

Professional Contacts:

Normally interacts with members of the ACT senior staff and Command Group. Contacts outside ACT are principally with heads of legal offices in other NATO headquarters and bodies, and senior officials of various ministries in countries hosting ACT subordinate organizations. Within the PfP context, often involved in formal discussions with ministry-level officials. Also engaged in a broad spectrum of contacts with U.S. national, state, and local authorities to ensure HQ SACT staff members and their dependents are accorded appropriate NATO SOFA prerogatives and protections.

Contribution To Objectives:

Organizes and leads the ACT legal community to provide a broad range of individual services and organizational products that will enable, and where possible accelerate, the achievement of transformation goals by removing legal friction.

Security Clearance

The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO SECRET Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract

Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.  Newly recruited staff will be offered a three year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The HQ SACT web site gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.  However, candidates should particularly note:

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as: “please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc” are not acceptable; this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application.

Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of your application form, which should be populated with details of your career to date and educational achievements and certifications as they relate to your application.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade G22 will be considered with priority.

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.

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.

This vacancy will close on 17 August 2026 @ 17:59hrs (EDT)/11:59hrs (CEST).