Staff Assistant (Legal Support)

Post Context

Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) provides a resilient, static Joint headquarters to plan, prepare and conduct operations across all domains in peacetime, crisis and conflict, in order to support NATO’s three core tasks, at the Joint Operational level, as directed by SACEUR.

The Command Group (CG) principals consist of the Commander (COM), Deputy Commander (DCOM) and Chief of Staff (COS). The Command Group provides and sustains operational level Joint command and control capabilities at the designated readiness states, so the COM can conduct the full range of assigned military operations throughout the assigned NATO Area of Responsibility (AOR) and beyond.

The Office of the Legal Advisor (LEGAD) provides legal advice, technical guidance and other assistance to the CG and staff to ensure HQ actions remain in compliance with all governing treaties, international agreements and applicable laws, NATO policy and guidance to fulfil all Alliance obligations.

The incumbent is responsible for all paralegal assistance for all areas covered by to the Office of the LEGAD. While the paralegal will be an integral member of the JFCNF Legal team they will initially physically work in HQ Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT) which is co-located in NSA Hampton Roads, Norfolk but located in a different building. The purpose of this is for the paralegal to benefit from the experience gained by the HQ SACT Legal Assistance team who are currently providing the legal assistance function for JFCNF staff.

Principal Duties:

• Provide paralegal assistance on behalf of the Office of the LEGAD to assist all non-US JFCNF military and civilian staff members and their dependents to move to and live in the USA. Known colloquially as “Legal Assistance” this includes providing initial guidance to JFCNF staff on entitlements and obligations regards the following (including but not limited to):
  • Visa and residence matters
  • Employment in the USA
  • Education in the USA
  • Payment of Property taxes and other local taxation
  • State and Federal court matters; and
  • Driving and insurance matters.  

• Providing and maintaining a contact database of suitably-qualified US Attorneys to give to JFCNF staff members should they require substantive legal advice on any of the above matters. 

• Paralegal assistance for all areas covered by the Office of the LEGAD as required by the Chief LEGAD.

• Researching, analysing and studying law sources for preparing drafts of legal briefs for approval, review, and advance use by Legal Advisers on operational and international legal issues.

• Proofreading legal documents as required.

• Maintaining retrieval and information storage services including legal search facilities and library.Acts as Information Management Staff Officer for LEGAD in Information Management Working Group if required by Chief LEGAD.

• Acts as (alt) Lessons Learned point of contact; attends the Lessons Learned Working Group if required by Chief LEGAD.

• Maintains legal records.

• Serves as (alt) Training Officer for courses, seminars, conferences if required by Chief LEGAD.

• Acts as data protection processor for the Office.

• Keeps abreast of law developments relevant to the Legal Advisor activities and (legal) office management tools and procedures.

• Performs a range of different work activities in a variety of structured environments, using appropriate methods, tools and applications in a rational and organised approach.

• Plans and schedules own work within short time horizons.

• Provides general office support and direct administrative support to the chief LEGAD and to other members of the Office of the LEGAD as directed by the LEGAD.

Essential Qualifications / Experience:

• Higher Secondary education and intermediate vocational training  in library, information science, management information systems, computer science or related discipline  ; andMinimum two years’ experience of providing office support and performing administrative duties. orTwo-four years’ experience as a Legal Assistant in a legal assistance environment involving direct problem-solving interaction with clients.

• Ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner.

• Good oral and written communication skills.

• Strong organizational, interpersonal and administrative skills.

• Practical experience using modern office equipment.

• Eligibility for certification as a Notary Public for Commonwealth of Virginia.

Language\: English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience:

• Familiarity with conducting research within NATO community to locate documents and publications.

• High energy and ability to manage multiple tasks and projects.

• Previous experience working at a large international organization, preferably in a joint or NATO environment.

• Former military administrative or legal training/experience and knowledge of military command structures and organization.

• Previous experience as a Notary.

• Experience conducting computer-based legal research.

• Experience in record management, archiving procedures and electronic database management.

Attributes/Competencies:

Personal Attributes\: The incumbent must possess the ability to exercise discretion, maintain client confidentiality, work harmoniously in a multi-national environment, be able to work outside normal working hours, and handle stress of multiple duties in a fast-paced environment. 

Professional Contacts\: The incumbent must be able to liaise effectively, internally, with NATO military and civilian personnel, and externally with U.S. Federal, state and local governmental officials, as well as consumer agency officials. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential to this position. Position requires daily interaction with international military and civilian personnel and their dependents in resolution of host nation issues such as immigration, legal presence, visas, customs, insurance, medical care, and taxation. The incumbent serves as the liaison with U.S. Federal agencies, including Citizenship and Immigration Services, Departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security (particularly Citizenship and Immigration Services and Customs and Border Protection), Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service; State agencies such as Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Taxation, Bureau of Insurance; and local City Treasurers and Commissioners of Revenue, as well as officials from various embassies and representatives of consumer organizations.

Contribution To Objectives\: Provides specialized legal assistance support to handle the current and anticipated volume of legal assistance support throughout JFCNF and NSEs. The JFCNF Office of the Legal Advisor is the main source of legal assistance for the revolving staff of 600 assigned international personnel and their families representing 32 nations. This support is a primary building block in JFCNF’s program to assist international staff members and their families understand and manage the legal and administrative aspects of residence in the United States.

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 JFC Norfolk Career 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 G10 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 18 Jan 2026 @ 17\:59hrs (EDT)/11\:59hrs (CEST).