Staff Assistant (Legal Operations)
🔍 Belgium
- 📅
- 241211 Requisition #
Post Context/Post Summary
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) provides an integrated Strategic Effects framework, employing a multi-domain and multi-region focus to create a 360-degree approach, with the flexibility to enable, upon direction, a seamless transition from Baseline Activities and Current Operations (BACO) up to the Maximum Level of Effort (MLE). SHAPE supports SACEUR in fulfilling his terms of reference, as directed by the North Atlantic Council.
The Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) provides full spectrum expert legal advice, technical guidance and other legal assistance to SACEUR, the SHAPE Command Group and ACO Staff.
The Legal Operations Team deals with the legal operations considerations affecting the planning and conduct of ACO activities from peacetime through crisis to conflict. The incumbent supervises and ensures supervises the successful execution of the team’s mission along the team’s three lines of effort supporting DDA implementation:
· legal operations response, effects and anticipation (regarding planning, decision-making, joint targeting and effects and policy development);
· legal vigilance (regarding support to intelligence, strategic communications, early warning and crisis identification);
· legal operations, training, education and exercises (regarding support to exercises, training and education for NATO operations and activities).
Principal Duties
The incumbent's duties are:
1. To coordinate the implementation and readiness, delivery and updating of the approved Matrix for identification of Legal Operations Tool (MILO). Support of requirements and process analysis, as well as the delivery of tools to realize those requirements. Real life support reporting to the OLA coordination office for administrative matter.
2. To provide day-to-day coordination and administrative assistance to the Legal Operations Team.
3. To draft routine correspondence and type and proof-read memoranda, letters, reports, talking papers, legal documents and other forms of correspondence including tables of figures, using the standard software packages used by NATO (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
4. To carry out research of legal documents and jurisprudence.
5. To maintain and enforce agreed data standards and data management practices, to include exploring of other legal databases for the collection and update of required documents.
6. To provide information, assistance and knowledge to the Legal Ops team and OLA related to books, articles, periodicals and electronic resources. Selection, classification, cataloguing, indexing and accounting for books, periodicals, electronic resources and all other relevant scholar material required. Provides with publications required by OLA as per available budget and funds to purchase of reading materials.
7. To assist in the preparation and development of protocol/conferences, when required, and prepared to receive and assist visitors of all levels. Maintain all lists of internal and external contacts.
8. To file correspondence and documents and control the classified files maintaining well-structured paper and electronic filing systems
9. To perform tasks related to the secure handling and processing of electronic files including overseeing and operating relevant office software and hardware.
10. To answer enquiries and incoming telephone calls; make arrangements for meetings and missions. Maintain an effective follow-up and/or reminder system for pending actions.
11. To liaise and coordinate with the OLA coordination office to ensure efficiency in the management of tasks and timely responses to taskers.
12. To provide support for in processing/outprocessing of newcomers for the branch including previous correspondence before arrival.
13. To ensure that proper financial procedures are followed for the budget coordinating and preparing travel requests/orders for the Legal Ops team and third parties (when required) as one of the OLA Travel Clerk. Drafting and submission of purchase requisitions through the financial and accounting software, reporting to the Fund manager.
14. To assist with typing workload when required.
15. CIS support for the branch if required and in coordination with the OLA CIS coordinator.
16. To assist the OLA security officer for the in processing/out-processing and visits of personnel for the branch performing other security officer duties as requested by the OLA security officer. Serves as one of the OLA fire-wardens.
Special Requirements and Additional Duties
The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within the organisation at the same grade without there being any change to the contract.
The incumbent may be required to undertake TDY assignments both within and without NATO’s boundaries and be willing to work unsocial hours.
The work is normally performed in a Normal NATO office working environment.
Normal Working Conditions apply.
The risk of injury is categorised as No risk / risk might increase when deployed.
Essential Qualifications
a. Professional/Experience
1. Sound experience in office administration including workflow management, conduct of legal research and preparation for meetings and presentations.
2. Solid experience in office software, including word processing, spreadsheet programs and presentation software and database management.
3. Good knowledge of requirements and process analysis.
b. Education/Training
Higher Secondary education and intermediate vocational training in library, information science, management information systems, computer science or related discipline which might lead to a formal qualification with 3 years experience, or Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 4 years post related experience.
c. Language
English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
Desirable Qualifications
a. Professional Experience
1. Administrative experience in support of a legal office within a major military headquarters or international organisation.
2. Sound knowledge of the NATO and ACO structure, organisation and mission.
b. Education/Training
1. SHAPE CIS Coordinators course provided by NATO Communications and Information Academy (NCI Academy) or equivalent.
2. NATO Legal Advisor Course provided by NATO - School Oberammergau (NSO) or equivalent.
Attributes/Competencies
• Personal Attributes: The incumbent must show courtesy, diplomacy, mental alertness, negotiating skills and service mindedness. Must possess good interpersonal and communication skills, poise and tact. Uses initiative to propose solutions for unexpected problems and determine which issues to refer to supervisor. Exercises judgment in determining proper course of action. Requires little or no supervision in performance of routine functions. Good health, stress tolerance and ability to work long hours when required. The incumbent must have the breadth of professional experience in legal offices and personal characteristics to be able to rapidly adapt to diverse issues and work under intense pressure. Must be able to handle details.
• Professional Contacts: Routinely, directly interrelates with members of the SHAPE staff and the OLA coordination office. Contacts, apart from the SHAPE staff, are principally with National Military Representatives to SHAPE and legal support personnel in other NATO bodies and national administrations in order to exchange information, to solicit information, to provide or seek guidance on various issues.
• Contribution To Objectives: The post contributes to the overall objectives The work consists of a day to day support of paralegal and administrative actions/support not only for SHAPE but also for NATO and ACO HQs.
REMARKS:
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to take online Written Test on 14 October 2024 at 14:00h.
Duration of contract: The successful candidate will fill this post as a Project Linked NATO International Civilian (PLN) with a three-year definite duration contract within the NATO 2030 Agenda. On expiry of this term the PLN will be deleted or absorbed into the ceiling pending approval or will exceptionally be considered for extension.
The salary will be the basic entry-level monthly salary defined by the NATO Grade of the post, which may be augmented by allowances based on the selected staff member’s eligibility, and which is subject to the withholding of approximately 20% for pension and medical insurance contributions.
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.
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.
Applicants who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment in another post of a similar nature, which might become vacant in the near future, albeit at the same or lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.
We believe that all people are capable of great things. Because of this, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all of the criteria listed within this job description.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A NATO CIVILIAN POST AT SHAPE:
Applications are to be submitted using NATO Talent Acquisition Platform (NTAP) (https://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang-en). Applications submitted by other means (e.g. mail, e-mail, fax, etc) are not accepted.
More information to be found on these links:
Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide original documentary evidence and a set of copies supporting statements in their applications. Appointment is subject to obtaining a NS security clearance and a medical certificate.
Remarks:
a) Only nationals from the 32 NATO member states can apply for vacancies at SHAPE.
b) 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, re-submit the application.
c) Qualified redundant staff of the same grade interested in this post should inform this office, via their HR/Personnel Office by not later than vacancy’s closing date.
d) Candidates’ individual telephone, e-mail or telefax enquiries cannot be dealt with. All candidates will receive an answer indicating the outcome of their application.
e) 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.