JOB DESCRIPTION

1. SUMMARY

The Defence Policy and Planning (DPP) Division has the lead role on the defence-related aspects of NATO’s fundamental security tasks at the political-military level.
As part of the Defence Policy Directorate (DPOLD), the Defence Policy Section deals with a wide range of issues related to Alliance defence policies and strategies. In particular, it supports the implementation of the Alliance’s strengthened deterrence and defence posture. In addition, it is in charge of the substantive preparation of the defence aspects of Summits, of Defence Ministers’ meetings, as well as of Defence Policy Directors’ meetings. It provides advice on NATO-EU cooperation on capability development and military mobility as well as on European Defence. The Section maintains an awareness of major security and defence developments on the international scene, and prepares policy papers for Allies’ consideration on a wide range of defence policy issues. It also engages with Allies and Partners on defence policy issues on a regular basis.
The incumbent is responsible in particular for the provision and coordination of advice on general questions of defence policy, in particular related to space as well as policy-related aspects of defence planning and expenditures. The incumbent drafts policy papers on a wide range of issues and provides political-military advice to be discussed by the Defence Policy and Planning Committee (DPPC), in particular on the overall implementation of the Alliance’s strengthened deterrence and defence posture. In this context, the incumbent drafts defence policy papers for the Council and subordinate committees, prepares briefing materials for the Secretary General and other high-level officials, writes speeches and articles, provides lectures and briefings, and represents NATO at international conferences.

2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

The incumbent must:

• possess a university degree from an institute of recognised standing;
• possess at least 6 years of relevant work experience in defence policy development;
• be conversant with the Alliance’s political and military consultative processes and key defence and security policy issues on its agenda;
• be conversant with Alliance defence policies and strategies;
• demonstrate good political judgement;
• have strong communication and drafting skills;
• have a clear understanding of major contemporary international political, politico-military and defence questions;
• be able to analyse and assess these issues and prepare competent products on them under time pressure;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; I (“Beginner”) in the other;
• be prepared to travel and to work outside normal office hours when needed.

DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:

• an advanced degree (MA) or other certification/diploma in a field relevant for the position;
• understanding of NATO policies and procedures; the civil and military structure of the Alliance, particularly the responsibilities and roles of the NATO civil and military bodies;
• experience working in a multi-national or international environment;
• a basic knowledge of NATO, EU or national defence planning procedures.

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Policy Development
Provide or coordinate advice on general questions of defence policy, including the development of general and specific policy and conceptual documents. Contribute to the development of politico-military guidance on defence matters. Draft policy proposals covering defence and security issues. Provide input to policy, strategy and conceptual papers developed by colleagues.

Expertise Development
Develop expertise on defence policy, strategy and cooperation matters in general. Keep well informed on current developments and emerging trends related to the specific issues assigned to.

Stakeholder Management
Build a network of contacts within NATO, including other parts of the International Staff, NATO Military Authorities and national delegations, as well as outside the Alliance with other international organisations, think tanks and experts in the security environment in order to monitor and analyse current affairs and key policy issues. Coordinate closely with colleagues in the Defence Planning Directorate, other directorates in DPP, and other Divisions to ensure policy developments are aligned with other NATO activities.

Representation of the Organization
Brief and lecture visiting groups, represent the Alliance at conferences, workshops and seminars, and present papers, as directed.

Knowledge Management
Develop reports and studies on wider security issues and on their interaction with defence policy and programmes. Prepare reports and briefing materials for defence ministerial meetings. Draft presentations related to own area of competence to be used by senior NATO officials.

Information Management
Determine priorities, identify urgent matters, and organise and address tasks and requirements accordingly. Channel information to key players in NATO and influence strategy and opinions. Assist appropriate NATO committees in the development and preparation of documents dealing with the conceptual development of the Alliance’s defence policy.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head, Defence Policy Section, and through her/him to the Director, Defence Policy Directorate as needed. The incumbent assists in the coordination of the Directorate’s work within the Division, with other divisions of the International Staff, with the NATO Military Authorities and with national delegations. The incumbent also liaises with other international organisations to develop unified defence and security policies, as appropriate.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect reports: N/a.

5. COMPETENCIES

The incumbent will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Analytical Thinking: Makes complex plans or analyses;
• Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
• Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
• Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
• Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Organisational Awareness: Understands organisational climate and culture;
• Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.

6. CONTRACT

Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years; possibility of renewal for up to three years, during which the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite duration contract.

Contract clause applicable:

In accordance with the contract policy, this is a post in which turnover is desirable for political reasons in order to be able to accommodate the Organisation’s need to carry out its tasks as mandated by the Nations in a changing environment, for example by maintaining the flexibility necessary to shape the Organisation’s skills profile, and to ensure appropriate international diversity.

The maximum period of service foreseen in this post is 6 years. The successful applicant will be offered a 3-year definite duration contract, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years. However, according to the procedure described in the contract policy the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite contract during the period of renewal and no later than one year before the end of contract.

If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject also to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years.

Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations.

7. USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:

• For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (

);
For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment

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More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment, can be found at our website (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-hq-e.htm)

Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate), approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser, verification of your study(ies) and work experience, and the successful completion of the accreditation and 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 NATO’s 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 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.

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 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.