Pending Budget Approval

1. SUMMARY

The mission of the Operations Division of the International Staff is to prepare NATO for the defence of Alliance territory, to respond to crises at home and abroad, and to strengthen the capabilities of partners. The Operations Division advances the core tasks of the Alliance (Deterrence and Defence, Crisis Prevention and Management and Cooperative Security) by providing policy recommendations, situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security cooperation programmes.
Within the Operations Division, the Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate (DSCD) facilitates political-military decision-making and programme implementation with partner nations to strengthen resilience, promote integrity, transparency, accountability and good governance in the defence and related security sector, and enhance the institutional and defence capabilities of partner nations so that they can better respond to crises at home and abroad.
Within the Defence Security and Cooperation Directorate and the Delivery Section, the Education and Training team is in charge of provision of practical support to partners through the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP). To date, such support is provided to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Georgia, Iraq (as part of NATO Mission Iraq), Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine.
The incumbent supports the development and implementation of DEEP and other relevant capacity building activities for partners. Through DEEP, the Officer works with partner countries to help identify the needs and gaps of education institutions in the defence and military domain.

2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:

• possess a university degree or equivalent qualification from an institute of recognised standing in a relevant discipline;
• have at least 2 years’ experience in the field of defence and security;
• have good understanding of institution and capacity building processes;
• have knowledge and experience in applying programme and project management methods and tools;
• have knowledge and experience in the development and management of multinational programmes related to defence education enhancement;
• demonstrate political awareness and a good understanding of NATO partnerships;
• be able to communicate concisely, clearly, logically and persuasively, verbally and in writing with partner nation officials, subject matter experts and NATO peers;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages: (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one and I (“Beginner”) in the other.

DESIRABLE

The following would be considered an advantage:
• knowledge and experience in designing and applying programme monitoring and evaluation processes and tools;
• knowledge and experience in security- or defence-related cooperation with NATO partner countries.

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Expertise Development
Keep abreast of NATO partnership policies and priorities, particularly regarding the respective DEEP-recipient partner, including the Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP). Develop an in-depth understanding of the partner’s defence and security priorities and plans. Increase depth of knowledge in best practices for capacity building programmes and projects. Apply expertise, perform analyses, consider options and provide recommendations for continued improvement and/or adaptation, and the implementation of the DEEP and associated projects.

Project Management
Support the day-to-day management of one or several DEEP and associated projects. Design, plan, implement, manage, monitor and coordinate projects to build capacities of selected partner/s. Coordinate the work of academic leads and subject matter experts. Ensure that project deliverables are attainable and guide their progress. Identify risks and undertake contingency planning. Engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure resourcing and implementation projects. Monitor and evaluate progress. Plan and execute activities to build capacities of selected partner/s. Manage other projects as directed by the DSCD. Develop and implement processes, procedures and tools for project management within DEEP.

Financial Management
Plan, manage and monitor budgets for projects. Ensure that expenditure of allocated funds is in line with the NATO’s policies and objectives and additional guidance provided by the DSCD, and is executed in the most cost-effective manner in line with NATO’s financial regulations.

Knowledge Management
Act as a focal point for assigned thematic area/s relevant to capacity building work for partners. Implement and maintain an effective and practical knowledge management system for the DEEP and associated projects. Assist in communication and knowledge sharing efforts through the preparation of reports, background materials, speaking notes and presentations for events and visits to/from NATO. Contribute to the preparation of relevant public briefing materials.

Stakeholder Management
Engage with relevant stakeholders from within NATO structures, Allies and partners, including organisations and agencies executing/implementing NATO’s projects. Work closely with NATO’s internal services, including other Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate delivery, planning and resources officers. Work closely the expert academic community, PFP Consortium, NATO’s Locally Engaged Staff and with the authorities of the DEEP recipient.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The incumbent reports to the Education and Training Team Leader, Delivery Section, DSCD. The incumbent works with the DSCD Director, Delivery Section Head, as well as the other staff members in the Directorate and the Division for the performance of all areas of responsibility set out above.
The Officer will maintain a good working relationship with members of other Divisions of the International Staff and International Military Staff. The incumbent will work closely with the staffs of the NATO Military Authorities, national delegations and liaison offices and, as appropriate through the delegations, with authorities of both NATO and partner countries.

Direct reports: n/a
Indirect reports: n/a

5. COMPETENCIES

• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Flexibility: Adapts to unforeseen situations;
• Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Change Leadership: Expresses vision for change;
• Organizational Awareness: Understands organisational climate and culture;
• Teamwork: Cooperates.

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.

NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post.

Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts.

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 Before you apply to any position, we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process.

Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed? Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.

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.