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Head, Divisional Support Section and Executive Officer (XO)

  • International Staff, NATO HQ
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: December 15, 2024
  • International Staff, NATO HQ
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: December 15, 2024

SUMMARY:

The Defence Policy and Planning (DPP) Division is responsible for the development and implementation of the defence policy and planning dimension of Alliance activities. The Division serves the Defence Policy and Planning Committee (DPPC), the Resilience Committee (RC) and the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) through the NPG Staff Group.

The incumbent will provide coordinated advice to the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG) on matters pertaining to the activities of the Division; support and coordinate the ASG’s and DASG’s activities; and ensure the effective planning, management and smooth running of their office. They provide coordinated and substantiated advice to the ASG and the DASG on a wide range of defence policy and planning issues and activities. To that end, they will coordinate efforts between DPP and other NATO Divisions and bodies involved in the preparation of documents for approval by the ASG and the DASG. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that the workflow of the Division is handled efficiently and effectively and results in the timely delivery of high-quality and fully-staffed products addressed, to the Private Office of the Secretary General, the DPPC, RC, NPG Staff Group and other stakeholders. They will also ensure that the divisional deliverables are fully coordinated with the co-located International Military Staff (IMS) Division. The incumbent is DPP’s primary interlocutor on the organisation of work with other XOs, Delegations and similar officials. 

In addition, the incumbent will be the Head of the Divisional Support Section. In support of the Alliance initiatives and objectives, they will be in charge of the Committee meeting strategic planning (DPPC and RC), in close coordination with Directorates, and supervise the provision of drafting, administrative, organisational support, and procedural advice to the committees served by DPP, in particular the DPPC and the RC.

The incumbent will also provide support to the Division by undertaking special projects, as directed by ASG/DASG DPP.

The incumbent will work in a Division which considers diversity and inclusion as essential to the way it works. At DPP, Diversity and Inclusion is considered to be as important as our programme of work and the number of staff who support it. DPP is a workplace which values each staff member for their contributions, perspectives and potential. At DPP, staff members feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential

The incumbent must:

  • Posses a degree from a university or institute of recognised standing or an equivalent qualification from a defence/military institution;

  • Have at least 5 years’ relevant experience;

  • Have a detailed knowledge of defence policy / defence planning or related military matters; and of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence agenda;

  • Be conversant with the Alliance’s structure, practices and procedures, as well as its political and military consultative processes and the key defence and security policy issues on its agenda;

  • Possess relevant experience in prioritizing, multitasking and in dealing with a large amount of issues and tasks;

  • Have proven experience in managing, co-coordinating and engaging a team;

  • Have a good knowledge of various software packages, in particular the Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft SharePoint or similar (training in specific NATO systems will be provided, as necessary);

  • Have strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to draft and edit documents for a senior audience;

  • Possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): VI (“Proficiency”) in one; III (“Intermediate”) in the other.


Desirable

The following would be considered an advantage:

  • Experience of working in a major international organisation or international environment;

  • Programme and project management expertise in public/private sector environments;

  • Knowledge of NATO Defence Planning procedures, its support structures and the role of the DPPC in the NATO Defence Planning Process;

  • Awareness of the Enablement and Resilience matters on NATO’s agenda;

  • Awareness of nuclear related matters on NATO’s agenda;

  • Relevant military experience in command and in staff positions.


MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Planning and Execution

Oversee day-to-day management of ASG/DPP's office, and lead coordination within DPP, with other divisions, and between the International Staff (IS) and IMS. Ensure assignment and timely completion of tasks from both the Private Office and the ASG. Participate and provide advice on the shaping and staffing of various defence policies, and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) related matters, integrate them into future strategic plans for the Division and oversee their timely completion Run practical, administrative and logistical aspects of committee work and track the implementation of committee decisions, report on progress and contribute to the timely execution of policy directives issued by the Committees.

Project Management

Proactively plan, organise and supervise the DPPC and RC programme of activities, as well as any other special projects, such as webinars and symposia under the supervision of ASG/DPP and/or DASG/DPP. Take on assignments for issues that do not fall under the remit of one of its sections.

Information Management

Ensure the proper application of NATO procedures and processes. Facilitate and enable inter- and intra- divisional information and data sharing. Identify relevant topics and implement standard methods and regular maintenance to ensure accurate and accessible information.

Expertise Development

Screen incoming documents for the ASG, highlight matters of interest, and provide preliminary analysis and advice, as required. Keep abreast of international affairs, particularly political-military and defence developments, in order to ensure coherence cross DPP’s work. Advise ASG and senior-level management in a clear and concise manner.

Stakeholder Management

Seek to ensure DPP Directors and Section Heads work to meet the Committees’ and divisional agendas and assist in coordinating these matters. Act as a key interlocutor with the Secretary General's Private Office to ensure good communication on relevant matters. Represent ASG/DPP at meetings, conferences and seminars as required. Liaise with Allied and Partner Committee representatives to produce quality and decisive output, work closely with members of the IS, IMS, National Military Authorities (NMAs), and other NATO bodies, and cooperate closely with the Executive Officers in other Divisions with a view to developing common approaches to management and other issues of common interest. Represent the Division in contacts with external stakeholders.

People Management

Manage the staff of the Divisional Support Section. Provide the section’s staff members with in-depth mentoring, coaching and training opportunities to improve staff performance, motivation, development, and engagement and provide regular feedback on performance. Support the ASG and the management team in implementing sound and inclusive management principles across the Division. Create a motivating, effective and inclusive workplace. Champion diversity and inclusion, provide in-depth mentoring, coaching and training opportunities and be available to offer guidance at critical moments. Ensure that all staff under their responsibility are clear on Organisational, Divisional and Directorate objectives. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance as a staff development tool, throughout every day work, and formally via the HQ Performance Review and Development (PRD) system. Engage in a collegial dialogue and review of performance to discuss possible development and mobility opportunities for individuals, identify high potential staff and help ensure common standards are applied for an equitable process.

Knowledge Management

Facilitate inter-divisional information sharing, including with a view to transferring knowledge across DPP and with key interlocutors. Ensure that divisional knowledge is stored and that the content is relevant and accessible to users.

Organisational Efficiencies

Promote the use of management tools and mechanisms to help the Division function more transparently, efficiently and effectively. Rationalise working procedures. Participate in cross-divisional efforts on processes and procedures to improve the overall functioning of NATO.

Policy Development

Contribute to the structure and development of policy efforts for the Division. Coordinate internal policy matters and initiatives in collaboration with relevant IS and IMS contacts. Advise the ASG/DPP and DASG/DPP on policy development within the Division as well as throughout NATO. Perform any other related duty as assigned.

INTERRELATIONSHIPS:

The incumbent reports to the Assistant Secretary General, Defence Policy and Planning, and works closely with the DASG, Directors and Section Heads. They communicate and exchange information on a regular basis with NATO International Staff (IS) at all levels and with senior NATO and national officials. They will collaborate with the Private Office on a frequent basis, as directed, and monitor and report on any taskers, DPP related initiatives and programme developments. They will have direct management responsibility over the Division Support Section.

  • Direct reports: 6;

  • Indirect reports: N/A.


COMPETENCIES:

The incumbent must demonstrate:

  • Achievement: Creates own measures of excellence and improves performance;

  • Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;

  • Clarity and Accuracy: Monitors others' work for clarity;

  • Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;

  • Customer Service Orientation: Makes things better for the customer, addressing underlying customer needs;

  • Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence;

  • Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;

  • Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.


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.

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 (link);

  • 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.

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.

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.

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 email 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.
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