SUMMARY:

The mission of the Operations Division (OPS) 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 (Collective Defence, Crisis Management, Cooperative Security) by providing situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security
cooperation programmes.

Within the OPS Division, the Crisis Response Systems and Exercises (CRSE) Section provides direction and coordination on the elaboration of the Alliance’s crisis management and response system policy, organisation and procedures; high level exercising; and Alliance lessons learned policy.

The incumbent supports Head, CRSE Section in providing coordinated policy advice and recommendations to the Council Operations and Exercise Committee (COEC), the Operations Policy Committee (OPC) and associated bodies. They will contribute to the maintenance, revision, implementation and North Atlantic Council-level exercising of the NATO Response System (NRS), as well as the maintenance and review of the NATO policy for lessons learned. They will contribute to the development, maintenance and enhancement of operation procedures for crisis management and the lessons learned process at the NATO Headquarters (HQ). In addition, they will support the development, co-ordination, planning, conduct and after-action reporting to the Council on high-level crisis management exercises, short notice exercises as well as scenario-based discussions.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

ESSENTIAL

The incumbent must:

• Possess a university degree, or an equivalent level of qualification, from an institute of recognised standing;


• Have a minimum of 2 years' relevant professional experience;


• Have solid knowledge and experience of national and/or international crisis management;


• Have sound knowledge of the interrelationships between NATO Headquarters, the NATO Strategic Commands, and national civilian and military authorities of Allies and partners;


• Have excellent drafting and communication skills;


• Possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; I (“Beginner”) in the other;


• Be willing to travel and work outside of normal office hours, when required;

DESIRABLE:

The following would be considered an advantage:

• Working experience in an international organisation or a national administration;


• Relevant knowledge in Crisis Management from other international organisations, such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);


• Have knowledge or/and experience of NATO crisis management;


• Knowledge of, and experience in dealing with, non-NATO countries.


• The ability to assemble quickly relevant data to present a clear analysis and critical assessment of problems and issues;

MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Project Management

Provide effective and timely advice, draft proposals and recommendations, and identify risks. Contribute and propose solutions regarding the maintenance, revision, implementation and North Atlantic Council-level exercising of the NATO Crisis Response System (NRS), as well as the maintenance and review of the NATO policy for lessons learned. Contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the general crisis management operating procedures for the NATO HQ. Liaise closely with the International Military Staff (IMS), and the Strategic Commands (SCs), as well as Alliance training establishments and national crisis management bodies, regarding Alliance crisis management policy, procedures and arrangements in support of the above. Contribute to the organisation by supporting the running of associated conferences, meetings and training activities.

Policy Development

Coordinate and draft papers, briefs and recommendations on crisis management procedural policy in support of the effective maintenance of the NRS and high- level exercising for consideration in the appropriate allied conferences, the COEC, the Defence Planning and Policy Committee (DPPC), the Resilience Committee (CEPC), as well as the Council. Contribute to the initiation and/or development of current policies.

Stakeholder Management

Develop contacts and cooperation in support of the conduct of political/military activities designed to cooperate with international organisations, and to enhance Partners' crisis management capabilities. They will support the cooperation of the activities that are conducted within such countries through expert meetings and visits.

Knowledge Management

Present briefings to NATO Nations, Partner-Nations, other non-NATO countries', international organisations’, civil and military officials as well as visitor groups on NATO crisis management. Provide a point of contact, within NATO and with other organisations and countries, for enhancing interaction with other international organisations on issues related to crisis management and related activities.

Expertise Development

Apply background expertise and be prepared to provide recommendations, undertake activities designed to improve knowledge, understanding and expertise in the field of international crisis management.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

INTERRELATIONSHIPS:

The incumbent reports to the Head, CRSE Section and, through them, to the Director Operations. They will work closely with the other sections of the Operations Division, with the Operations and Intelligence Branches of the IMS and with the SCs. They will coordinate with other divisions of the IS, the IMS, the Situation Centre, the NATO Strategic Commands and national delegations, as necessary. In addition, the
incumbent will establish appropriate coordination with other non-NATO entities as required.

• Direct reports: N/A;


• Indirect reports: N/A.

COMPETENCIES

The incumbent must demonstrate:

• 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;


• Organisational Awareness: Understands organisational climate and culture;


• Teamwork: Cooperates.

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

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. 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 Pretrained 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 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.

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.