SUMMARY:

Within the Executive Management Division (EM), NATO’s International Staff (IS) Human Resources (HR) Directorate is comprised of five pillars: Talent Management and HR Integration (TMHRI); Staff Services (StS); HR Policy and Strategy Coordination (IS and NATO-wide HR policy); Data Analytics, Leave & PMIS Support; and the Medical Service.

The Pay and Allowances Service provides payroll services to certain other NATO bodies in an HR Shared Services framework.

The incumbent helps the Head of Pay and Allowances ensure accurate calculation and allocation of pay for all international civilian staff, including temporary staff, consultants, and interns, under Civilian Personnel Regulations (CPRs). This includes staff employed by the IS and other NATO bodies served by IS under HR Shared Services. Additionally, the incumbent checks that payroll transactions have the necessary approvals, answers confidential questions, and may perform other HR Staff Services duties as needed. They also check the work of other Assistants on the team and play a critical role in digitalising payroll processes to improve efficiency.

This position requires a blend of payroll technical expertise, project management skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively within a team.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential

The incumbent must:

• Possess a university degree or equivalent level of qualification in economics, human resources management, business or public administration, finance, accounting, actuarial studies or related field, from an institute of a recognised standing;


• Have at least 2 years of experience in payroll management or a related function;


• Have strong analytical and numerical skills;


• Have a demonstrated track record of delivering high quality service to customers with discretion;


• Possess the ability and critical thinking to understand and interpret staff regulations pertaining to the remuneration;


• Have a hands-on experience of databases running in a Windows environment, such as MS Access, Excel and SharePoint, as well as information technologies and equipment for storing, retrieving, transmitting and handling data;


• Have experience in digitalisation of processes to enhance efficiency and data accuracy.


• Possess the required levels of NATO's official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one, III (“Intermediate”) in the other.

Desirable

The following would be considered an advantage:

• Fluency in both NATO Official Languages;


• Work experience in an International Organisation or a national administration;


• Hands-on experience in the use of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system;


• Knowledge of other NATO member country languages.

MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Project Management

Lead the digitalisation of payroll processes with NATO’s IT Department (EM-ICTM), using technology to automate and streamline workflows. Identify and propose improvements for better service delivery. Ensure payroll databases and accounts are updated and accurate. Collaborate on digital transformation projects and help develop new service methods and policy documents. including salary calculations, allowances, benefits, and deductions. Ensure compliance with regulations and obtain necessary transaction approvals. Collaborate on validating and inputting payroll data, and contribute to developing policy documents and instructions.

Stakeholder Management

Communicate effectively with other HR staff, including those in other NATO bodies, regarding Pay and Allowance matters, providing clear explanations of entitlements as per the CPRs to staff members and resolving inquiries. Ensure high-quality service delivery to customers of HR in the IS and in other NATO bodies.

Expertise Development

Support broader HR projects related to Pay and Allowances, including NATO-wide payroll projects, ERP, Shared Services and business continuity planning, offering expertise as a subject matter expert. Provide statistical data and analytical information for management purposes.

People Management

If required, support the Head in managing the Pay and Allowances team, providing guidance, evaluating  performance. Identify training needs to enhance team capabilities. Foster a collaborative and motivating work environment, promoting continuous improvement and the delivery of high-quality service.

Information Management

Ensure, both individually and through the supervision of the quality of the work of other team members, the accurate calculation of allowances and entitlements due to staff based on their circumstances and in accordance with the applicable rules.

Knowledge Management

Develop, capture and document expert knowledge on the Pay and Allowances and automate and improve work processes where necessary. Assist in benchmarking payroll procedures and identify good practices. Contribute to reference guides, draft memoranda, and provide financial inputs for audits and studies. Contribute to annual reports.

Perform any other related duties as assigned.

INTERRELATIONSHIPS:

The incumbent reports to the Head, Pay and Allowances and deputises for her/him in their absence. They work in close cooperation with the other members of the Service and of Human Resources and interact with staff at all levels of seniority, with HR and other administrative staff in other NATO bodies, and with members of national delegations.

• Direct reports: N/A;


• Indirect reports: N/A.

COMPETENCIES:

The incumbent must demonstrate:

• Achievement: Works to meet standards;


• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;


• Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;


• Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;


• Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;


• Empathy: Is open to others’ perspectives;


• Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;


• 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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

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.