INTERNSHIP - International Military Staff - Office of the Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor (PASCAD)

INFO-SESSION ON THE VACANCY AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
NATO is organising an info-session webinar on the recruitment process for this programme which will take place on 11/06/2025 at 4pm CET (Brussels time).

 This will be the opportunity for applicants and professionals to gain more insight into 
the steps of the recruitment process and to have the opportunity to ask questions to
Talent Acquisition Service. Some interns and/or former interns will also share their experience of the programme with the audience.

Please register using the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HdnqpN5hSDaM-t7JB8lAuQ

Are you eager to work in the most senior level of military HQ at NATO? Are you willing to work in a fast-paced environment with varied stakeholders such as NATO member and partner nations, the national delegations, European Union and Centres of Excellence? Do you have strong analytical and drafting skills? Are you are keen to work on cross-cutting topics looking at the public affairs implications of NATO’s three core tasks: Collective Defence, Crisis Management and Cooperative? Then working as an intern in IMS PASCAD is the perfect place for you!

The office of the Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor (PASCAD) advises the Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), NATO Military Committee (MC) and the International Military Staff (IMS) on all aspects relating to Strategic Communications. The PASCAD is the official spokesperson for the CMC, MC and IMS. The office provides NATO’s senior military leadership with factual, timely and coordinated StratCom advice and Public Affairs support, provides policy advice and input to Military Committee documents, and leads and coordinates all internal and external communications for MC and IMS leadership. 

The Intern will directly support the Office of the PASCAD by  providing daily routine support for media operations such as, reporting on international and national media (monitoring news outlets, media and Internet sources); compiling media environments; researching specific subjects/topics; drafting scene-setters for (Deputy) Chair of the MC and IMS leadership and writing web stories for the IMS/MC Webpage; updating the Lines-to-Take database; and provide other PA or admin-related support and/or additional tasks.

How the daily work will look like?

Interns will gain a comprehensive understanding of NATO’s structure, working procedures and applicable legal framework. They will be able to attend meetings of the Military Committee and of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) as well as working level meetings.  Additionally, they will have an opportunity to participate in dialogues with international organizations, national delegations and other stakeholders, participating in conferences as required. They will have an opportunity to enhance their research and writing skills.

What do we offer?

• A 6-month traineeship at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, starting in March / September 2026. 
• A full-time traineeship (38 hours a week).
• A monthly grant of €1,286.09 and a travel reimbursement upon joining and leaving the organisation.
• Teleworking subject to business requirements.
• A rich programme of activities, attending regular events and participating in meetings with several stakeholders.
• NATO HQ Staff Centre which promotes employee well-being and foster a healthy work environment (click here for more info, special membership price for NATO interns)

Selection Criteria

Please note that you can apply for up to three (3) different vacancies!

Apply until 22 June 2025 at 23.59, Brussels time

Essential:

The candidate must:

1.       be a national of a NATO member state,

2.       be at least 21 years old,

3.       have at least two years of university level studies OR equivalent education OR be currently a student OR a recent graduate (degree obtained no longer than 12 months ago),

4.       have proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages (English/French).

Desirable:

The following criteria will be considered an advantage:

1.       have a Bachelor's degree or in the final stage of a Master’s degree on media communications, public relations or political science,

2.       elementary knowledge of the second official NATO language (English/French),

3.       be an advanced user of IT tools including Microsoft Office, SharePoint;

4.       previous experience with other international organizations, national administration, research or industry.

Competencies required:

The candidate must demonstrate the following competencies:

·       Achievement: Works to meet standards.

·       Analytical thinking: Breaks down problems and see basic relationships.

·       Clarity and accuracy: Shows general concern for order and clarity, and checks own work.

·       Customer service orientation: Responds appropriately, maintains clear communication.

·       Empathy: Listens actively.

·       Flexibility: Acts with flexibility.

·       Initiative: Reacts to short-term opportunities or problems.

·       Organizational awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure.

·       Teamwork: Cooperates, shares information and knowledge freely, offering support and cooperation.

Our Values:

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 and candidates living with disability 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.

Special Notice:

In order for the Internship Office to assess your eligibility for the Internship Programme, please attach the following documents:

1.       Copy of university qualifications you have completed and/or

2.       Proof of ongoing studies with the dates clearly mentioned if you are still studying.

We prefer that these documents are in one of the NATO official language (English or French). If you don’t have these documents in English or French, please attach a self translation.

Please ensure that all information is complete and accurate before submitting your application.

Please note that the application cannot be updated after the relevant deadline. 

The pool of candidates will be available to all NATO IS / IMS Divisions, Offices and NATO Bodies in case there is a need for a similar profile.

Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.

Read more about the Internship Programme, including terms and conditions, and what we offer at our website.

Kindly note that 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.