INTERNSHIP - International Military Staff, Situation Centre (SITCEN) – Geo & Space Services Section

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 learn more about the NATO International Military Staff (IMS) and, in particular about its Situation Centre (SITCEN) – Geo & Space Services Section?  Are you willing to learn more about NATO’s policies and its work on crisis management? Are you interested to apply your knowledge in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to bring the power of maps and storytelling into NATO’s decision-making process?  Are you willing to work in a dynamic work environment with various stakeholders including military and policy staff? Do you have strong drafting skills? Are you keen to be part of a team of passionate and dedicated professionals who use GIS technology to support NATO’s data-driven decision making? If so, this internship position is for you.

The Situation Centre (SITCEN) acts as the central agency for crisis management information at NATO Headquarters.  The Geo & Space Services Section provides geographic support to all NATO HQ staff while maintaining direct ties with all other NATO Geo departments and with all geo services of other International Organizations.  It is the responsibility of the SITCEN Geo & Space Services Section to ensure that the most accurate and truthful representation of the world’s geo-political scene is presented to key decision makers.  The Section can rapidly merge operational and intelligence information to perform geospatial analysis in support of NATO’s major decisions. In addition, the Geo & Space Services Section is also responsible for the development of a Strategic Space Situational Awareness System at NATO HQ.

NATO is currently looking for interns in IMS Situation Centre, Geo & Space Services Section.

How the daily work will look like?

Interns will gain an in-depth understanding of the crisis management role of the Situation Centre in NATO HQ, as well as of the role of Geographic Information Systems in enhancing NATO’s decision-making process. Interns will have the opportunity to work with state-of-the art GIS technologies to build compelling maps, data visualization, situation reports and story maps. 

Interns may have the opportunity to participate in different NATO Geospatial related Working Groups, in which Nations will discuss relevant geospatial matters. Interns will receive training provided by IMS on the main IT tools used in NATO, as well as on-demand training on the GIS tools they will be required to use during the internship.

The interns will participate in several projects, for example:

-          Conduct open-source research on specific geographical areas, as tasked by the Head of Section or the GEOINT and OSINT specialists in the section;

-          Build interactive story maps, briefs and dashboards on various topics of strategic importance for NATO HQ leadership;

-          Acquire the relevant knowledge and use the various commercial platforms available to the Section for Satellite imagery and OSINT information, for further integration into maps and other interactive reports;

-          Attend all relevant Geospatial and GEOINT related Working Groups as directed by the Head of Section;

-          Assist the Map Production Unit in researching topics required for the production of customs maps.

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).

5.       have knowledge and academic experience in working with Geographic Information Systems.

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 relevant to the requested area of expertise,

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

3.       be an advance 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.