Officer - Civil Preparedness Policy and Planning
🔍 Belgium
The Defence Policy and Planning (DPP) Division leads work in the NATO International Staff on the defence-related aspects of the Alliance’s fundamental security tasks at the political-military level. The Defence Policy and Capabilities Directorate in DPP addresses a wide range of issues related to the Alliance’s deterrence and defence policies and strategies.
The Division’s Resilience Section (RS) develops, facilitates and supports the development of advice to NATO and national authorities at the political level. The Section contributes to efforts to support national resilience through civil preparedness, both of which support NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. The section contributes to the full implementation of the Strengthened Resilience Commitment, related language in the Strategic Concept, and to fulfilling the increased level of ambition on building resilience by developing analyses and advice covering a wide range of resilience dimensions. Enhancing NATO-EU cooperation in resilience, and related crisis management and civil-military support also remains a key strategic priority.
The incumbent is responsible for providing advice on the development of civil preparedness policy and planning guidance within the Alliance, particularly in the area of energy resilience and transition, critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and security of supply. S/he will act as the RS focal point for civil communications, cyber and energy security, and also address the evolving nature, opportunities and threats from emerging technologies and in emerging domains (i.e. space) in these sectors. S/he will oversee, develop, and report on the work of the Civil Emergency Planning Committee’s (CEPC) Energy Planning Group. The incumbent will also manage and work with a diverse network of stakeholders within NATO (including the NATO Military Authorities), Allies, partner nations and relevant international organisations. Adaptability and availability to perform tasks at short notice and under pressure are important for this post.
2. QUALIFICATIONS
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- possess a university degree or an equivalent level of qualification, in a relevantfield from an Institute of recognized standing;
- be conversant with the Alliance’s political and military consultative processes and the key defence and security policy issues on its agenda;
- demonstrate good political judgement;
- have strong communication skills both oral and drafting ones;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; I (“Beginner”) in the other;
- be able and willing to travel and to work outside core business hours.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- advanced understanding of NATO policies and procedures; the civil and military structure of the Alliance, particularly the responsibilities and roles of the NATO civil and military bodies involved in resilience and civil preparedness;
- detailed knowledge of and experience in developing policy and planning documents related to resilience and civil preparedness;
- similar work experience gained through service at a national administration (including civil ministries and agencies), military service or international organisation.
Policy Development
Take a lead role in the development of NATO resilience and civil preparedness policy, planning, strategy, consultations and strategic communications, including drafting policy documents, planning guidance, briefing notes, speeches and other strategic communications products. Analyse and evaluate important security, military and political developments and trends in Alliance and partner nations, in other International Organisations such as the European Union, and in other regions as necessary. Monitor policy and planning implementation.
Information Management
Determine priorities, identify urgent matters, and organise and address tasks and requirements accordingly. Influence NATO policy development by creating an interface for dialogue and exchange on NATO current and future planning, NATO defence planning and policy and capability enhancements. Channel information to key players in NATO and influence strategy and opinions. Execute work for DPP management, in support of the NAC and its subordinate bodies, as required.
Expertise Development
Keep well informed of current developments and emerging trends in the civil and commercial energy sector. Formulate proposals for stakeholders, such as the International Military Staff (IMS) and Strategic Commands. Draft and give presentations to be used by the Assistant Secretary General (ASG), Defence Policy and Planning (DPP) or other senior NATO officials. Report on developments in areas of responsibility and provide advice to inform the work of the Section.
Stakeholder Management
Develop and maintain strong rapport with Allied and relevant partner representatives to NATO and with representatives from relevant authorities in capitals. Manage relationships with NATO civil experts through stewardship of relevant CEPC Planning Groups. Contribute to relationships with relevant International Organisations and expand points of contact by participating in regular dialogue. Participate in and lead internal International Staff task forces, as required.
Representation of the Organization
Represent NATO, including by providing presentations and attending relevant conferences, when required. Brief NATO, Allied and partner officials and military staffs on current activities. Undertake duty travel as required.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head, Resilience Section and coordinates closely within the DPP Division, in particular with the Defence Enablement and Logistics Section; and across NATO HQ with the International Staff, the NATO Military Authorities and Allied officials, as well as with counterparts in other international organisations. S/he maintains close working relationships throughout DPP and works effectively with other NATO divisions, in particular the Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber (IHC) and Defence Investment (DI) divisions and the IMS, to ensure shared situational awareness, effective staff-level coordination and stakeholder management.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect report: N/a
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Analytical Thinking: Makes complex plans or analyses;
- Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
- Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
- Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
- Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;
- Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands organisational climate and culture;
- Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.
7. 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 (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.