Senior Operations Officer
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- 241167 Requisition #
“Pending Budget Approval”
As part of their application, candidates are requested to attach a cover letter to their application (max. 2 pages), summarizing their interest and motivation for the post.
1. SUMMARY
The mission of the Operations Division 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 policy recommendations, situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis-response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security cooperation programmes.
The Current Operations Section supports the North Atlantic Council (NAC) and the Operations Policy Committee (OPC) in all political-military aspects related to NATO-led operations, missions and activities, including NATO’s security assistance and training for Ukraine, Kosovo Force, NATO Mission Iraq, NATO Cooperation with the African Union, maritime operations, and other missions, operations and activities as they arise.
The incumbent, under the direction of the Head of the Current Operations Section, will address and assess joint security issues concerning conflict prevention, cooperative diplomacy, NATO operations and post-crisis management activities in light of Alliance objectives. Senior Operations Officers typically lead a mission or operationally-focused team on either Ukraine, Balkans, Iraq, maritime, or spearhead significant mission- or operation-focused efforts. The incumbent will work to accelerate outreach and coordination with the European Union and other international organisations to enhance operational and strategic effects.
The incumbent will join the Current Operations section at a time of expanding support for NATO’s security assistance and training for Ukraine. As such, the Current Operations officers work closely together and leverage staff time and skills so the incumbent should be prepared to remain flexible and adaptable to the needs of the section. Given the extremely demanding nature of responses requested for operations, adaptability and availability to perform their tasks at short notice and under pressure are major components in this particular area of work.
2. QUALIFICATIONS
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- have at least 8 years’ of relevant experience participating in and guiding multilateral diplomacy talks and policy development;
- have strong knowledge of international relations and current affairs, with particular emphasis on policy development, operational crisis management issues and international organisations;
- demonstrate flexibility and strong drive for teamwork and diversity;
- possess excellent drafting skills;
- be medically fit and be able to comply with preventive medical measures and requirements in the area of deployment;
- be willing to work outside of normal office hours, if required.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- previous experience of integrating political and military issues in relation to operational crisis management and conflict resolution;
- working experience in an international organisation or a national administration;
- field experience, particularly in Ukraine, the Balkans, Iraq or other working experience of NATO military operations and training missions;
Policy Development
Analyse and evaluate important security and political developments on countries and regions of assignment, in particular related to NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, draft related policy documents, clearly outlining NATO responsibilities and involvement, and monitor policy implementation. Integrate observations and use to draft policies on how to handle crisis operations, clearly outlining NATO responsibilities and involvement. Compile and share information and advice on matters affecting your area(s) of responsibility, including selecting political issues for inclusion in briefing material and other background topics for the Secretary General, Ambassadors and other senior NATO officials on a daily and weekly basis. Participate in and lead internal task forces, as required.
Expertise Development
Conduct strategic forecasts regarding current and future NATO operational commitments, in particular related to NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine. Analyse operational and theatre capacities and options on a regular and sometimes immediate basis. Formulate operational proposals for stakeholders, such as the International Military Staff (IMS) and Strategic Commands, within a strict timeframe to address critical events. Assess the effectiveness of NATO involved operations and conduct lessons learned exercises. Draft presentations, related to your area of competence, to be used by the Assistant Secretary General (ASG), or other senior NATO officials at public conferences and meetings. Present papers related to your area of expertise for conferences and to be shared with international organisations. Visit operational theatres to observe and assess operations and/or as an advisor to a NATO delegations.
Project Management
Follow and report on the implementation progress of NAC decisions and operations where NATO was involved, primarily related to NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine.
Representation of the Organization
Assist the Head of the Current Operations Section, the Director Operations, the Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG), Operations and the ASG, by providing briefs, taking notes and preparing documents associated with work related to the NAC, the NATO-Ukraine Council, Ministerials, bi-laterals and subordinate groups and committees. Prepare for and report on planned and unplanned meetings of various NATO bodies that discuss the political aspects of NATO's involvement in crisis management. Attend meetings and relevant conferences concerning NATO operations with the goal of representing NATO in an international environment. Deputise for the Section Head in their absence, as required.
Information Management
Determine priorities and urgent matters and address them accordingly. Influence NATO operations by creating an interface for dialogue and exchange on NATO current and future operational commitments and NATO defence planning and policy and capability enhancements. Channel information to key players in NATO and influence strategy and opinions.
Stakeholder Management
Contribute to the stability and growth of relationships with international organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the field of crisis management and expand points of contact to discuss urgent situations by participating in regular dialogue.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head of the Current Operations Section and coordinates work with the Section Head and with other Officers. They will maintain close working relationships within OPS and liaise with other NATO Divisions and Independent Offices, NATO Military Authorities (NMA) and the IMS in order to ensure proper coordination and communication regarding work activities and accurate development of operational engagement plans. In addition, they will be required to maintain solid communication with international organisations and take on assignments on various regions that may change due to global events.
Direct reports: N/A
Indirect reports: N/A
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Analytical Thinking: Makes complex plans or analyses;
- 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.