JOB DESCRIPTION

1. SUMMARY

From across the Alliance, DIANA is bringing together innovators and operational end users to foster a transatlantic ecosystem supporting dual-use ground-breaking innovation in deep technologies. DIANA is an independent NATO body comprised of a management team – the DIANA Executive (DX), operating out of regional offices in Europe and in North America -, and an Allied Board of Directors (BoD), which includes senior NATO representation and is responsible for exercising organisational governance over the DIANA Executive.

To support the BoD in exercising its governance responsibilities and to help build strong relationships between DIANA and NATO’s innovation communities, the Office of the DIANA Chair (ODC) within the International Staff, NATO-Wide Coordination Office, works with and under the direct guidance of the national Chairperson of the BoD.

The NATO-WIDE Coordination (NWC) Office supports enhanced governance, coherence, and institutional alignment across NATO agencies and bodies. NWC serves as the central point of coordination between NATO Headquarters and the governance structures of NATO’s executive bodies, ensuring integrated support to Agency Boards and alignment with NATO’s strategic priorities.

The mission of the ODC is to serve the Chairperson directly and national representatives of the BoD, its Finance Committee and other subordinate bodies, including the Rapid Adoption Committee. As custodian of DIANA national governance frameworks, structures and processes, the ODC advises on and supports nations’ oversight responsibilities and informed decision-making, through close coordination with the DX, the Secretary General’s Liaison Officer (SGLO) for DIANA and NATO’s innovation communities.

Under the direction of the Chair and reporting to the Head of the Office (H/ODC), the incumbent is in particular responsible to:

· perform own tasks, in coordination with other ODC members, in direct contact with the DX, the DIANA SGLO, the Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division (D2IA), the International Military Staff, NATO Military Authorities, the Science & Technology Organisation (STO) and the Secretariats of the Agency Supervisory Boards (ASBs) for the NATO Communications & Information Agency (NCIA) and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA);

· engage with and respond to requests, in coordination with other ODC members, from national delegations at NATO HQ, members of the Board of Directors or its subordinate bodies, or from NATO stakeholders as required;

· develop and deliver strategic and risk assessments on key issues and proposals to inform decision-making by the Head of the Office, national Chair and ultimately the DIANA BoD;

· support other ODC members and the Chair in advising the DX and the SGLO DIANA on reporting requirements to the BoD and engagement with its subordinate bodies and ensure that Allies are kept abreast of any issues under the BoD’s governance responsibilities and receive all necessary information in a timely manner.

2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

 

ESSENTIAL

The candidate must:

• have a university degree from an institute of recognised standing in a relevant field for this role;
• have at least 5 years of relevant professional experience;
• have experience working in an international context;
• have a good understanding of NATO’s organisational structure and political-military priorities;
• have very good drafting and analytical skills to support BoD and relevant committee work and to develop strategic and risk assessments on selected topics and issues;
• be able to identify and assess relevant policy decisions and staff work and prepare competent products under time pressure;
• demonstrate good interpersonal skills, resilience, as well as flexibility and an ability to working under pressure;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other.

DESIRABLE

The following would be considered an advantage:

• relevant experience in supporting governance bodies in a multinational environment;
• proven project management experience or portfolio management skills;
• good understanding of NATO innovation policies and the broader Emerging Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) landscape across the Alliance, including a good knowledge of innovation at the strategic and technical levels;
• good understanding of the role and mission of both DIANA and its Board of Directors;
• demonstrated achievement in technology and innovation fields relevant to DIANA’s work.

 

 

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Expertise Development

Provide advice, covering the entire spectrum of NATO-wide interaction, to the Head of the Office and the DIANA Chair, including Alliance political-military priorities and capability development. Remain abreast of developments in key areas of the Alliance that are relevant to DIANA and support the Head of the Office in keeping senior management informed of these developments. Improve the ability of the Office, Chair and BoD to take decisions informed by strategic and risk assessment.

 

Knowledge Management

Draft clear and concise background briefs and speaking notes on matters pertaining to DIANA. Compile information and communicate regular updates on progress, current programmes, projects etc. Prepare presentations on specific topics related to DIANA governance. Liaise with national delegations at NATO HQ and other bodies, as required.

 

Stakeholder Management

Support necessary, relevant and appropriate consultation and follow up from BoD decisions. Organise and participate in meetings and events, as directed. Support and help manage constructive and mutually reinforcing relationships between DIANA governance and management. Establish contact with members of national delegations, as required.

Policy Development

Support and oversee continued development and improvement of DIANA’s policy and regulatory regime, including through close alignment with NATO Headquarters. Provide support and recommendations to the formulation of International Staff advice to the DIANA BoD and support information flow across the International Staff on matters arising from Allied governance decisions. Actively participate in lessons learned activities of the NATO Innovation communities, Organizations, seeking to exploit the information gathered.

Project Management

Support working with the DX to enhance DIANA’s contribution to NATO’s political priorities, planning and capability development processes, identifying key risks, issues as well as solutions. Support development and maintain a work plan to guide execution of BoD responsibilities.

 

Representation of the Organization

Represent the Chair and Head of the Office internally and externally, as appropriate, work with the Senior Leadership Team in the DX and participate in meetings at NATO HQ Staff level, as appropriate.

Financial Management

Keep abreast of developments in relevant budget committees, and ensure linkages to the joint funding options for DIANA are understood, as well as support tasks that are required to effectively and efficiently manage the office’s administrative budget. Develop expertise and provide advice on financial management topics in the context of DIANA’s Finance Committee.

Perform any other duties as required.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The incumbent reports to the H/ODC and performs own tasks in direct contact with the Chair, the DX, the IS, in particular D2IA, the International Military Staff, the NATO Military Authorities, the STO, and other Agency secretariats.

Direct reports: N/A

Indirect reports: N/A.

5. COMPETENCIES

The incumbent will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Achievement: Creates own measures of excellence and improves performance;
• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Change Leadership: Expresses vision for change;
• Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Organizational Awareness: Understands organizational politics;
• Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.

6. 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.

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 ();

 

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.

8. 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.

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.

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.

NATO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. For more info please click here.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements