Assistant, Defence Planning
JOB DETAIL
1. SUMMARY
The Defence Policy and Planning (DPP) Division has the lead role on the defence-related aspects of NATO’s fundamental security tasks at the political-military level.
Within the DPP Division, the Defence Planning Directorate (DPD) is responsible for the conduct of Alliance defence planning, has the lead in the International Staff (IS) for the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP). It also assists the efforts of the Allies and selected partners to improve the effectiveness of defence planning and capability delivery. The Directorate works in close cooperation with national delegations, NATO’s Military Authorities and staff in national capitals on all business relating to defence planning, including the analysis of national defence programmes.
The incumbent will carry out the duties of Assistant to the Director of Defence Planning and to the Deputy Director of Defence Planning. They will be responsible for the smooth and proficient running of the Director’s office and for efficiently handling a wide range of support duties of an administrative and organisational nature. They will work closely with the Principal Assistant to the Assistant Secretary General and the Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary General for DPP.
The incumbent will work in a dynamic division which considers diversity and inclusion as essential to the way it works. In DPP, Diversity and Inclusion is considered as important as our programme of work and the number of staff who support it. DPP is a workplace which values each staff member for all their contributions, perspectives and potential. In DPP, staff members feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- have a good general education to at least higher secondary level ;
- have at least 4 years’ experience performing administrative support duties;
- be able to work autonomously and have thorough knowledge of good office practices and procedures;
- possess experience in managing agendas, preparing principals for meetings, running diaries and coordinating taskers so as to contribute to a seamless connection between the Directorate, its leadership and the remainder of the Division;
- possess experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool (e.g. Oracle);
- have good communication, interpersonal and coordination skills;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; I (“Beginner”) in the other;
- have a good knowledge of various software packages, in particular the Microsoft Office suite and be familiar with WEB technologies (training in specific NATO systems will be provided, as necessary).
- be willing to work outside of normal working hours, as requested.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- a higher level of education;
- working knowledge of an additional language of a NATO member nation;
- knowledge of collecting, collating and analysing administrative information;
- an awareness of budgeting;
- experience in an international organization.
Planning and Execution
Coordinate the administrative activities of the Directorate, as needed, to ensure efficient operation, timely response within deadlines and requests for assistance. Coordinate all missions (duty travel) of the Director and the Deputy Director and execute the necessary preparatory work, including visit folders.
Information Management
Answer enquiries and incoming telephone calls, make arrangements for meetings and missions, ensure effective preparation of the Director/Deputy Director, and manage/oversee the office diary. Type and format documents, including tables of figures requiring careful presentation. Build PowerPoint presentations. File correspondence and documents. Maintain oversight of taskers to/outputs required from the Directorate as well as an effective follow-up and/or reminder system for pending actions. Prepare and monitor the master schedule of programmed missions and annual leave.
Stakeholder Management
Prepare for bi-weekly Directorate Staff meetings and, as needed, other meetings of NATO entities and committees attended by the Director/Deputy Director. Liaise and coordinate with other parts of DPP as well as throughout the IS and wider Defence Planning Staffs (IMS, ACT, ACO) to ensure efficienct daily management of workload and processes. Be the initial point of contact for entry point for requests into the Directorate. Maintain all lists of internal and external contacts.
Financial Management
Ensure that proper financial procedures are followed for the budget, prepare the necessary financial documents, plan and follow-up on activities to ensure that financial files are accurately processed and maintain records of all financial transactions.
Knowledge Management
Draft simple memoranda and covering letters for documents to be forwarded to national and NATO authorities. Collect, categorise, and track relevant information required for various tasks, projects and committees and maintain well-structured paper and electronic filing systems. Input and verify data entries into relevant databases.
Expertise Development
Understand protocol issues and keep abreast of any development that may affect the Director’s office. Proactively develop skills in areas such as planning and organisation, new technology, languages and effective communication. Liaise with others to leverage knowledge.
Organisational Efficiencies
Provide constructive suggestions to improve office procedures. Find ways to be faster, better and more effective in managing information, using office tools, and general running of the Office.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Director of Defence Planning. S/he will work closely with the Deputy Director, the Defence Planning Directorate officers and other members of the Defence Planning Directorate. S/he will deal on a regular basis with: members of Delegations and selected partner missions, other International Staff Divisions and Directorates; the International Military Staff and the Strategic Commands, as well as officials from other countries and from international organisations.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect reports: N/a.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
- Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
- Empathy: Listens actively;
- Flexibility: Acts with flexibility;
- Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands the Organisation’s structure;
- Teamwork: Expresses positive attitudes and expectations of team or team members.
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
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.
