Officer, Committee Support
JOB DETAIL
*Pending Budget Approval*
1. SUMMARY
The Political Affairs and Security Policy (PASP) Division leads on the political aspects of NATO’s core tasks and is the International Staff’s hub for partnerships.
Within PASP, the Divisional Support Section (DSS) reports directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG) and provides enabling support to the Division. A key element of this is the secretariat support – drafting, administrative, organizational and coordination support, as well as procedural advice – provided to the committees that PASP manages. These comprise:
- The Political Committee (PC).
- The Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee (PCSC).
- Arms Control committees – various.
The coordination of these committees, both chaired solely by PASP and those chaired by other Divisions, is undertaken by a subset of the DSS – the Committee Coordination Team (CCT). In this task, the CCT cooperates with other IS Divisions, as well as with the Conference Services and supporting services. The CCT is also responsible for conducting the final quality control of committee documents provided by PASP and other Divisions, checking their procedural correctness, ensuring their timely circulation, and monitoring the follow-up to meetings. The CCT also provides back-up to the wider DSS team in the execution of their Divisional Support duties.
The incumbent works in close cooperation with the other CCT officer and four assistants to ensure that all the above-mentioned committees and their chairs are supported effectively. They perform additional duties as required to support the DSS Section Head/Executive Officer and the DASG.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- possess a university degree or equivalent qualification, preferably in the field of political science, international relations, or defence and security studies, from an institute of recognized standing;
- have 5 years of relevant professional experience;
- possess knowledge of NATO policies and procedures, current political and defence issues affecting the Alliance;
- have a good knowledge of the civil and military structure of the Alliance, particularly as regards the functioning of the NATO Headquarters and NATO committees;
- be able to draft quickly, clearly and concisely in the working languages of committees supported by PASP;
- be prepared to work outside normal office hours and under time pressure;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; III (“Intermediate”) in the other.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- a Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as political science, international relations, or defence and security studies;
- experience working in an international organization in a relevant position;
- the following levels of proficiency in NATO’s official languages (English/French): VI (“Proficiency”) in one; V (“Advanced”) in the other.
Expertise Development
Apply professional experience in order to advise and assist the various Committee Chairs and staff officers so as to ensure the prompt and orderly conduct of the work of the PASP committees. Keep abreast of ongoing issues and developments within the NATO environment and maintain broad general knowledge of the Organization and its structure, together with political awareness and familiarity with current developments in international affairs. Carry out – as needed – specific projects as requested by ASG, DASG or PASP Section Heads.
Information Management
Prepare and process agendas, reports, decision sheets and other documents required by the committees they support. Handle all practical and administrative aspects of the work of the committees. Prepare position papers, memoranda, checklists and other documentation as required.
Knowledge Management
Be familiar with all ongoing projects in PASP. Promote the use of tools that facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information with colleagues throughout NATO Headquarters. Ensure databases are updated in a regular fashion. Direct or carry out research work for PASP committees. Review and keep information up-to-date on committee databases.
People Management
Coordinate closely with section colleagues to ensure that backup is provided for committee issues and that all committee requirements are met. Mentor newcomers, and support the recruitment of staff as required. Promote integrity, professionalism and accountability through a sound and inclusive culture.
Stakeholder Management
Maintain close and frequent contact with staff officers and Committee members in order to ensure the timely and efficient production and dissemination of information relevant to Committee work and to the accomplishment of individual projects.
Planning and Execution
Manage efficiently and address all practical, administrative and logistical aspects of committee work. Track the implementation of committee decisions, report on progress and contribute to the timely execution of policy directives issued by the committee.
Organisational Efficiencies
As improved digital tools take root in NATO Headquarters, promote their implementation. Champion mechanisms that help committees function more effectively and facilitate the implementation of streamlined best practices.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the DSS Section Head/Executive Officer. They maintain a close working relationship with the other members of the Section and of the PASP Division as a whole, as well as with the staff of other Divisions of the International Staff, the International Military Staff and other NATO bodies as required and with national Delegations and other international fora.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Achievement: Works to meet standards;
- Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
- Empathy: Reads non-verbal cues and understands meanings;
- Flexibility: Acts with flexibility;
- Self-Control: Responds calmly;
- Teamwork: Expresses positive attitudes and expectations of team or team members;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure.
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.
