Officer, 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) leads the International Staff (IS) in the conduct of the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP), aimed at harmonising and assisting national defence planning efforts and capability delivery by Allies. The Directorate works in close cooperation with national delegations and staff in national capitals on all business relating to defence planning, including the analysis of national defence programmes. (Please note that defence planning is usually conducted at national headquarters/Ministry of Defence/General Staff level and is distinct from, and should not be confused with, operational planning which focuses on planning for the conduct of actual operations.)
They are required to interpret, analyse, advise and report on NATO countries’ plans and policies for their armed forces, with a particular focus on naval forces and maritime capabilities.
They will work in a Division which considers diversity and inclusion as essential to the way it works. At DPP, Diversity and Inclusion is considered to be 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 their contributions, perspectives and potential. At DPP, staff members feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- possess a university degree in a relevant field for the post or have attended a NATO or national military staff college (OF-3 level or higher);
- have at least 6 years of experience in and good knowledge of maritime forces and capabilities;
- have a comprehensive understanding of maritime warfare;
- have at least 3 years of proven national or international experience (preferably both) in the field of defence planning;
- have considerable experience in the preparation of military (maritime) force development plans and associated financial, manpower and procurement planning (noting that military force/defence planning is not to be confused with military operations planning);
- be aware of the political, economic and financial considerations underlying national and NATO defence plans and policies, and also understand the relevant military and technical aspects;
- have a very good understanding of the Alliance’s political and military consultative processes and their related policies and procedures;
- be conversant with the key defence and security policy issues of the Alliance;;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages: (English/ French): V (“Advanced”) in one and I (“Beginner”) in the other;
- be able to communicate clear, logical, succinct and persuasive arguments in oral and especially written form; and
- be available and flexible to travel frequently (approximately 30% of working time).
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- a Masters’ Degree in a field relevant for this position;
- a good knowledge of the NDPP;
- have seagoing experience;
- have experience at a Maritime Command (MARCOM) (two star or above) or joint operational level headquarters (two star or above);
- maritime at-sea task group staff experience;
- a maritime warfare/commanding officer recognised qualification;
- military staff experience at senior officer level;
- knowledge in advanced anti-air, and/or undersea warfare, and in mine warfare and naval aviation based capabilities and their employment;
- experience in working with NATO’s partners.
Expertise Development
Participate in the analysis of NATO military requirements and assess these against the corresponding national plans of member nations of the Alliance. Be responsible for the analysis of defence and security capabilities and subjects of a military nature, including the interpretation, analysis and assessment of the military force plans of assigned NATO countries.
Policy Development
Contribute to the further development of NATO policy and procedures, particularly in the maritime domain, by analysing requirements and capabilities. Support the drafting of policy papers and reports related to the NDPP and Alliance cooperation programmes.
Representation of the Organization
Regularly represent the DPD in various meetings with national authorities of both NATO and partner countries
Knowledge Management
Draft reports on the analysis of NATO military requirements and their assessment against corresponding national plans of member nations of the Alliance, and other subjects dealt with by the DPD as the need may arise, including for the North Atlantic Council in Defence Minister format and the Defence Policy and Planning Committee.
Stakeholder Management
Keep abreast of relevant political, military and financial developments in Alliance nations through regular meetings and contact with relevant stakeholders. Participate in meetings with national authorities of NATO countries (often outside Brussels) on their current and projected plans in the context of NATO’s collective defence planning.
Project Management
Manage projects and/or programmes as directed by the Director and/or the Deputy Director of the Defence Planning Directorate.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent is responsible to the Director of the Defence Planning Directorate for the performance of all areas of responsibility set out above and reports to the Head of Defence Planning Section. They share responsibility and work closely with the other staff officers in the Directorate; act as a member of a team analysing and reporting on national defence efforts; in the execution of their duties, establishes and maintains working relationships with other elements of the International Staff and the staffs of the NATO Military Authorities, national delegations and liaison officers and, through delegations, with authorities of both NATO and partner countries.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect reports: N/a.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- 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;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands organisational politics;
- 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.
