The Young Professionals Programme
Through times of crisis and peace, NATO has safeguarded our freedom and security for 70 years and counting. Threats evolve every day and NATO is continuing to adapt to keep us safe. Together we will make sure our Alliance remains ready today to face tomorrow’s challenges.
We are launching an accelerator for your international career – the second cycle of our Young Professionals Programme (YPP). Through this global three-year programme, you will experience the frontline of a political and military alliance and start a journey of personal and professional development in a diverse and inclusive work environment. Together, we will enable NATO to:
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Address existing and emergent global challenges with security implications;
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Facilitate political consultation and dialogue between Nations;
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Leverage innovation, science and technology to support peace and security;
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Stay ahead in cutting edge domains such as cyber defence and aerospace;
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Support multiple operations on land, sea and air around the world;
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Fight terrorism, piracy and human trafficking at a global level; and,
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Run crisis management exercises that mobilise thousands of people and equipment.
Do you want to make a difference and help protect close to one billion people across 31 NATO member states, including your own? Apply for the YPP, if you are ready to take on this challenge and are a national of a NATO member state with a Master’s degree and at least one year of work experience.
With you, we are stronger.
#WeAreNATO
Your role
During the three years of the programme, you will be assigned to three different NATO bodies:
Year
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Year 1
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Year 2
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Year 3
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NATO body
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Allied Command Operations(ACO) – SHAPE
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NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA)
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NATO International Staff (IS) – NATO HQ
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Work area
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Programme & Project Management
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Information & Communication Technology
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Programme & Project Management
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Placement
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Mons, Belgium
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The Hague, The Netherlands
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Brussels, Belgium
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For more information, please see the path narrative here. You can also find more information about the NATO bodies here & the NATO Young Professionals Programme here
This is an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills in the broader area of Business Continuity and Technology. As you gain experience, you will be given increasing responsibilities, such as:
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Drive or support the use of enterprise programme, project and portfolio management software, analyze project data and provide reporting and advice to stakeholders;
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Drive or support the transformation of business inputs into concrete actions through initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing projects and programmes in the core and support functions of NATO;
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Support business continuity through the implementation of relevant international standards and NATO policies, tools and best practices;
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Develop project and programme management activities as a project analyst, addressing scope, schedule, risk, quality, resources, communications, procurement, stakeholder management and integration matters;
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Contribute to project acceptance of the delivered projects (User Acceptance (UA) and Operational Acceptance (OA));
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Improve the Business Continuity Management System for NATO Headquarters, with a focus on the Technology dimension;
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Contribute to NATO Innovation activities and CTO-led innovation projects and activities;
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Participate in portfolio management and solution architecting activities related to key NATO scientific and technical portfolios
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Contribute to the communications and change management efforts of projects and programmes, facilitating workshops and developing communications products and reports;
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Exploit technology and drive innovation-related activities in a pro-active dialogue with NATO stakeholders and in collaboration with other business units & NATO Bodies
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Research new trends and innovation in the topic of Business Continuity, Programme and Project Management or Technology (Enterprise Architecture).
Who we are looking for
The changing pace of the world demands that NATO and its people remain flexible, eager to learn and able to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. For a YPP position, we are looking for candidates having at least 1 year of professional experience.
For the YPP Business Continuity and Technology path, we are generally interested in the following educational backgrounds:
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Masters’ degree in the field of Business Administration, Information and communication Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics
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Any other degree that you believe can be useful to the area of Business Continuity and Technology – let us know how your knowledge and skills can be applied!
Any of the following experience or skills would be considered as an asset:
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Professional experience in ICT, business continuity and/or business ICT transformation;
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Professional experience in managing projects and programmes (preferably in a ICT environment – Core communications and IT infrastructure or with emerging technologies);
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Knowledge of management information systems, enterprise architecture frameworks and/or robotic process automation;
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Academic knowledge or professional experience with CIS project analysis, monitoring and reporting, risk management for CIS projects, planning and execution of acceptance testing activities;
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Genuine interest in ICT, business continuity, technology innovation topics in international and multi-disciplinary contexts;
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Knowledge of specific project and/or programme management standards (MSP, PRINCE2 or PMBoK) and tools (Scrum, Agile or similar);
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Experience with at least one data analysis tools (such as Power BI, Matlab, KNIME, Python, VBA) preferably in the context of a project;
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Any additional certifications in the field (ITIL, Prince 2,..);
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Have excellent analytical & drafting skills;
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Be proactive, can do attitude & have willingness to learn and share information;
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Able to build relationships across the Alliance. Teamwork, excellent communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills.
What we offer
NATO will offer the Young Professionals:
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An experience of a lifetime at the forefront of an international organisation where you’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills and enlarge your professional network;
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A diverse and stimulating work and personal experience where you will be assigned to three different NATO bodies around the globe, one each year; and,
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A competitive salary and other benefits, including excellent health insurance and a generous annual leave of 30 days.
Are you interested in being part of NATO and the YPP? Apply until 07 May 2023 [23:59 – CET Brussels]