NATO
Director, Industry
NATOBelgium18 hours ago
Full-timeBusiness Development, Sales
Primary Location

Belgium-Brussels

NATO Body

NATO International Staff (NATO IS)

Schedule

Full-time

Application Deadline

14-Dec-2025, 11:59:00 PM

Salary (Pay Basis)

12,722.61

Grade

NATO Grade G23

  • SUMMARY The Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division (D2IA) facilitates the development and adoption of cutting-edge, innovative and interoperable capabilities, critical to ensuring the Alliance’s ability to undertake the full spectrum of missions and operations. It leads the development of innovation policies, drives the adoption of emerging and disruptive technologies, and engages with industry and innovation ecosystems in support of NATO’s Capability Targets.


The Industry Directorate is at the forefront of NATO’s efforts to engage Defence Industry across the Alliance to enable NATO to meet its defence capability requirements, with a clear focus on expanding overall industrial capability and capacity. In doing so, the Directorate cooperates with a range of industry partners from established industry actors, to small and medium-sized enterprises through to start-ups, new technology and innovation ecosystems. It supports the work of the Conference of National Armaments Directors, and its substructure, in particular the Defence Industrial Production Board and the NATO-Industry Advisory Group. The Directorate works closely on industry issues with a set of stakeholders across NATO including Allied Command Transformation, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and the NATO Communications and Information Agency as well as with the EU and NATO partner nations.

The Directorate also places a significant focus on addressing interoperability challenges through standardization to ensure that Allied forces can operate successfully together.

The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that NATO maintains a comprehensive overview and understanding of Defence Industry across the Alliance, providing the basis for NATO and Allied initiatives to increase overall industrial capacity and capability. This includes pursuing key initiatives outlined in NATO’s 2024 Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge and the 2025 Updated Defence Production Action Plan, leveraging the Alliance’s role as convenor, standard setter, requirements setter and aggregator, and delivery enabler. This extends to identifying and addressing critical supply chain issues of specific relevance to defence applications.

Within the Division the Director works closely with the Innovation and Armaments Directorates to pursue specific capability and innovation initiatives. The Director chairs, as appropriate, various senior and expert level committees, working groups and tasks forces.

Key challenges the successful candidate will confront in the next three years include:

  • Ensuring that industry understands NATO’s capability requirements and can offer appropriate solutions at the pace required to respond to the increasing needs of the Alliance;
  • Rapidly expanding transatlantic defence industrial cooperation and promoting robust, resilient and secure supply chains across the Alliance;
  • Developing industry relations and engagement with both established and new defence industry partners.


As part of this application, you are kindly requested to attach a MS Word document summarizing your views on these 3 key challenges and explain how you would address them if selected for the position. Please limit yourself to maximum 1 A4 page into total

  • QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE


Essential

The incumbent must:

  • hold a university degree in a relevant field from an institute of recognised standing;
  • have at least 15 years of experience in progressively responsible posts - most recently at a senior level - in a national administration or in an inter-governmental or academic institution, dealing with defence industry, innovation or armaments; or working directly within defence industry itself;
  • have at least 5 years leading and coordinating large, cross-functional and diverse teams;
  • have a strong understanding of the Alliance’s defence industrial landscape and topics impacting it, ongoing initiatives undertaken by both the Alliance and Allies, as well as initiatives undertaken by industry to boost defence industrial capacity and capabilities;
  • have an understanding of defence procurement policies and practices, armaments programmes and other topics relevant for capability development;
  • be conversant and have an up-to-date knowledge of current techniques and advances in capability development and modern industrial production methods;
  • have documented experience in presenting and explaining complex and sensitive issues to non-technical/political audiences;
  • possess strong strategic thinking and decision-making skills;
  • demonstrate a track record of successfully directing and leading diverse teams;
  • possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other;
  • be able to travel and work outside office hours.


DESIRABLE

The following would be considered an advantage:

  • an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field;
  • familiarity with the NATO Defence Planning Process;
  • a very good working knowledge of the second official language of the Organization;
  • extensive experience or advanced qualifications in Programme Management.
  • MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES People Management Manage the Directorate with clear accountability and transparency on goals. Ensure that all staff under their responsibility have clear objectives. Coach Section/Unit Heads to improve and develop managerial skills. Manage the staff, aiming at maintaining motivation and job satisfaction in an environment where long hours must be worked to achieve overall objectives and taking into account contract duration. Set objectives and adjust priorities, take corrective action. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance, informally as appropriate and through the HQ Performance Review and Development (PRD) system. Identify possible development and mobility opportunities for team members.


Stakeholder Management

Support consultation and decision making in the CNAD and other NATO committees as appropriate. Ensure NATO’s relations with defence industry, EU institutions, partners, and other relevant international and regional organisations relevant to the Directorate’s portfolio. Promote staff coordination within the International Staff, International Military Staff, the Strategic Commands and Agencies in support of the Directorate’s portfolio. Support and chair Integrated Project Teams and Task Forces as required.

Expertise Development

Keep abreast of relevant political, military and financial developments in Alliance and partner nations. Provide advice to Assistant Secretary General for D2IA, and NATO senior management, on defence industrial issues and propose valid alternatives for future NATO initiatives. Employ a thorough understanding of technical and political equities and tradeoffs around capability development and industrial production, striving to achieve, and carry out, agreed upon solutions.

Policy Development

Support the drafting of policy papers and reports. Take a leading role on defining NATO’s policies and approaches to building defence industrial capacity and capability.

Knowledge Management

Ensuring that the Directorate has appropriate means and processes to identify, capture, organize, store, share and utilize knowledge relevant for the Directorate, especially in relation to industry, to improve decision-making and efficiency of initiatives and actions pursued by the Directorate and the D2IA division.

Financial Management

Develop the annual budget for the Directorate and oversee budget allocations. Ensure priorities are established and followed, and take corrective action as necessary.

Organisational Efficiencies

Keep the Directorate’s organisation fit for purpose, promote cross-organisational synergies and cooperation within the Directorate’s work strands. Allocate resources efficiently and effectively.

Representation of the Organization

Represent NATO in industry related topics and to Industry, e.g. by attending significant Industry events.

Vision and Direction

Ensure that the objectives of the Directorate are consistent with the strategic objectives of the Alliance, Secretary General and the D2IA Division. Make decisions, set priorities or develop objectives considering long term outcomes for industrial capacity development.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

  • INTERRELATIONSHIPS The incumbent reports to the Assistant Secretary General, Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division (ASG/D2IA). The incumbent is responsible for the management of the Industry Directorate and develops close working relationships with all relevant civil and military, national and international stakeholders. Direct reports: 4 Indirect reports: 20
  • COMPETENCIES The incumbent must demonstrate:
  • Achievement: Sets and works to meet challenging goals;
  • Change Leadership: Champions change;
  • Conceptual Thinking: Creates new concepts;
  • Developing Others: Provides in-depth mentoring, coaching and training;
  • Impact and Influence: Uses complex influence strategies;
  • Initiative: Plans and acts for the long-term;
  • Leadership: Communicates a compelling vision;
  • Organisational Awareness: Understands underlying issues;
  • Self-Control: Stays composed and positive even under extreme pressure.
  • 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.

Contract clause applicable:

This is a senior post of specialised political nature in which turnover is required for political reasons. 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. The maximum period of service in this post is six years.

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.

Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.

  • 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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  • Please note that the competition for this post is provisionally scheduled as follows: Pre-selection testing mid / end of January 2026; Final selection end of February 2026, in Brussels, Belgium.



    • 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.

    • 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 .

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