NATO
Director, NATO-Wide Coordination Office
NATOBelgium16 hours ago
Full-timeOther
Primary Location

Belgium-Brussels

NATO Body

NATO International Staff (NATO IS)

Schedule

Full-time

Application Deadline

26-Jan-2026, 6:59:00 AM

Salary (Pay Basis)

13,206.07

Grade

NATO Grade G23

  • SUMMARY


As a result of a recent reform of the NATO Headquarters, the Secretary General has established an Office for NATO-wide Coordination, with the aim to enhance coherence and institutional alignment across the NATO enterprise and with the NATO Procurement, Logistics or Service Organisations (NPLSOs), more in particular NATO Communications & Information Organisation ( NCIO), NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO) and Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).

The Director serves as the central point of coordination between NATO Headquarters and the governance, and executive structures of the NPLSOs, ensuring integrated support to Agency Boards and improved alignment with NATO’s strategic priorities. The incumbent will play a central role in reinforcing institutional governance frameworks and facilitating structured engagement between the International Staff (IS) and agency governance and executive management.

The Director serves as the central point of coordination between NATO Headquarters and the governance, and executive structures of the NPLSOs, ensuring integrated support to Agency Boards and improved alignment with NATO’s strategic priorities. The incumbent will play a central role in reinforcing institutional governance frameworks and facilitating structured engagement between the International Staff (IS) and agency governance and executive management.

The Director leads the NATO-Wide Coordination Office and provides strategic leadership and oversight for activities related to the secretariats of the Agency Supervisory Boards of NCIO and NSPO and the BoD of DIANA, with the heads of the three secretariats reporting to them while being functionally overseen by the respective Chairs. While the Director General for Management (DGM) is the Secretary General’s Liaison Officer (SGLO), the Director, NWC may represent DGM in that capacity and ensure broader coordination on their behalf.

The post holder may be required to travel occasionally and work beyond standard office hours when required.

Key challenges over the next 3 years include:

  • Operationalising the new NATO-Wide Coordination Office and its governance role.
  • Ensuring a smooth transition and integration of functions previously scattered across various organisational structures.
  • Establishing strong and efficient interfaces between NATO IS, Agency governance bodies and executive management of the NPLSO’s


In addition to completing the application form and the pre-screening questions, candidates will be asked to address these key challenges in an essay of no more than 2 A4 pages into total., which will be evaluated as part of the long listing assessment. Please see full instructions on how to apply at the end of the vacancy notice.

  • QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE


Essential

The incumbent must:

  • possess a university degree from an institute of recognised standing;
  • have at least 15 years’ experience in progressively responsible positions, out of which at least 5 years’ experience in senior management roles;
  • demonstrate a strong understanding of NATO’s structure, governance processes, and relationships with affiliated agencies and boards;
  • possess strong analytical skills and an ability to present complex strategic issues and policy options in a clear and concise manner;
  • have proven experience in high-level coordination roles and in navigating complex institutional environments with multiple stakeholders;
  • possess a record of thinking creatively and innovatively in addressing policy challenges and problems;
  • possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages: (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; III (“Intermediate”) in the other;


DESIRABLE

  • previous experience supporting international governance bodies or executive-level inter-agency coordination;
  • experience in institutional reform and change management in multilateral environments;
  • knowledge of agency or board-level dynamics within NATO or similar international institutions;
  • Main Accountabilities


Vision and Direction

Establish and communicate a clear strategic vision for NATO-wide coordination, in line with Secretary General’s expectations. Lead the establishment and the development of the Office, including its operational processes, team structure, and relationships with stakeholders. Ensure alignment with broader organizational reforms and strategic objectives of the Secretary General and the Director General for Management in particular in their role of SGLO.

Policy Development

Contribute to the formulation and implementation of institutional policies that enhance NATO’s coherence across its affiliated entities. Advise senior leadership on coordination strategies and ensure the integration of agency-level inputs into NATO decision-making processes.

Stakeholder Management

Serve as the principal interface between NATO IS and the NCIO, NSPO, DIANA, and potentially other affiliated bodies’ governance boards. Build and sustain strong working relationships with the Chairs of the governance bodies, Executive Management of the agencies, agency board secretariats and senior IS staff. Facilitate coordination and communication to support informed decision-making and governance oversight.

Knowledge Management

Ensure that the design and implementation of knowledge management systems includes mechanisms to ensure the collection and distribution of high-quality content.

Project Management

Oversee the establishment and evolution of the NATO-Wide Coordination Office as a strategic project. Drive initiatives to improve coherent governance processes, agency alignment, and liaison functions. Identify and manage risks and ensure delivery of expected outcomes.

People Management

Consolidate and lead a team of staff responsible for supporting NPLSO coordination. Foster a positive and inclusive team culture, provide coaching and performance feedback, and ensure professional development opportunities. Provide mentoring and training opportunities and be available to offer guidance at critical moments. Ensure that all staff under responsibility are clear on Organisational, Divisional, and Section objectives. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance, informally as appropriate and through the HQ Performance Review and Development (PRD) system. Promote integrity, professionalism and accountability through a sound and inclusive leadership culture.

Organisational Efficiencies

Support the delivery of NATO-wide reform objectives by embedding efficient coordination mechanisms across agency governance interfaces. Identify areas for process improvement and alignment across the IS and the NPLSOs.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

Support the delivery of NATO-wide reform objectives by embedding efficient coordination mechanisms across agency governance interfaces. Identify areas for process improvement and alignment across the IS and the NPLSOs.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The Director NATO-Wide Coordination Office reports to the Secretary General through the Deputy Director General for Management and works in close coordination with colleagues of relevant divisions and independent offices across the International Staff, the International Military Staff and NATO Agencies.

Direct reports: 5

Indirect reports: 22

5. 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.
  • Organizational 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


Before you apply to any position, we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process.

Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed? Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.

When submitting your application, please ensure that your Taleo Candidate Profile is updated and that your CV is correctly uploaded in the Taleo attachments section.

Please note that the competition for this post is provisionally scheduled as follows:

Pre-selection testing on February 2026;

Final selection on March 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.

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