Senior Investigator (NATO Investigative Taskforce)

Primary Location

Belgium-Brussels

NATO Body

NATO International Staff (NATO IS)

Schedule

Full-time

Application Deadline

08-Mar-2026, 10:59:00 PM

Salary (Pay Basis)

9,604.83

Grade

NATO Grade G20

• SUMMARY
  
  
  

The Internal Oversight Service (IOS) operates as an Independent Office within the International Staff (IS) and reports directly to the Office of the Secretary General. IOS covers four key assurance functions - Internal Audit, Risk Management, Ethics and Fraud. The NATO Investigative Taskforce (ITF) provides support to investigations in all NATO bodies across the NATO Enterprise.

The role of the Senior Investigator is to:

• ensure the proper functioning of the ITF and the effective achievement of the ITF’s objectives;
• manage case portfolios, assign tasks, and maintain accurate case activity records for effective prioritization and oversight by the Head of IOS;
• plan, organize, conduct and manage Proactive Integrity Reviews into integrity risks in selected high-risk areas or functions;
• supervise intake, processing and assessment of all matters;
• oversee and manage (the work of) other ITF staff members and external contractors, providing technical supervision and quality control of investigative outputs as well as coaching and mentoring;
• ensure that all information is handled in strict compliance with applicable confidentiality, personal data protection and information-security requirements.
  
  
  

The post holder may be required to travel extensively (including in areas involving security risks) and work beyond standard office hours when required.

• QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
  
  
  

The incumbent must:

• possess a university degree, in a relevant field (e.g. business, finance, accountancy, audit, law, criminal justice, etc.);
• have at least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in investigative work, including demonstrative experience in leading and overseeing complex fraud/corruption investigations (e.g. embezzlement, bribery, etc.); ideally working across cultures and jurisdictions;
• have team management experience;
• possess excellent interviewing skills, including the ability to use empathy and active listening skills;
• have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior management;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; IV (“Upper Intermediate”) in the other.
  
  
  

The following would be considered an advantage:

• having experience of trauma-informed interviewing techniques;
• having experience with digital forensic investigative tools and techniques;
• having a professional qualification from an internationally recognised institution (e.g. CFE; CFF; CIPFA-ICCI; CCEP-I, GCFE).
• MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Project Management: Oversee and, at times, participate in investigations falling within the ITF’s mandate. This includes, inter alia, to (i) define the parameters and timetable of an investigation, scope, methodologies and tools; (ii) obtain and analyse necessary evidence; conduct structured interviews with sources, witnesses and alleged offenders, (iii) draft investigative reports and where relevant lessons learned. Determine and verify the correct use of the financial resources needed to carry out ITF activities.
• Planning and Execution: Oversee the operation of the ITF whistleblowing mechanism, including the triage and initial assessment of reports. Provide recommendations to improve internal controls, policies and procedures and where agreed, monitoring implementation.
• Expertise Development: Lead the ITF’s efforts in developing and improving policies, directives, guidelines, procedures and other internal documents and training materials to support the organisational investigative framework. Contribute to training and awareness raising activities.
• Information Management: Ensure the information is handled in strict compliance. Collect and analyse data to identify trends, gaps and areas for improvement. Support the development of detection, reporting and monitoring tools. Monitor and report on agreed Key Performance Indicators and ensure appropriate communication of activities and reports to management.
• Stakeholder Management: Work closely with colleagues, decision-makers and supervisory bodies to ensure robust and time-efficient investigative processes; Be able to interact with tact, confidentiality and diplomacy in an international environment.
• People Management: Provide in-depth mentoring, coaching and training opportunities. Identify possible professional development opportunities for ITF personnel, and be available to offer guidance at critical moments. Promote integrity, professionalism and accountability through a sound and inclusive leadership culture. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance.
  
  
  

Perform any other duty as assigned.

• INTERRELATIONSHIPS
  
  
  

Reporting line: The incumbent reports to the Head of IOS. In the event of an apparent conflict of interest, the incumbent will report to the higher level of management where the potential for a conflict of interest is not likely to exist.

Interactions: The incumbent maintains close working relationships within the Office and liaises when appropriate with HR, Ethics, Legal and Security units, ensuring efficient coordination while protecting operational confidentiality.

Direct reports: 3

Indirect reports: 0

• COMPETENCIES
  
  
  

The incumbent must demonstrate:

• Achievement: Creates own measures of excellence and improves performance;
• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Clarity and Accuracy: Monitors others’ work for clarity;
• Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
• Customer Service Orientation: Makes things better for the customer, addressing underlying customer needs;
• Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.
• 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, during which the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite duration contract.

Contract clause applicable:

In accordance with the contract policy, this is a post in which turnover is desirable for political reasons in order to be able to accommodate the Organisation's need to carry out its tasks as mandated by the Nations in a changing environment, for example by maintaining the flexibility necessary to shape the Organisation's skills profile, and to ensure appropriate international diversity.

The maximum period of service foreseen in this post is 6 years. 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. However, according to the procedure described in the contract policy the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite contract during the period of renewal and no later than one year before the end of contract.

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. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years.

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

• 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.

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 .