NATO
Officer, Plans
NATOBelgium20 hours ago
Full-timeOther
Primary Location

Belgium-Brussels

NATO Body

NATO International Staff (NATO IS)

Schedule

Full-time

Application Deadline

07-Apr-2026, 6:59:00 AM

Salary (Pay Basis)

8,273.12

Grade

NATO Grade G17-G20

Through this competition, the NATO International Staff seeks to identify qualified applicants for 2 positions:

  • Officer, Plans (grade G17/G20)
  • Officer, Plans (grade G15/G17) – please refer to the Post Description via the following link: https://www.nato.int/content/dam/nato/webready/documents/hr/2026/op-2026post_officerplans.pdf


In your application, please clearly indicate for which position you would like to be considered.

  • SUMMARY


The mission of the Operations Division of the International Staff is to prepare NATO for the defence of Alliance territory, to respond to crises at home and abroad, and to strengthen the capabilities of partners.

Within the Plans Section, the incumbent provides advice on and contributes to planning throughout the peace-crisis-conflict spectrum and support relevant NATO committees and authorities in carrying out the Alliance’s deterrence, defence and crisis management activities. They put special emphasis on monitoring of security and operational developments in areas/regions of interest to the Alliance, as directed by the Assistant Secretary General (ASG). They actively participate in the implementation of Alliance policies in the areas of deterrence and defence, as well as contribute to the development of relevant cross-cutting policy issues.

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

  • QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE


Essential

The incumbent must:

  • possess a university degree in a field relevant for this position (e.g. Security or Defence Studies, International Relations);
  • have at least 5 years of experience relevant to defence policy, operations planning and/or crisis management in a national or multinational/international organisation on multilateral security affairs;
  • have a good understanding of civil-military crisis management in the national and/or international context;
  • have a good understanding of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture, NATO’s defence policies and strategies, NATO’s crisis response, as well as the approaches of other International Organisations active in crisis prevention and management; and
  • possess the following levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; I (“Beginner”) in the other;


The following would be considered an advantage:

  • a relevant post graduate university degree in a field relevant for this position;
  • familiarity with specific warfighting domains (preferably maritime and/or air);
  • amiliarity with the interrelationships between NATO HQ, the NATO Strategic Commanders, national authorities of Allies and partner nations.
  • MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES


Policy Development: Support the development of initiatives, policy, doctrine, guidelines and procedures to further the implementation of NATO’s advance planning tools through the development of civil-military assessment tools to help inform strategic political and military decision-making and planning. Apply expertise to deliver political military advice in relation to Alliance activities across the crisis spectrum.

Knowledge Management: In cooperation with various stakeholders (inside and outside NATO, as required), coordinate or contribute to the development of crisis-related analysis and assessments as appropriate, taking into account inputs by all relevant stakeholders as well as own research. Share relevant operational information to ensure common situational awareness with NATO and partner delegations, NMAs and other bodies, following set procedures and, according to need, with other International Organizations.

Stakeholder Management: Develop contacts and cooperation in support of the conduct of political/military activities designed to cooperate with international organisations involved in crisis management. Contribute to the conduct of seminars, workshops, exercises and other activities for NATO colleagues, national civil and military planners and the training of experts in deterrence and defence and advance planning.

Project Management: Support training and exercises events, organization of committee meetings outside of NATO HQ related to the implementation of the deterrence and defence concept and the refinement of advance plans. Support the development of tailored work plans for the relevant Committees. Represent the Section at NATO and in various national, regional, and international settings, including giving presentations at conferences, workshops, and seminars and supporting dialogue with government, the NMAs and civilian and military representatives of nations.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

  • INTERRELATIONSHIPS


Reporting Line: The incumbent reports to Head, Plans Section

Interactions: They maintain close working relationships with other sections of the Operations Division, in particular the Crisis Response Systems and Exercises Section (CRSE), and with the Operations and Planning (O&P) and Policy and Capabilities (P&C) of the International Military Staff (IMS). They coordinate with other Divisions of the International Staff, the IMS, the Situation Centre, the NATO Strategic Commands and national delegations, as necessary and be prepared to establish appropriate coordination with other non-NATO entities when so directed.

Direct reports: N/A

Indirect reports: N/A

  • COMPETENCIES


The incumbent must demonstrate:

  • Analytical Thinking: makes complex plans or analyses.
  • Clarity and Accuracy: checks own work.
  • Conceptual Thinking: applies learned concepts.
  • Customer Service Orientation: takes personal responsibility for correcting problems.
  • Impact and Influence: takes multiple actions to persuade.
  • Initiative: is decisive in a time-sensitive situation.
  • Organisational Awareness: understands organisational climate and culture.
  • 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.

NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post.

Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts.

  • 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 .

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