Special Advisor (International Affairs)

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) delivers a unified strategic framework that supports NATOs full spectrum of activities from routine operations to the highest levels of military effort. SHAPE enables the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) to carry out his responsibilities as directed by the North Atlantic Council (NAC).

The Command Group (CG) provides strategiclevel command and control to support SACEURs decisionmaking and leadership.

Within the Command Group the Office of the Strategic and International Affairs Advisor (OSIA) directly supports SACEUR DSACEUR COS and VCOS. It provides senior leaders across Allied Command Operations including deployed NATO commanders with integrated strategic advice policy insight and international affairs expertise related to operations transformation defence planning and partnerships.

The Special Advisor (International Affairs) serves as the principal advisor within OSIA on strategic political and military issues affecting Allied Command Operations in Southern Europe the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region.

Principal Duties

1. Strategic PoliticalMilitary Advice Provide guidance on NATO politicalmilitary issues especially concerning Southern Europe the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

2. Regional Expertise Serve as lead advisor on security policy and operational matters in the East/South Mediterranean North Africa the Middle East and the Black Sea region.

3. Policy Development Support Contribute to major NATO policy and planning initiatives shaping Command decisions with expert politicalmilitary insight.

4. Integrated Air & Missile Defence Advice Provide politicalmilitary guidance related to NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence.

5. Maritime Policy Expertise Advise on maritime security issues policies and initiatives relevant to NATO operations.

6. Strategic Environment Analysis Assess European and global politicalmilitary developments and identify implications for ACO and ongoing NATO operations.

7. Partnership & Regional Engagement Serve as principal advisor on NATOs relationships with MD ICI AU and other global partners; coordinate directly with regional General Staffs.

8. HighLevel Coordination & Representation Represent OSIA in engagements with NATO HQ national missions governments and subordinate commands to harmonize strategic military advice.

9. Operational & Crisis Support Support ACO politicalmilitary engagement lead negotiations when required contribute to crisis management and develop strategic assessments and recommended courses of action.

10. Strategic Communication & Diplomacy Draft highlevel briefs maintain diplomatic and military networks and support seniorlevel visits and outreach across NATO and partner nations.

Special Requirements and Additional Duties

The incumbent may be required to undertake deployments in support of military operations and exercises and/or TDY assignments both within and without NATO boundaries up to 180 days. The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within the organization at the same grade without there being any change to the contract.

The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within the organisation at the same grade without there being any change to the contract.

Essential Qualifications

a. Professional/Experience

1. Advanced politicalmilitary and international affairs expertise: Experience analyzing complex geopolitical environments advising senior leaders and developing policy in areas such as defense diplomacy security studies or international cooperation.

2. Highlevel policy development and strategic planning experience: Demonstrated ability to shape policy produce strategic assessments and support decisionmaking at senior government intergovernmental or organizational levels.

3. Diplomatic engagement and stakeholder coordination: Experience representing an organization in international or intergovernmental settings negotiating and maintaining relationships with governments international organizations or regional partners.

b. Education/Training

University Degree in political science public administration international relations or related discipline and 6 years post related experience or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 6 years post related and 2 years function related experience.

In case of ambiguity the required job specific experience have priority over the standard education and training levels and experience described here.

C. Language

Good working knowledge of English SLP (3333)

Desirable Qualifications

a. Professional Experience

1. Previous experience working in a military environment.

Attributes/Competencies

a. Personal Attributes

o Strategic judgment Able to analyse complex political and security issues and provide clear highlevel advice to senior leaders.

o Diplomacy & tact Comfortable engaging with senior officials in multinational political and military environments.

o Strong communication Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to brief clearly and persuasively.

o Critical thinking Skilled at problem analysis identifying implications and shaping strategic options.

o Resilience & flexibility Able to work under pressure respond quickly to emerging issues and operate in demanding or remote environments when required.

b. Professional Contacts

o Highlevel representation Represents senior leadership in meetings with government officials military leaders and international organisations.

o Interagency coordination Maintains working relationships with national missions military delegations international staffs and policy bodies.

o External engagement Interfaces with academic institutions think tanks and expert communities relevant to international security.

c. Contribution to Objectives

o Influential strategic advice Provides assessments and recommendations that directly shape seniorlevel decisions on politicalmilitary issues.

o Policy alignment Ensures political considerations are integrated into military planning and operational objectives.

o Support to senior leadership.

REMARKS:

Duration of contract: Serving staff members will be offered a contract according to the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (NCPR). Newly recruited staff will be offered a definite duration contract of three years normally followed by an indefinite duration contract.

The salary will be the basic entry-level monthly salary defined by the NATO Grade of the post which may be augmented by allowances based on the selected staff members eligibility and which is subject to the withholding of approximately 20% for pension and medical insurance contributions.

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.

Building integrity is a key element of NATOs 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.

Applicants who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment in another post of a similar nature which might become vacant in the near future albeit at the same or lower grade provided they meet the necessary requirements.

We believe that all people are capable of great things. Because of this we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all of the criteria listed within this job description.

Applications are to be submitted using NATO Talent Acquisition Platform (NTAP) ( Applications submitted by other means (e.g. mail e-mail fax etc) are not accepted.

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Application Process

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide original documentary evidence and a set of copies supporting statements in their applications. Appointment is subject to obtaining a NS security clearance and a medical certificate.

Remarks:

A. Only nationals from the 32 NATO member states can apply for vacancies at SHAPE.

B. Applications are automatically acknowledged within one working day after the absence of an acknowledgement please make sure the submission process is completed or re-submit the application.

C. Qualified redundant staff of the same grade interested in this post should inform this office via their HR/Personnel Office by not later than vacancys closing date.

D. Candidates individual telephone e-mail or telefax enquiries cannot be dealt with. All candidates will receive an answer indicating the outcome of their application.

E. 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 NATOs sole discretion and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.