Officer Interoperability and Standardization

1. SUMMARY

The Defence Investment (DI) Division is responsible for facilitating the development and adoption of cuttingedge innovative and interoperable capabilities critical to ensuring the Alliances ability to undertake the full spectrum of missions and operations. Key lines of effort include:

• developing and implementing policies and programs to ensure the Alliance can rely on a capable and competitive transatlantic defense industrial base;
• facilitating and promoting multinational cooperation through a series of specific initiatives tackling critical capability requirements;
• leading the development and implementation of projects and major capability programmes in the land maritime air and space domains and in doing so addressing all policy politicalmilitary technical and practical aspects;
• leading NATOs policy and engagements in the aviation domain;
• pursuing interoperability through standardization and developing with Allies new approaches to operational challenges supported among others by operational experimentation and innovation;
• maintaining the Alliances technological edge through exploring and driving adoption of emerging and disruptive technologies with a particular focus on autonomous systems;
• understanding adapting to and proactively addressing climate changes implications on armaments;
• informing and responding to the Alliances evolving capability needs through the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP) implementation;
• providing oversight to NATO Agencies involved in capability development and delivery (in particular NATO Communication and Information Agency and NATO Support and Procurement Agency);
• working with a range of key stakeholders within NATO including the Strategic Commands and externally with NATO Partners and relevant international and regional organisations including the EU as well as with industry and academia.

The Strategy Directorate is responsible for providing overall coherence of capability deliverables through policies plans and links with external stakeholders.

Within the Strategy Directorate the Capability Delivery Section (CDS) focuses on the delivery of NATO capabilities in the multinational NATO environment working with external governmental military and industrial stakeholders. The Directorate supports the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) the senior North Atlantic Council (NAC) body responsible for the promotion of armaments cooperation in the Alliance

The incumbents main responsibility is to support NATOs Standardization and Interoperability Activities with a particular focus on the CNAD the Aviation Committee (AVC) and Digital Policy Board (DPC) in decisionmaking. Within the Section the incumbent leads standards development adoption and coherence efforts within the armaments domain. A particular focus area will be on all standards development related to emerging and disruptive technologies and international and regional Standards Developing Organisations.

2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

The incumbent must:

• possess a university degree from an institute of recognised standing in a relevant field for this role;
• have at least 5 years of relevant professional experience;
• possess broad knowledge regarding the developments affecting interoperability within the Alliance especially relevant to Armaments;
• have experience of working on programme management related issues in an international environment;
• possess excellent analytical skills;
• have excellent briefing (verbal and written) skills and the ability to provide a high degree of impact and influence with political civil and military stakeholders;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATOs official languages (English/French): VI (Proficiency) in one; II (Elementary) in the other.

DESIRABLE

The following would be considered an advantage:

• professional certification or training in Project Management (e.g. PMP PRINCE2;
• demonstrated managerial experience ideally supported by a management training or relevant qualification from an institute of recognised standing (e.g. completion of military staff college completion of an executive MBA);
• relevant experience in technical standardization.

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Expertise Development

Keep abreast of ongoing issues and developments in ones own and other relevant areas and maintain broad general knowledge of current technology developments. Apply and develop expertise on armaments capabilities.

Information Management

Monitor ongoing work in international and regional Standards Developing Organisations and other relevant NATO committees/bodies for developments that may be of interest to DI.

Knowledge Management

Exchange knowledge and information with colleagues on topics affecting DI materiel standardization portfolio in particular with the CNAD Main Groups and AVC.

Policy Development

Contribute to development of interoperability policies. Provide policy input regarding materiel standards when requested and ensure that the multiple NATO policies that affect DI portfolio are coherent with one another.

Project Management

Work with key members of the relevant NATO entities in order to help set the necessary political and military conditions to enable effective adoption of civilian standards defined by international and regional Standards Developing Organisations. Lead teams supporting standards development adoption and coherence efforts and manage all practical administrative and logistic aspects efficiently. Oversee activities executed under the Accelerating Interoperability and Standardization Fund.

Representation of the Organisation

Serve as Coordinating Officer. Participate and represent DI in meetings as required. Interact with and represent the Organisation in international and regional Standards Developing Organizations.

Stakeholder Management

Liaise extensively with all stakeholders of the CNAD and its substructure NATO Standardization and Innovation community to ensure that requirements related technological enhancement are developed delivered and sustained as efficiently as possible in the standardization portfolios under the responsibility of the Division.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The incumbent reports to the Head Capability Delivery Section and works in close cooperation with the entire Division. The incumbent performs relevant tasks in direct contact with senior members of the IS and IMS members of national delegations NATO Science & Technology Organisation NATO Agencies International Organisations and subjectmatter experts.

Direct reports: N/a

Indirect reports: N/a.

5. 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 timesensitive situation;
• Organisational Awareness: Understands organisational climate and culture;
• Teamwork Solicits inputs and encourages others.