NATO Internship - Operations Division (OPS)
NATO Internship - Operations Division (OPS)
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Job Description
INFOSESSION ON THE VACANCY AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
NATO is organising an infosession webinar on the recruitment process for this programme which will take place on11/06/2025 at 4pm CET (Brussels time).
This will be the opportunity for applicants and professionals to gain more insight into
the steps of the recruitment process and to have the opportunity to ask questions to
Talent Acquisition Service. Some interns and/or former interns will also share their experience of the programme with the audience.
Please register using the following link:
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. The Operations Division advances the core tasks of the Alliance (Defence and Deterrence Crisis Prevention and Management Cooperative Security) by providing situational awareness advance planning wellexercised and executed crisis response and outcomeoriented defence and related security cooperation programmes. The Division has two directorates; the Operations Directorate and the Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate.
The Operations Directorate facilitates the decisionmaking process related to the Alliances planning of operations including advance planning. It manages NATO activities across the spectrum of peacecrisisconflict including military activities to deter and defend the Alliance as well as current operations and missions It also manages the development and implementation of NATOs counterterrorism policy and activities. The Directorate continuously improves NATOs politicalmilitary decisionmaking at the speed of relevance including through strategic exercises.
The Directorate has four sections; the Current Operations Section the Crisis Response Systems and Exercises Section the Plans Section and the CounterTerrorism Section.
The Current Operations Section addresses some of the most difficult problems facing the Alliancetheir portfolio is fastpaced demanding and very rewarding. The Section engages with Allies partners host nation representatives and NATO senior leadership on a daily basis to advance the strategic policy and operational and reputational interests of the Alliance. More than just a policy office COPS also provides NATO Headquarter oversight of policy implementation in the field
The Crisis Response Systems and Exercises Section (CRSE) provides comprehensive advice and support to the Secretary General the North Atlantic Council Allies and Partners to facilitate the decisionmaking process relating to the entire spectrum of crisis management including Article 5 and nonArticle 5. This advice and support covers strategic political civil and military aspects of current and potential operations missions assistance exercises and Lessons learned. Within OPS the CRSE section manages the Alliancewide procedures for crisis management and is the focal point in NATO Headquarters for the full spectrum of crisis management processes and procedures in NATO including exercising and scenariobased discussions
The Plans Section supports the North Atlantic Council and the Operations Policy Committee in the operational aspects of NATOs deterrence and defence posture has oversight of NATO HQs Geospatial Services and the provision of situational awareness for the senior leadership of NATO HQ and Allies. Plans is responsible for a broad range of issues of key importance to all three core tasks of the Alliance: Deterrence and Defence Crisis Prevention and Management and Cooperative Security. These include advance planning deterrence messaging comprehensive politicalmilitary assessments support in preparation of crisis management exercises and training events the provision of Geospatial Services and situational awareness. It is also the coordinating team for the NATO HQ Crisis Management Task Force the body responsible for providing appropriate responses to emerging crises for Allies consideration. The Section offers a wide variety of opportunities across a broad and dynamic portfolio. The Section engages continuously with Allies partners and senior leadership within NATO to advance the strategic operational and reputational interests of the Alliance.
The Counter Terrorism (CT) Section coordinates Counter Terrorism related efforts across the Alliance in accordance with the Updated 2024 CT Policy Guidelines as well as guiding the implementation of the associated Action Plan on Enhancing NATOs Role in the International Communitys Fight against Terrorism. It provides policy guidance and support to Allies and seeks to enhance NATOs dialogue and cooperation on Counter Terrorism related issues with International Organisations and partner countries. It supports ASG/OPS in his role as NATO Secretary Generals Special Coordinator for Counterterrorism. It manages a number of practical projects with concrete deliverables aimed at improving Allied capabilities in the counterterrorism arena and at assisting NATO partners.
The Defence and Security CooperationDirectorate (DSCD) facilitates NATOs politicalmilitary decisionmaking when developing the Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes NATOs primary framework for cooperation with partner nations. The Directorate further delivers programme implementation for partner nations with the aim tostrengthen resilience promote integrity transparency accountability and good governance in thedefenceand related security sector and enhance their institutional anddefencecapabilities so that they can better respond to crises at home and abroad. The Directorates mission is to help NATO partners become more capable more secure and better prepared to respond to crises at home and abroad.
Asthe focus point for NATOsdefenceand security cooperation initiatives the Directorate uses an integrated set of planning andprogrammeimplementation tools to support the development of statedefenceinstitutions under democratic control that comply with international norms and practices and to develop forces and capabilities that can operate effectively with NATO forces when appropriate.
The DSCD Directorate has three sections and also includes the EuroAtlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) NATOs primary response mechanism for disasters and other emergencies.
The Planning and Resources Section comprises the Planning Team overseeing the design and development of the NATOwide Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes (ITPP) and the Planning and Review Process (PARP); and the Resource Portfolio Management (RPM) Team responsible for the financial legal and administrative aspects of the Directorates programme work as well as monitoring and evaluation. The RPM Team oversees the three main trust funds: the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP) Trust Fund; the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative (DCB) Trust Fund; and the Partnership Trust Fund.
The Delivery Section manages practical cooperation programmes for partners including the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative Building Integrity (BI) and Defence Education Enhancement Programmes (DEEP).
The Ukraine Cooperation and Transformation Section leads on the practical support to Ukraine through multiple workstrands under the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP).
The EuroAtlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre supports Allies and partners affected by disasters and other emergencies when they ask for NATOs help. The Centre also particates in DSCDs work with partner nations by supporting their capacitybuilding to manage emergencies. The EADRCC is part of NATOs work on crisis management resilience and cooperation with the European Union and other international organisations.
How the daily work will look like
Working as an intern for NATOs Operations Division means experiencing firsthand the development and implementation of policies for crisis management crisis response systems and exercises politicalmilitary aspects of NATOled operations and missions the development and implementation of capacity building programmes with partner nations etc. The Operations Division contributes to NATOs three core tasks collective defence crisis management and cooperative security.
Today the evolving international security environment continues to produce a variety of threats and crises both for Allied nations and for partners bordering Allied territory. The Operations Division has set up crisis management mechanisms for appropriate and rapid responses to crises facilitates political and military interaction among civil and military authorities and ensures prompt decisionmaking.
The intern will be working alongside experienced staff officers. Daily responsibilities include preparing briefings speaking points and relevant communications to be used by the Secretary General Deputy Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General for Operations. The intern could be monitoring significant current events in NATO areas of operations reviewing daily politicalmilitary reports or contributing to the development and management of defence capacity building programmes and projects for partners. Furthermore the intern could contribute to politicalmilitary assessments preparation of crisis management exercises and situational awareness within the NATO Headquarters and beyond. The intern could also support the Division by attending seniorlevel meetings politicalmilitary committees drafting memos and reports conducting research and participating in seminars regarding NATO processes and policy. Tasks often require both individual effort and consultation with staff officers from different member countries willing to share their invaluable expertise often under tight deadlines. An assignment with the Operations Division constitutes a challenging opportunity in a stimulating and fastpaced working environment. Ultimately the experience will require you to use and develop your analytical and professional skills making it unrivalled preparation for your future career.
What do we offer
- 6month traineeship at NATO Headquarters in Brussels starting in March / September 2026.
- Fulltime traineeship (38 hours a week).
- Monthly grant of 1286.09 and a travel reimbursement upon joining and leaving the organisation.
- Teleworking subject to business requirements.
- Rich programme of activities attending regular events and participating in meetings with several stakeholders.
- NATO HQ Staff Centre which promotes employee wellbeing and fosters a healthy work environment (click here for more info special membership price for NATO interns)
Selection Criteria
Please note that you can apply for up to three (3) different NATO HQ Internship Programme vacancies!
Apply until 22 June 2025 at 23:59 Brussels time
Essential:
The candidate must:
- be a national of a NATO member state
- be at least 21 years old
- have at least two years of university level studies OR equivalent education OR be currently a student OR a recent graduate (degree obtained no longer than 12 months ago)
- have proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages (English/French).
Desirable:
The following criteria will be considered an advantage:
- Bachelors degree or in the final stage of a Masters degree relevant to the requested area of expertise
- elementary knowledge of the second official NATO language (English/French)
- be an advanced user of IT tools including Microsoft Office SharePoint;
- previous experience with other international organizations national administration research or industry.
Competencies required:
The candidate must demonstrate the following competencies:
- Achievement: Works to meet standards.
- Analytical thinking: Breaks down problems and sees basic relationships.
- Clarity and accuracy: Shows general concern for order and clarity and checks own work.
- Customer service orientation: Responds appropriately maintains clear communication.
- Empathy: Listens actively.
- Flexibility: Acts with flexibility.
- Initiative: Reacts to shortterm opportunities or problems.
- Organizational awareness: Understands the organizations structure.
- Teamwork: Cooperates shares information and knowledge freely offering support and cooperation.
Our Values:
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 and those living with disability to apply (pleaseclick here for more information).
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.
Special Notice:
In order for the Internship Office to assess your eligibility for the Internship Programme please attach the following documents:
- Copy of university qualifications you have completed and/or
- Proof of ongoing studies with the dates clearly mentioned if you are still studying.
We prefer that these documents are in one of the NATO official language (English or French). If you dont have these documents in English or French please attach a self translation.
Please ensure that all information is complete and accurate before submitting your application.
Please note that the application cannot be updated after the relevant deadline.
The pool of candidates will be available to all NATO IS / IMS Divisions Offices and NATO Bodies in case there is a need for a similar profile.
Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates telephone or email enquiries cannot be dealt with.
Read more about the Internship Programme including terms and conditions and what we offer at our website (please click here).
Kindly note that NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared in whole or in part by means of generative artificialintelligence (AI) tools including and without limitation to chatbots such as Chat Generative Pretrained 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.
Required Experience:
Intern
Employment Type
Full-Time
