NATO Civilian Liaison Officer to the United Nations

Description

1. SUMMARY 

The Political Affairs and Security Policy (PASP) Division leads on the political aspects of NATO’s core tasks and is the International Staff’s (IS) political hub for partnerships.

Within PASP, the Multilateral Organizations (MO) Section is responsible for all aspects of NATO’s relations with other International Organisations, most notably the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN). 

The NATO Liaison Officer to the United Nations (UN), under the general supervision of the Head, Multilateral Organizations (MO) Section, supports the Head of the NATO Liaison Office in her/his function as the point of contact for all UN institutions/agencies in New York. S/he deputizes for the NATO Liaison Officer when s/he is absent. Based on guidance from NATO Headquarters, s/he supports the further strengthening of relations between NATO and the United Nations Secretariat and facilitate mutual transparency and liaison between the UN and NATO on all relevant politico-military issues. S/he liaises with the staffs of the UN Secretariat and with national representations of the Allied and partner countries and contributes to the advice provided by PASP on developing and implementing co-operation between the two organizations.

The Deputy NATO Civilian Liaison Officer is based in New York, and is expected to travel to NATO HQ for consultations and briefings, as appropriate. S/he supports the Head of the NATO Liaison Office in managing the practical arrangements of the office. Under the Head Liaison Officer’s supervision, s/he coordinates closely with the NATO Military Liaison Officer to the UN. 

2.QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

The incumbent must:

• have a university degree, from an institute of recognized standing, preferably in the area of international relations, security policy or a related field;
• have at least 3 years’ experience in security policy-related work focusing on political analysis, as well as policy development for an International Organisation or national administration
• have a solid understanding  of NATO’s organisation, procedures, policies and programmes, including its political and military consultative processes;
• have a sound understanding of the key political and security issues on NATO’s agenda;
• demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of international security affairs, including UN policies and procedures, and have a well-developed knowledge of UN institutions, as well as relevant UN policies of importance to NATO;
• have a proven record of networking with International Organisations;
• have excellent communications skills, both orally and in writing;
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): VI(“Proficiency”) in one; and II (“Elementary”) in the other.

DESIRABLE

The following will be considered an advantage:

• a post-graduate degree in a relevant discipline;
• knowledge of the organisational structure and working methods of the UN and/or other International Organisations;
• be conversant with the substance of UN-NATO co-operation, including in the context of the Alliance’s contribution to a comprehensive approach of the international community.

3.MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Expertise Development

Contribute to the advice and assistance provided by the Liaison Office to the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) PASP and, through her/him, the Secretary General, other Assistant Secretaries General and NATO officials on UN issues prior to, and during, their meetings with UN officials. Contribute to regular reports, and advice, on current activities and future potential areas of co-operation. 

Policy Development

Complement and contribute to Multilateral Organizations (MO)/PASP advice and support to ASG PASP, on UN and NATO-UN-related issues and policies. Support other relevant Divisions, as appropriate. 

Representation of the Organization

Represent NATO in various fora in New York with the aim of reinforcing the Organization’s profile and relationship with the United Nations, as directed by the Head of the Liaison Office. Represent NATO, as appropriate, to UN bodies. Liaise with the UN Secretariat and its bodies as necessary.  

Project Management

Contribute to assessments of progress in NATO-UN relations, including in specific programmes. Assist in the development and implementation of future cooperation projects. 

Stakeholder Management

Support the Head of the NATO Liaison Office to build a network of contacts with the UN Secretariat, including its related agencies, think tanks and experts in order to better monitor and analyse current affairs and key policy issues. Maintain and enhance network of relationships, as circumstances evolve. Work to increase the level of coordination and information sharing between Allied Missions to the UN and NATO HQ, including through briefings to Allied Missions on relevant developments in NATO’s agenda. 

Knowledge Management

Convey information of interest between NATO and UN stakeholders. On the basis of briefings, discussions and investigation, draft working papers and other documents for appropriate NATO officials on relevant issues.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

4.INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The incumbent is organizationally part of the Multilateral Organizations  Section in PASP and coordinates regularly with the Section on the overall NATO-UN institutional relationship. S/he reports through the Head of the Liaison Office and the Head MO to the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy. S/he will work in close cooperation with the International Staff and International Military Staff. S/he will serve a variety of internal customers within the Organization, and other staff officers at the HQ, working on UN-related matters.

Direct reports: N/a

Indirect reports: N/a

5.COMPETENCIES

The incumbent must demonstrate:

• Achievement: Creates own measures of excellence and improves performance;
• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Change and Leadership: Expresses vision for change;
• Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Organisational Awareness: Understands organizational politics;
• Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.   

6.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. 

Contract clause applicable:

As employment in this post is required for a limited period, the successful applicant will be offered a definite duration contract of 3 years’ duration, which, if required, may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years.

If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3 years definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years if required, and subject also to the agreement of the national authority concerned.

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.

7.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.

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.

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 and the successful completion of the accreditation and notification process by the relevant authorities.

8.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.

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.