The Young Professionals Programme
Through times of crisis and peace, NATO has safeguarded our freedom and security for 75 years and counting. Threats evolve every day and NATO is continuing to adapt to keep us safe. Together we will make sure our Alliance remains ready today to face the challenges of tomorrow.
We are launching an accelerator for your international career – the third cycle of our Young Professionals Programme (YPP). Through this global three-year programme, you will experience the frontline of a political and military alliance and start a journey of personal and professional development in a diverse and inclusive work environment. Together, we will enable NATO to:
- Address existing and emerging global challenges with security implications;
- Facilitate political consultation and dialogue between nations;
- Leverage innovation, science and technology to support peace and security;
- Stay ahead in cutting edge domains such as cyber defence and aerospace;
- Support multiple operations on land, at sea and in the air around the world
- Contribute to the global effort to combat terrorism, piracy and human trafficking; and
- Run crisis management exercises that mobilize thousands of people and items of equipment.
Do you want to make a difference and help protect close to one billion people across 32 NATO member states, including your own? If you are ready to take on this challenge and are a national of a NATO member state, hold a Master’s degree and have at least one year of work experience, then apply for the YPP.
With you, we are stronger.
#WeAreNATO
Your role
During the three years of the programme, you will be assigned to three different NATO bodies:
Year 1 - NATO International Military Staff (IMS) – NATO HQ - NATO Digital Staff (NDS) - (Brussels, Belgium)
Year 2 - Allied Command Operations (ACO) – NATO Communications & Information Systems Group (NCISG) - (Mons, Belgium)
Year 3 - Allied Command Operations(ACO) – JFC Naples - (Naples, Italy)
For more information, please see the path narrative here. You can also find more information about the NATO bodies here & the NATO Young Professionals Programmeme here.
This is an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills in the broader area of Cyber Policy and Threat Intelligence. As you gain experience, you will be given increasing responsibilities, such as:
- Supporting NATO’s efforts in systematically introducing innovation in defence planning and capability development processes and activities;
- Supporting a secure conduct of the Alliance's operations and business through the provision of scientific, technical, acquisition, operations, maintenance, and/or sustainment support in the cyber & EDTs domains;
- Contributing to elements of the entire lifecycle of cyber defence capabilities development, from definition of requirements to planning, delivery and retirement;
- Staying abreast on the current cyber threats from internal and publicly available external sources and assessing risk to NATO and its Member States;
- Applying data and insights from operational incidents to strengthen existing, as well as develop new cyber defence capabilities, policies, products and processes;
- Providing IT security SME knowledge and support during applicable IT security incidents;
- Contributing to conducting cyber security operations, participating in incident management and associated coordination and support activities;
- Providing actionable intelligence to Cyberspace Situation Awareness (CySA) security analysts, Threat and Vulnerability Management, Global Physical Security, global business units, and industry partners on cyber security-related matters;
- Collaborating with SOC Analysts, Security Engineering, and Security Architecture, Threat and providing documentation to maintain, develop and create runbooks and SOPs for CTI and CySA;
- Analysing malicious traffic and IOCs hits for attributing to threat actors;
- Researching and providing reports on attacker campaigns as required. Analysing and developing documents, and presenting general & technical presentations on security threats to business units and Information Security Risk Management personnel;
- Informing the Strategic Level about military implications of technological innovation;
- Reviewing weekly, monthly and on-demand threat intelligence reports. Contributing to the measurement of the effectiveness of the cyber threat intelligence within NATO;
- Contributing to the integration of cyber threat intelligence in NATO’s cyber defence mechanisms and controls; and
- Researching new trends within the areas of responsibilities of cyber defence & EDTs
Who we are looking for
The changing pace of the world demands that NATO and its people remain flexible, eager to learn and able to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. For an YPP position, we are looking for candidates with at least one year of professional experience.
For the YPP Cyber Policy and Threat Intelligence path, we are generally interested in the following educational bakgrounds:
- Master’s degree in the field of cyber studies, international security, engineering, information and communication technology, computer science;
- Any other degree that you believe can be useful to the area of Cyber Policy and Threat Intelligence – let us know how your knowledge and skills can be applied!
Any of the following experience or skills would be considered as an asset:
- Experience in the area of cyber operations or analysis, or in relevant position for the path;
- Knowledge of security software and familiarity with cyber security regulations;
- Comprehensive understanding of the principles of computer and communication security, networking, and the vulnerabilities of modern operating systems and applications;
- Experience in development and implementation of computer security or EDTs policies;
- Interest in hacking and activities that derive intelligence on cyber threats (capabilities and intent of cyber threat actors) and cyber vulnerabilities;
- Experience in malware protection technologies, malicious code techniques and associated countermeasures;
- Strong passion for information technology & EDTs with a strong commitment to maintaining and improving oversight on technology evolution;
- Interest in business, information, application, technology and system architecture and integration;
- Knowledge of cyber threat intelligence lifecycle, levels, sources, and products;
- Experience in using and managing threat intelligence platforms;
- Knowledge of intrusion detection systems, and security information and event management (SIEM) systems;
- Experience with qualitative and quantitative analytical methodologies and technologies;
- Any additional training/certification(s) related to cyber defence & emerging technologies (such CEH, CompTIA, SANS etc) and project or programme management certification;
- Strong analytical & drafting skills;
- Proactivity, can-do attitude & willingness to learn and share information; and,
- Teamwork, excellent communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills.
What we offer
NATO will offer the Young Professionals:
- An experience of a lifetime at the forefront of an international organization where you’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills and expand your professional network;
- A diverse and stimulating work and personal experience where you will be assigned to three different NATO bodies around the globe, one each year; and,
- A competitive salary and other benefits, including excellent health insurance and a generous annual leave package of 30 days.
Are you interested in being part of NATO and the YPP? Apply by 27 October 2024 [23:59 – CET Brussels]
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
