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 second 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 - Allied Command Operations (ACO) - SHAPE - (Mons, Belgium)
Year 2 - Allied Command Transformation (ACT) - (Norfolk, United States of America)
Year 3 - NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) - (The Hague, The Netherlands)
For more information, please see the path narrative here. You can also find more information about the NATO bodies here & the NATO Young Professionals Programme here.
This is an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills in the broader area of Innovation and Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs). As you gain experience, you will be given increasing responsibilities, such as:
- Researching opportunities for innovation in EDTs by engaging with innovation stakeholders within NATO, Allied governments, academia, start-ups, venture investors, and other tech actors to better understand new trends and technologies and their impact on our political and military objectives;
- Examining the convergence between different EDTs and their potential impact;
- Researching how our adversaries and competitors may be: (a) developing and leveraging new EDTs; and (b) attempting to acquire our own EDTs through licit or illicit means;
- Supporting teams at NATO working towards a culture of innovation at NATO by embracing agile approaches to decision-making and seeking to uncover institutional barriers to the Alliance’s tech readiness;
- Establishing an understanding of the NATO Enterprise’s ways of working to be able to integrate innovative approaches for NATO stakeholders to adapt to dynamic trends;
- Supporting and facilitating the discussion, development and implementation of innovative initiatives in the form of policies, processes or technologies;
- Supporting NATO’s efforts in systematically introducing innovation in defence planning and capability development processes and activities;
- Contributing to public diplomacy efforts on NATO’s innovation activities, including by reaching communities traditionally thought of as beyond the Alliance’s reach;
- Supporting the enhancement of the Strategic Commands’ warfighting readiness through the exploitation of innovative solutions to enable warfighting functions;
- Informing the Strategic Level about military implications of technological innovation; and,
- Researching new trends within the areas of responsibilities of Innovation & 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 a YPP position, we are looking for candidates with at least 1 year of professional experience.
For the YPP Innovation and Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) path, we are generally interested in the following educational backgrounds:
- Master’s degree in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
- Any other degree that you believe can be useful to the area of Innovation and Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) – let us know how your knowledge and skills can be applied !
Any of the following experience or skills would be considered as an asset:
- Professional experience with innovation & EDTs (especially deep technologies) in the private sector, academia, and/or government innovation entities in NATO Member or partner countries;
- Passion for innovation projects & policy development that drives change. High motivation to exploit technology and innovative ways of working;
- Technology literacy and an ability to draw strategic implications from technical expert communities;
- Demonstrate a strong interest in at least one of NATO’s identified Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (e.g., for artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, novel materials and advanced manufacturing or next-generation communications networks);
- An interest in novel and non-traditional approaches to defence acquisition, planning and capability development, ideally with an understanding from a national perspective;
- Familiarity with the strategic issues and security challenges facing the Alliance;
- Ability to persuade key stakeholders of strategic implications of technological change, including by translating technical concepts for generalist audiences;
- Experience with one or more data analysis tool (such as Power BI, Matlab, KNIME, Python, VBA) preferably in the context of a project;
- Any additional training/certification(s) related to Innovation & Emerging Technologies (such as Digital Transformation, Professional Scrum) and project or programme management certification;
- A curious & innovative mindset;
- Strong analytical & drafting skills;
- Proactivity, can-do attitude & a 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
Please note that at the time of the interviews, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their education and professional experience as relevant for this vacancy.
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser.
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)
