SO (Capability Management Function Secretariat)

Post Context

ACT contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading, at Strategic Command level, Warfare Development required to enhance NATO’s posture, military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.

The Capability Development Directorate (CAPDEV) comprises two Divisions—Requirements and Capabilities. The Directorate supports SACT in his Capabilities Requirement Authority (CRA) role. It is responsible for a holistic through lifecycle Capability Development approach that infuses innovation and transformative efforts that are an integral part of the Warfare Development. This includes responsibilities for elicitation, development, capture and collection, quality review, traceability and visibility of capability requirements.

The PLN is assigned to the Strategic Planning Function (SPF) Integrated Programme Team’s Capability Delivery Coordination office (CDCO). You will be responsible for supporting the activities of the CMF secretariat including daily support to the CMF Secretariat Function, review policy and processes and conduct weekly/monthly stakeholder engagements. This PLN is also the point of contact with the NCI Agency C-PMO and NSPA’s APOD.

Principal Duties:

SO (Capability Management Function Secretariat)

• Support the Branch Head (BH) in maintaining a comprehensive knowledge and oversight over the progress of the ‘Master Schedule’; all NATO projects, programmes and portfolios for which the Directorate is responsible as required by extant ACT Directives and SOPs.
• Create and maintain an annual battle rhythm of CMA meetings (every other month) and CMCG bimonthly to facilitate the smooth delivery and appropriate escalation of key risks and issues pertaining to capability delivery in accordance with CFCDGM.
• Act as the main CMF Secretariat point of contact/stakeholder engagement specialist for harmonized and coherent external messaging for all aspects of the Directorate's Portfolio and forward planning of management products through the CMF coordination to formal governance.
• Analyze and manage stakeholder engagement throughout the common funded capability delivery process, fostering collaboration among management authorities, including Allied Command Operations (ACO), implementing entities and advisory bodies.
• Liaison with STRE and ACT Requirements Forward to ensure a broad awareness within ACT on all CFCDG matters planned for key external boards such as RPPB/MC/BC/IC and support in the coordination of appropriate ACT representation including supporting the provision of FOGO presentations/briefs and speaking notes.
• Create and Maintain appropriate Information Management tools to support the awareness and stakeholder engagement pertaining to the Master Schedule, forward planning and CMF processes and enables full accessibility to all relevant Management and Governance documents.
• Line Management of the CMF Secretariat Administrative Coordinator.
• CMF Secretariat representative on all preparatory sessions in lead up to the Capability Requirement and Capability Management (CRCM) meetings and deputy representative in absence of BH for primary CRCM.
• Assist in the Management Working Group, Preparation Boards, and Decision Boards as required.
• Liaise and facilitate information flow/exchange with appropriate ACT national and NATO HQ and Agency staffs.

Capability Management Function Secretariat

• Support ACT to execute the CMF, outlined in PO(2018)0259, through the CMA Secretariat.
• Create and maintain appropriate policies and operating procedures to support understanding, utilization, and operationalization of CFCDGM and associated processes, together with other CMF entities.
• Create and maintain, together with management entities, an agreed iterative prioritization process for capability programmes to ensure mutual understanding of new operational requirements and where they sit in terms of resource priority perspective; seeking regular (at least biannual) approval from the CMAs.
• Support BH to exercise oversight and coherent coordination across the Capability Monitors (CM) and the Capability Delivery Coordinators (CDC), while preserving the required independence that enables the CM and CDC to coordinate the efforts and reporting of the individual management entities throughout the capability life cycle.
• Facilitating continuous coordination among Management Entities, enabling unified communication with Governance, and ensuring a singular voice.
• Perform engagements with NATO HQ Advisory Entities (IMS, IS-NOR, NATO Digital Staff, and OCIO), facilitating support and assessment in crosscutting and enabling areas, and overseeing early staff engagement with ongoing programmes.
• Collaborate across ACT and specially create positive links with the STRE, Requirements Forward, Strategic Portfolio Function, PMO and CAPDEV BHs to ensure all parties working effectively together, aware of ongoing tasks and activities and cooperating as appropriate.
• Supporting CDCs/CMs/PDs on appropriate approaches and considerations as it relates to Management product delivery and associated governance.
• Coordination focal point for the annual CFCDGM Implementation Workshop.

Essential Qualifications / Experience:

• University Degree  and 2 years function related experience, or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training  leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 4 years post related experience
• Four years’ experience in an assigned role dealing with strategic management processes and procedures in a large HQ or multinational command.
• Four years’ experience in resource management, budgetary processes, requirement prioritization, risk management and their inter-relations with business process and management systems.
• Detailed knowledge of NATO Common-Funded Capability Delivery Governance Model (CFCDGM) and the associated Processes.
• Detailed knowledge of Capability and Concept Development procedures

Language:

English – SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience:

• Understanding of the new NATO Command Structure organization and relationships.
• Experience working with a MoD environment or equivalent.
• Understanding of the Capability Development interaction with NATO bodies and Nations requirements

Attributes/Competencies:

Personal Attributes:

• Required to brief and staff complex issues on a routine basis.
• Integrity, confidentiality, and diplomatic skills need to be of the highest order. A cooperative and directional leadership and management style is required and must be able to demonstrate excellent team building and stakeholder engagement abilities. Often used as sounding board by principals, the incumbent must be decisive, professionally knowledgeable on all directorate capability management and CMF processes and possess good and intra-personal skills.
• Management experience; exercising of discretion, judgment and initiative.

Professional Contacts:

• The incumbent will provide continuity for the coordination of programs and deliverables across the directorate.
• Extensive communication with all levels throughout the organization will be required, especially close cooperation with senior strategic manager and BUDFIN staff on a day- to-day basis.

Contribution To Objectives:

• The work of the incumbent influences both directly and indirectly to the work and objectives of ACT.

Security Clearance

The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO SECRET Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract

• This position is linked to a specific NATO project and is for a limited duration of 3 (three) years only.
• Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.  Newly recruited staff will be offered a three year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The HQ SACT web site gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.  However, candidates should particularly note:

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as: “please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc” are not acceptable; this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application.

Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of your application form, which should be populated with details of your career to date and educational achievements and certifications as they relate to your application.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade G15 will be considered with priority.

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.

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

This vacancy will close on 26 May 2025 @ 17:59hrs (EDT)/11:59hrs (CEST).