NATO Internship - Office of the Secretary General (OSG) at NATO

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

23 Jun, 26

Salary

1334.96

Posted On

25 Mar, 26

Experience

0 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Research, Policy Development, Foresight, Analysis, Strategic Projects, Horizon Scanning, Drafting, Editing, Proofreading, Speechwriting, Organizational Skills, Writing Skills, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork, Flexibility

Industry

IT Services and IT Consulting

Description

Internship Call - OSG - Vacancy Notice The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) comprises: the Secretary General himself, who heads the International Staff, as well as the Deputy Secretary General; the Chief of Staff that includes a director and staff; the Director-General for Management and staff; and the Policy Planning Unit (PPU). As part of the OSG, the PPU offers policy input and advice to the Secretary General and the Private Office, with the principal goals of assisting on strategic anticipation for NATO senior management. PPU facilitates the review of strategic policy issues facing by the Alliance by senior management, the Secretary General and the Council. PPU does this by advising on policy, strategy and political messaging. The team leads, as tasked, on special strategic projects for the Secretary General - such as, in recent years, the NATO 2030 agenda and the 2022 Strategic Concept and its, and its operationalization. PPU seeks to provide innovative, forward-looking and in-depth analysis on future trends and major security and policy developments affecting NATO to the Secretary General and the OSG. The PPU serves also as a “second opinion" on policy matters, and is responsible for reviewing policy, providing feedback and suggesting alternative courses of action, including by using foresight techniques Additionally, the PPU contributes to the OSG's speech writing process and political messaging. The PPU helps incubate and initiate new policy priorities for NATO. Finally, the team also fosters wider strategic debate about NATO and its role in European and transatlantic security policy by maintaining a regular dialogue with policy planners in national Ministries of Foreign Affairs as well partner countries and other international organizations. It also systematically engages with think tanks, research institutes and thought leaders to gather relevant policy input, including by contributing to their research or conferences or by hosting ad hoc roundtables at NATO. What will the daily work look like? The interns will have the opportunity to assist the work of the Office of the Secretary General in its function of researching and developing inputs to policy, supporting foresight and analysis, supporting strategic projects, stimulating debate in NATO and beyond, and engaging with outside actors on relevant security policy issues. The interns will have the opportunity to assist the work of the Office of the Secretary General through research, policy development and drafting of research and policy products on a variety of issues related to the Alliance’s main geopolitical and security challenges. They will be actively involved in horizon scanning and strategic foresight work. They will also be involved in the PPU’s broader engagement with think tanks, academia and other relevant interlocutors. Their day to day work may include conducting independent research and literature reviews; assisting in drafting, editing and read proofing relevant policy products; assisting in the preparation and compilation of policy papers for senior staff on strategic foresight; taking minutes during meetings and conferences and write reports; contributing to speechwriting; helping with the administrative and substantive preparation of meetings, seminars, events, workshops; monitoring policy deliberations in Allied committees. Candidates applying for an internship within this office should demonstrate excellent organizational, writing and research skills, curiosity, a team-oriented work approach, flexibility, excellent communication and inter-personal skills, a determination to achieve results and a cooperative attitude in a multicultural environment. The selected intern should be a good team player, willing to work dynamically in a team setting. They will be required to support the office with activities ranging from organization, research and administrative tasks. What do we offer? A 6-month traineeship at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, starting in March / September 2027. A full-time traineeship (38 hours a week). A monthly grant of 1,334.96 € and a travel reimbursement upon joining and leaving the organisation. Teleworking subject to business requirements. A rich programme of activities, attending regular events and participating in meetings with several stakeholders. NATO HQ Staff Centre which promotes employee well-being and foster 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 vacancies! Apply until 30/04/2026 [23.59, Brussels time] Essential: The candidate must: 1. be a national of a NATO member state, 2. be at least 21 years old, 3. 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), 4. have proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages (English/French). 5. Be able to conduct research and draft in the English language. Desirable: The following criteria will be considered an advantage: 1. have a Bachelor's degree or in the final stage of a Master’s degree relevant to the requested area of expertise, 2. elementary knowledge of the second official NATO language (English/French), 3. be an advance user of IT tools including Microsoft Office, SharePoint; 4. 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 see basic relationships. · Clarity and accuracy: Shows general concern for order and clarity, and checks own work. · Organizational awareness: Understands the Organization’s 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 to apply. 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. 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. Special Notice: In order for the Internship Office to assess your eligibility for the Internship Programme, please attach the following documents: 1. Copy of university qualifications you have completed and/or 2. 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 don’t 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 e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with. Read more about the Internship Programme, including terms and conditions, and what we offer at our website. Kindly note that 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.

Responsibilities

Interns will assist the Office of the Secretary General by researching and developing policy inputs, supporting foresight and analysis, and contributing to strategic projects related to the Alliance’s geopolitical and security challenges. Daily tasks may involve independent research, drafting policy products, assisting with speechwriting, and monitoring policy deliberations in Allied committees.