Senior Assistant (Recruitment)

OPEN TO NATIONALS OF NATO MEMBER STATES ONLY

STAFF VACANCY 250974

DIVISION:                               International Military Staff (IMS)

                                                Executive Office Coordinator (EXCO)

                                                Civilian Human Resources (CHR)                                         

TITLE:                                     Senior Assistant (Recruitment) (2 posts)

GRADE:                                  B-4/G-10

Please note that the competition for these posts will take place in Brussels and is provisionally scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.

1.     Post Context.

The CHR is responsible for all matters pertaining to the management and administration of Civilian Personnel appointed to the IMS Peacetime Establishment (PE).  The Section implements all NATO civilian related policies concerning recruitment, remuneration, performance management, staff development, discipline, complaints and discharge of Civilian Personnel and manages the service level agreements with respect to all HR shared or consolidated services.  The Section also develops and implements civilian personnel policy and procedures, including contract policy, and procedures for the participation of the IMS NATO Civilians (NICs) in support of Out-of-Area Operations and assures their periodical review for continued effectiveness.

The Senior Assistant (Recruitment) carries out all support and administrative functions related to the recruitment process, particularly affected by the increase of personnel linked to the implementation of the NATO 2030 Agenda in IMS, including NATO Digital Staff and NATO Standardization Office.

2.     Principal Duties.

a.              Ensuring administrative support to full cycle recruitment from different types of competitions.

b.              Supporting all recruitment administrative tasks such as, but not limited to: encoding, test administration, letters, follow-up with candidates and acting as panel secretary.

c.              Working in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS – e.g. TALEO) to complete administrative tasks and provide data and information as needed.

d.              Conveying and reporting information timely and accurately to the members of the CHR team, Panel members, candidates and hierarchy.

e.              Acting as secretary on selection panels, in collaboration with selection board members, in particular with the HR representative.

f.                Answering enquiries and incoming calls from CHR team, Hiring managers, Panel members, candidates and from other NATO bodies, in close cooperation with the CHR management.

g.              Providing data on candidates, competitions and associated processes as directed.

h.              Supporting the process and providing constructive suggestions on administrative procedures.

i.                Supporting the CHR Section Team and the Section Head in providing accurate and timely information, respecting the deadlines and being proactive in offering support to the HR Team, Hiring managers, Panel members and candidates as needed.

j.                Maintaining well-structured paper and electronic filing systems, for classified and unclassified documents.

k.              Proactively developing skills in CHR matters in general and particularly in candidate outreach and acquisition.

l.                Liaising with other Assistants to leverage knowledge, share good practices and experiences.

m.             May be called to support the Section’s workload in the areas of personnel administration.

3. Special Requirements and Additional Duties.

a.              Perform other related duties as directed.

b.              Required to undertake TDY assignments both within and outside of NATO’s boundaries and work irregular hours whenever necessary.

c.              Perform duties in the NATO HQ Crisis Management Organization.

d.              Required to attend, as directed, additional training and specialised Courses in the field of HR management

4. Essential Qualifications.

a.     Professional / Experience.

·       A minimum of four years of experience in administrative or organisational work;

·       At least two years of previous working experience in an HR environment related to recruitment;

·       Experience in working to deadlines with attention to detail;

·       Experience in note taking;

·       Excellent communication and outreach skills with demonstrated ability to present information in a clear and logical manner both written and orally;

·       Ability to draft large and complex documents and reports;

·       Be proactive and able to work on own initiative with minimum supervision.

b.    Education / Training.

·       At least higher secondary level (at least to ISCED level 5).

c.     Language.

·       Candidates must have an advanced level of spoken and written English and an intermediate level of spoken and written French and will be required to pass a one-hour multiple-choice computer-based test in English and French at the required level as well as to demonstrate their abilities in the written test and interview.

d.    Computer Literacy

·       Advanced working user experience with MS Word and working user experience with MS Outlook/e-mail MS Excel and web applications (e.g. SharePoint).  Advanced user experience with applicant tracking systems or HR software packages.

5. Desirable Qualifications.

a.     Professional/Experience.

·       Knowledge of the NATO structure;

·       Previous working experience in an international/multinational organisation, preferably comprising both military and civilian staff;

·       Good understanding of the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations;

·       Experience in the use of social/professional media;

·       Knowledge of and experience in state-of-the-art talent acquisition best practices and tools (e.g. online recruitment/applicant tracking system);

·       Knowledge/advanced experience of TALEO, ERP-EBS, FinS, APMS or ERT.

b.    Education/Training.

·       Post-secondary training in psychology, business administration, human resources or relevant field (ISCED Level 6)

c.     Language. 

·       An upper-intermediate/advanced level of spoken and written French.

6. Personal Attributes/ Competencies.

Personal Attributes:

·       A high level of personal integrity, tact, discretion and sound judgement, coupled with strong listening and communication skills.

·       Service-oriented attitude, where flexibility, adaptability to unforeseen situations as well as the ability to work harmoniously and effectively with colleagues and staff at all levels, both military and civilian, in an international environment.

·       Understanding organisational politics, displaying a high degree of initiative and sense of responsibility, excellent planning and organizational skills and the ability the work under minimum supervision.

·       Prepared to work long hours, often under pressure and to strict deadlines.

Competency/Level:

Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work.

Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems.

Empathy: Listens actively.

Flexibility: Acts with flexibility.

Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation.

Organizational Awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure.

Teamwork: Expresses positive attitudes and expectations of team or team members.

7. Managerial Responsibilities.

·       Ability to monitor and forecast provisional budget expenditure linked to recruitment, including travel expenses for candidates and training requirements for HR personnel and Panel members.

·       Providing advice to both management and staff, when required.

8. Professional Contacts. 

·       Has constant contact with hiring managers, panel members and IMS top leadership.

·       Represents the IMS in meetings and working groups related to recruitment.

9. Contribution to the Objectives.

·       Consistently supports and contributes to the IMS mission through the timely recruitment.

·       Provides reports and data within and outside the IMS, having a direct impact on IMS image.

·       May be called to support the CHR Section with the administration of civilian staff.

10. Remarks. 

·       Security Clearance – NATO SECRET (if not currently held, the incumbent must be eligible for this level of clearance).

·       Work Environment – Multinational work environment and work with groups where members represent sovereign Nations. 

11. How to apply.

Applications must be submitted by 27 July 2025 (23:59 Brussels time) using one of the following links, as applicable:

·       For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (for more information, please contact your local Civilian HR Manager);

·       For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment

Applications are automatically acknowledged within one working day after submission.  In the absence of an acknowledgement, please make sure the submission process is completed, or, resubmit the application. 

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.

12. Additional Information.

The successful candidates will fill these posts as a Project linked NATO International Civilians (PLNs) with a three-year definite duration contract within the NATO 2030 Agenda. On expiry of this term, the PLNs will be deleted or absorbed into the ceiling pending approval or, exceptionally, will be considered for extension.  The above remains applicable also if the successful candidates are seconded from a national administration. Serving NATO international civilian personnel will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.

Appointment will be subject to the deliverance of the appropriate security clearance by the national authorities and approval of the medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser.

A written test will be held as part of the selection procedure.

Applicants who meet the necessary requirements and who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful in this particular competition, may be considered for posts of a similar nature, albeit at a lower grade, which may become vacant in the near future.

NATO as an employer values diverse backgrounds and perspectives and is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all Member States 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.

The nature of these positions may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.

The IMS at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is committed to providing equality in working opportunities regardless of sex, race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation.

The IMS is a non-smoking environment.