Director of the Economics and Security Committee

Director of the Economics and Security Committee

(Full-time, Permanent Contract of Employment)

NATO Parliamentary Assembly

Brussels, Belgium

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) is the Inter-Parliamentary organisation engaging legislators from the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance as well as from NATO partner countries. Because its members come from the various national parliaments, the Assembly constitutes a link between the authorities responsible for NATO and the parliaments. Through its debates, the Assembly aims to promote a common sense of Atlantic solidarity within the various legislative assemblies, to strengthen parliamentary scrutiny of security and defence issues, to provide the public with better information about the Alliance and to promote the Alliance’s objectives and values, in particular support for democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law. For more information, see the NATO PA website: www.nato-pa.int.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is looking for a DIRECTOR OF THE ECONOMICS and SECURITY COMMITTEE for its office in Brussels.

JOB SUMMARY

Under the supervision of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General, the Director, plays an essential role in shaping the activities of the Economics and Security Committee (ESC) and the Assembly as a whole. The Director supervises a small team comprised of the Coordinator of the Committee and a Researcher – a young professional recruited for a 12-month term every year. The ESC Director works closely with other Committee Directors on joint activities and other areas of common interest.

The Director serves as the lead expert for the Committee and is the main staffer and primary point of contact for Committee members, particularly the Committee leadership.

The Director develops proposed annual working plans for the Committee and its Sub-Committee on Transition and Development (ESCTD) and Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Economic Relations (ESCTER) and implements agreed priorities and activities. As such, the Director is responsible for conducting research and preparing policy reports, speeches and other policy documents to support the Committee’s and Rapporteurs’ work and for the planning and smooth conduct of the Committee’s and Sub-Committees’ meetings.

In addition to Committee-related duties, the Committee Director will be called upon to take the lead or assist in the planning and implementation of some of the Assembly’s partnership activities with non-member parliaments.

The Director also supports the Assembly’s other activities and priorities as required and helps develop relations with key institutions and stakeholders to inform the work of the Committee and help disseminate the Assembly’s work to the broader public.

The Director should be available to travel regularly for missions abroad (on average 7-10 multiple-day missions per year).

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• monitors and provides expertise on the issues and priorities on the Committee’s agenda;
• assists the Committee officers in setting the Committee’s agenda and identifying the most critical issues to be explored by the Committee;
• assists Rapporteurs in conceiving, researching and drafting the Committee’s reports (normally, three per year) and resolutions, drawing on the support of a Researcher;
• plans and organises all the meetings of the Committee, including the Spring and Annual Sessions and the Committee’s visits (identifies and invites noted experts to address the Committee, supervises administrative and organisational aspects of the events, , prepares relevant background etc.), with the support of the Coordinator;
• drafts/prepares notes, speeches and other working documents for the Chairperson and the members of the Committee as well as meeting summaries;
• prepares and implements the Committee’s budget;
• leads or assists in the planning and conduct of partnership activities;
• supports the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General in the Director’s area of expertise and contributes to the overall planning and coordination of Assembly activities;
• helps publicise the Committee’s work as part of the NATO PA’s communication strategy, including by generating website and social media content;
• represents the Secretariat at seminars, conferences, experts’ discussions, NATO deliberations and other inter-parliamentary meetings;
• maintains and develops a network of informed political leaders, government, parliamentary, and embassy officials, and experts whose work is relevant to the interest of the Committee.

JOB PROFILE

Qualifications, knowledge and experience:

• a graduate degree in economics, international relations, security, politics or other related field;
• a strong background in international security and a solid understanding of economic policy including economic security;
• profound understanding of and demonstrated commitment to the transatlantic relationship;
• a minimum of five years’ work experience in a position of policy research, advice and/or development in a think tank, university, national legislature, government and/or international organisation;
• strong experience in research and writing policy papers (good publication record desirable);
• experience in managing small teams;
• Fluent – orally and in writing – in one of the two official Assembly languages and good working knowledge of the other (knowledge of other languages would be an asset)
• desirable: experience in working with legislators;
• desirable: experience in organising small- to medium-sized events, such as visits or seminars.

Competencies:

• excellent research and writing abilities – capacity to condense relevant information from diverse sources into an accessible format for a non-expert audience;
• strong managerial and interpersonal skills;
• sound judgment and decision-making skills;
• organisational capabilities – ability to manage several projects simultaneously, establish plans and priorities;
• ability to communicate effectively and persuasively, orally and in writing in English and/or French;
• initiative – ability to identify topical and relevant issues for the Committee;
• keen sense of diplomacy and inter-cultural awareness – flexibility and sensitivity to work with parliamentarians from many nations and with diverse political orientations;
• team spirit – demonstrated capacity to work in close quarters in a multi-national environment;
• flexibility to adjust to changing demands.

OFFER AND PROCEDURE

The Assembly offers a full-time permanent position in its International Secretariat, which is staffed by a team of 29 professionals from NATO member countries and centrally located in Brussels. The International Secretariat 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 health and disability. 

This job offers an attractive salary (Basic salary between EUR 7.265,38 – EUR 7.558,90) including:

• Private medical insurance;
• Private pension scheme;
• Generous annual leave;
• Possibility of working from home (Belgium) 2 days per week;
• Monthly internet allowance for working from home;
• Substantial reimbursement of commuting expenses.

Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of the 32 NATO member countries (list available on: www.nato-pa.int).

To apply

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to [email protected] by 18 August 2024 midnight (Brussels time), mentioning “ESC Director” in the subject of the email:

• Letter of application (English or French);
• Curriculum vitae (English or French);
• 2 recent points of contact for references;
• 2 writing samples.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an online interview. If selected for the next stage in the selection process, further steps include a 2^nd interview in our offices, a written competency test, personality tests as well as reference checks.