CONTRACTOR SUPPORT MILITARY PARTNERSHIPS

Essential Qualifications/Experience:

·       University postgraduate degree (master’s or higher) in international relations, international security, international development, military studies (including military technology or operations research), foreign policy, public affairs, political science, or related discipline; or have attended a NATO or national military staff college (OF-3 level or higher)

·       Experience working in the field of foreign/international security/international cooperation/defence/military affairs

·       Experience working within NATO Enterprise (preferred); or other International Organisation (in a Defence or Security-related position); or within a national mission, delegation, or embassy to an IO (in a Defence or Security-related position)

·       Demonstrate a working knowledge of: NATO Partnerships; or security sector reform / defence and security capacity building; or defence planning; or military capability development / military applications of operations Research.

·       Demonstrate experience in drafting for and/or briefing senior leaders/decision makers (FOGOs or civilian equivalent

DUTIES/ROLE:

·       Tasking applicable to all Contractors

·       Contribute to the activities, outputs, coordination requirements, and battle rhythm of the Partnerships Branch in support of NATO’s partnerships objectives

·       Support the Partnerships Branch as the HQ SACT central point of contact for partnerships-related work strands, including coordination with HQ SACT Directorates, Branches, JJJJs, ACO/SHAPE, NATO HQ, Partner Nations, and relevant International Organizations, as required

·       Contribute to the development and delivery of briefings, point papers, speaking notes, reports, decision-support products, and other staff work for senior officers, decision makers, working groups, and external engagements related to partnerships

·       Contribute to the development, review, refinement, and implementation of policies, directives, concepts, processes, and procedures related to NATO military partnerships, including support to Bi-SC and ACT-level taskings

·       Support the identification, coordination, and tracking of ACT activities, Programmes of Work, exercises, experiments, training, education, and engagement opportunities open to Partners, ensuring coherence of messaging and alignment with NATO and ACT priorities

·       Support the maintenance of corporate memory, information and knowledge management, lessons identified, document traceability, and quality assurance mechanisms for Partnerships Branch activities

·       Ensure that partnership activities, documentation, and information-sharing considerations are coordinated in accordance with applicable NATO security, releasability, and information-management requirements

·       Support Key Leader Engagement preparation and execution, including background papers, engagement strategies, read-ahead material, talking points, engagement reports, and follow-up actions

·       Be prepared to travel to meetings, conferences, workshops, exercises, and other engagements both within and outside NATO’s boundaries for up to 30 days per year. 10. Perform additional tasks as required by the COTR related to the labour category and within the scope of Partnerships Branch responsibilities

·       Specific Taskings

·       Contractor 1 — Partner Capability Development, Innovation and Interoperability

·       Support Partner capability development by coordinating with HQ SACT Capability Development stakeholders, Partner Nations, NATO HQ, ACO/SHAPE, and relevant subject matter experts to foster mutually beneficial NATO-Partner cooperation

·       Support the integration of NATO capability development approaches into Partner capability development activities, ensuring coherence with the NATO Defence Planning Process, NATO standardization, interoperability requirements, and applicable doctrine

·       Contribute ACT inputs to Partner capability plans, Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes, Defence Capacity Building packages, and other partnership tools, with particular focus on resilience, interoperability, modernization, and alignment with NATO strategic priorities

·       Support the identification and analysis of Partner capability requirements and gaps using DOTMLPFI-based analysis, concepts, experimentation, wargaming, exercises, lessons learned, and other ACT warfare development processes

·       Promote Partner interoperability through engagement with NATO-led interoperability and capability-evaluation mechanisms, including CWIX-type activities, Federated Mission Networking, data-sharing architectures, and relevant standards development

·       Support the inclusion of Partners, where appropriate, in ACT capability development, innovation, experimentation, Multi-Domain Operations implementation, modelling and simulation, training, and technology exploitation activities

·       Provide analysis and staff support on emerging and cross-domain capability areas, including space, cyberspace, digital transformation, innovation, and other future capability areas relevant to Partner interoperability and military transformation

·       Investigate ways to enhance the Branch’s capabilities through the development of new tools, information-sharing mechanisms, and processes

·       Contractor 2 — Partnerships Strategy, Concept Development, Policy and Analysis

·       Advise and support internal stakeholders on the strategic value, scope, risks, and opportunities of NATO military partnerships, including opportunities for Partner engagement across ACT work strands

·       Contribute to the drafting of policies, directives, concepts, reports, studies, and military advice related to the longer-term development of NATO military partnerships and their interaction with NATO defence policies, cooperative programmes, and transformation priorities

·       Lead or support concept development activities related to partnerships, including strategic engagement concepts, the “out-partnering” concept, and ACT contributions to relevant concept development and experimentation events

·       Support the integration of Partner perspectives into ACT long-term military transformation, strategic foresight, future force design, red teaming, wargaming, and Long-Term Military Strategic Shaping activities, where appropriate

·       Identify ACT Programmes of Work, experiments, exercises, studies, training events, and other activities that may provide opportunities for Partner engagement and identify Partner Nations that could contribute to or benefit from those activities

·       Support Partnerships Branch knowledge management by capturing best practices, lessons learned, engagement outcomes, decision points, recurring requirements, and continuity products to improve branch efficiency and corporate memory

·       Conduct geopolitical, regional, and strategic analysis on Partner Nations and partnership frameworks, within an allocated portfolio of countries, to inform ACT planning, engagement, and senior leader decision-making

·       Contractor 3 — Defence Planning Integration and Partnership Framework Implementation

·        Act as the lead staff support for military integration of Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes and Planning and Review Process-related work within ACT, in coordination with NATO HQ, ACO/SHAPE, Partner Nations, and relevant HQ SACT stakeholders

·       Support the execution of all steps of the ITPP process by providing military input, subject matter expertise, staff coordination, supporting documentation, assessment material, and preparation for bilateral and multilateral engagements

·       Interpret, analyse, report, plan, and advise on ACT warfare development work and transformation opportunities that can support or be connected to Partner ITPPs, PARP, Defence Capacity Building, Partnership Goals, and related partnership mechanisms

·       Analyse NATO policy, defence planning guidance, military-strategic work, and NDPP-related developments to inform a coherent, multi-cycle ITPP approach that supports Partner modernization and medium-term transformation

·       Support the identification of Partner capability and interoperability gaps relevant to NATO defence planning, and contribute to ACT input for NATO HQ assessments, progress reviews, and related partnership framework products

·       Facilitate coordination and information-sharing between ACT, NATO HQ, ACO/SHAPE, and other relevant stakeholders on Partner capability development, defence planning, standards harmonization, and implementation progress

·       Maintain awareness of NATO defence planning policies, NDPP developments, partnership framework updates, and relevant political-military guidance to ensure ACT contributions to ITPP, PARP, and related processes remain current, coherent, and strategically aligned

·       Conduct geopolitical, regional, and strategic analysis on Partner Nations and partnership frameworks, within an allocated portfolio of countries, to inform ACT planning, engagement, and senior leader decision-making