Organisation Summary and Post Context The Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) is the Single Service Command (SSC) responsible for delivering Air and Space Power for Alliance Air operations and missions. AIRCOM provides the core of the NATO Command Structure (NCS) Joint Force Air Component (JFAC), capable to establish suitable Command & Control (C2), to operate as a Joint Task Force (JTF) if so directed by SACEUR, and is the Air C2 competency organisation for the Alliance. The Command Group (CG) provides specialists' advice, coordination, management, staff support and administrative service to the Commander, the Deputy Commander and the Chief of Staff. The Office of the Political Advisor provides support to the Command Group on a wide range of politico-military issues, information, analysis and advice on the pol-mil environment and pol-mil aspects affecting AIRCOM missions and activities. Reporting to the Commander, the incumbent provides advice to the wide range of diplomatic, politico-military and economic developments in international affairs and provides specific advice on their implications for the conduct of AIRCOM missions. Main Responsibilities As a key member of the Command Group, participates in all major policy and planning initiatives, providing information and advice on a wide range of politico-military issues in direct support of COM's policy formulation and decision-making. The Political Advisor serves as the principal link of Commander to the civilian/political authorities of NATO, governments of member, partner and other nations, to International Organisations and other relevant Agencies as part of a Comprehensive Approach. Evaluates military operations and advises on the political ramifications of those operations. Provides targeted information, briefings and think pieces on trouble spots, including political developments, matters affecting security and stability, local governments, international organisation activities, and the nexus of political extremism, organised crime, armed violence and terrorism, as required. Collects and analyses information on politico-military issues as directed. Coordinates policy matters that require political and/or military decisions with AIRCOM senior staff and liaison officers, ACO and Joint Headquarters, International Organisations (IOs) and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), as well as governmental and embassy staffs at Minister and Ambassador level, as required. Assists COM/COS in interfacing with political, diplomatic, non-governmental, and other civilian organisations. Provides substantive support for NATO high level visits. Prepares, reviews, and comments on drafts of COM speeches, media briefs, and position papers for public dissemination. Participates in briefings, Commander's Update Briefings, decision briefs and other senior command group meetings, boards and committees to provide political advice. During crisis operations, provides politico-military advice at\: AOPG process, Commander's Decision Briefs, Joint Targeting Working Groups and at Information and Operation Boards. Briefs JFACC on political issues impacting operations at the politico-military update meeting. Special Requirements The incumbent may be required to undertake deployments in support of military operations and exercises, and/or TDY assignments, both within and without NATO boundaries up to 183 days, and may be on short notice. For NATO International Civilian Staff, acceptance of an employment contract linked to this post constitutes agreement to deploy more than 30 days if required. The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within the organisation at the same grade without there being any change to the contract. Essential Qualifications University Degree in political science, public administration, international relations or related discipline. Political science/civics experience; minimum 10 years in the field of public administration, including at least 5 years in an analysis of political affairs in a military context role. A proven record of successful performance in challenging leadership positions. Good health, able to travel frequently and work irregular hours. Good knowledge of the capabilities and practical use of computing systems. Mature and tactful individual, possessing sound judgement, flexibility and the ability to express him/herself persuasively, both orally and in writing. Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Liaison experience in Office Communications and Information Systems, with previous Staff experience at a deployed HQ and working in conjunction with International Organization/Non-Government Organizations (IO/NGO) elements. English – good – NATO Standard Language Proficiency (SLP) 4343 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) NOTE\: The work both oral and written in this post and in this Headquarters as a whole is conducted mainly in English. Desirable Qualifications Social/political science degree qualified with at least three years appropriate postgraduate experience. Post graduate studies in international affairs. Understanding and writing of diplomatic correspondence. Experience with peace support and operations and related organisations. French\: SLP 3232 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing). Russian\: SLP 2222 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing). Arabic\: SLP 2222 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing). Attributes and Competencies Personal Attributes \: Must display analytical thought and demonstrate independent judgement in the development of policy and strategies for AIRCOM, in fields of strategic-political-military interest and concern. Must be able to provide high-level advice and briefings to a senior level on key strategic-political-military issues, to serve in the formulation of Command policy. Diplomacy and tact are essential in interacting with high-level officials in a multi-national environment. Must have strong communication skills, both oral and written. Listening and persuasiveness are crucial to the incumbent's effective participation in policy and planning initiatives, in advising the Command Group, in coordinating policy matters internally and with other agencies and government staffs. Problem analysis skills and critical thinking underline the incumbent's contribution to the development of effective strategies and formulation of policy in his/her own area of competence. Professional Contacts: Executes duties and functions requiring frequent internal and external high-level contacts, including coordination and negotiation with senior civilian and military authorities. Routinely interacts with senior NATO authorities and military personnel up to the OF-9 level. Examples include a variety of staff involved in political activities throughout NATO at all professional levels to provide advice, guidance, and informational/decision briefings. Shall frequently and routinely be expected to participate in flag-level meetings and contribute directly to flag-level decision making within the Headquarters. Contact with senior national representatives from Ministries of Defence or Foreign Affairs during discussions of political situations. Maintains personal contacts, on behalf of AIRCOM, with a wide range of related international bodies, including the EU, UNHCR, IRC, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO Parliamentary Assembly and leading think tanks and with senior personnel from NATO nations and external agencies. The incumbent will frequently be called upon to provide informational or decision briefings to senior staff of other organisations. Participation in such meetings routinely ranges in rank to OF-7 and occasionally occurs at even higher levels. Contribution to the Objective: The incumbent ensures his Headquarters’ credibility before the nations and within the Command Structure by ensuring that his Commander understands the political situations in the theatres of operation and in areas of developing concern. This includes contribution to mission objectives by proactive identification of trends and advice on dealing with potential problems. Failure to have a fully global perspective on developing situations would have a negative effect on preparation of the headquarters to deal with emerging threats or crisis. The successful accomplishment of these tasks will directly contribute to the Commander’s ability to prepare to exercise C2 functions in accordance with his operational priorities. The incumbent maintains a broad and deep knowledge of international affairs and is responsible for the correct analysis and advice to the command of political and international intentions by state and non-state actors. Responsible for determining how these will impact on the HQ and future missions. Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct supervision of one or more people, including provision of professional guidance to the team. Provides guidance and advice to the Command Group and to the Staff of the HQ, within the assigned specialist advisor area. Current first line reporting responsibility is one OF-4. Security Clearance The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO COSMIC TOP SECRET/A Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment. Contract In accordance with current policy, the successful candidate will be offered a three year definite duration contract normally followed by an indefinite duration contract. Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations. The successful selected candidate must complete a NATO medical examination and have NATO security clearance before an employment offer will be released. AIRCOM’s medical consultant must confirm the recommended candidate is fit to perform the duties and is deployable to NATO's regional areas of operation. How to Apply for this position 1. Applications are to be submitted using the NATO Talent Acquisition Platform (NTAP) ( https\://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang-en ) Applications submitted by other means (e.g. mail, e-mail, fax, etc) will not be accepted. 2. In addition to the application form, an Executive Bio of 400 words maximum, must be uploaded to NTAP. Notes for Candidates 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 re-submit the application. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as\: “please see attached CV”, or invitations to follow links to personal webpages, are not acceptable and will be disregarded. 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. 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. Current and past civilians working for NATO or any Coordinated Organization, shall indicate their last grade and step held (next to job title), and specify the name of employing NATO body or Coordinated Organization. Assessments and interviews are tentatively planned for late June-July 2025 in Ramstein, Germany.