NATO Project Coordinator

Job Posting Organization:
NCIA, or NATO Communications and Information Agency, is dedicated to ensuring that NATO can communicate securely and reliably, which is crucial during critical political consultations and complex military operations. Established to support NATO's core mission of safeguarding one billion people, NCIA employs around 3,500 civilian and military staff across 30 locations in Europe and North America. The organization focuses on enhancing NATO's digital capabilities, including data-driven decision-making and secure networks, to ensure resilient operations across various domains such as land, air, sea, cyber, and space.

Job Overview:
As a Project Coordinator at NCIA, you will play a pivotal role in organizing and coordinating local projects, exercises, and improvement activities that support the CSE Geilenkirchen. Reporting to the Service Level Manager, your responsibilities will include transforming customer and operational requirements into structured proposals and plans. You will be involved in supporting project boards, conducting assurance and quality reviews, maintaining schedules, managing risks and resources, and coordinating with suppliers and stakeholders. This role is integral to crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and service improvement, ensuring that all activities are delivered within the agreed scope, cost, schedule, quality, and customer expectations. The position is hands-on, customer-focused, and mission-driven, allowing you to work closely with operational partners and see the direct impact of your contributions.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Your duties will include defining, documenting, and coordinating exercises, events, and small projects. You will translate customer requirements into actionable project or exercise proposals and plans. Additionally, you will manage the scope, schedules, costs, resources, quality, risks, and communications for your assigned work. Supporting project boards and quality reviews will be part of your responsibilities, as will establishing and managing requirements baselines and coordinating authorized changes. You will lead planning and coordination meetings, maintain accurate status reporting, and work with suppliers, project teams, and external stakeholders across organizational boundaries. Your contributions will extend to crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and continual service improvement planning.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a strong focus on customer and user needs, demonstrate ownership, initiative, and accountability, and exhibit sound judgment and practical problem-solving skills. Effective collaboration across organizational and professional boundaries is essential, as is the ability to work productively with autonomy. Adaptability in a developing operational environment and a commitment to delivering results and improving services are also key qualifications for this role.

Educational Background:
A bachelor's degree in a related discipline is required, along with 2 years of post-related experience. Alternatively, candidates with at least 6 years of extensive and progressive expertise may be considered if they can demonstrate exceptional qualifications that compensate for the degree requirement.

Experience:
Candidates should have experience analyzing new or unprecedented operational requirements and translating them into standardized, effective technical solutions. Extensive knowledge of NATO exercise planning or comparable planning activities, as well as recent experience in C4ISR acquisition or development projects for large organizations, is necessary. Familiarity with project-management tools and managing costs and labor is also required, along with advanced knowledge of Microsoft SharePoint and working knowledge of Microsoft Office. Experience supervising and managing teams is essential, and a recognized project-management qualification such as PRINCE2, PMBOK, PMP, or equivalent is preferred.

Languages:
A thorough knowledge of one NATO language, both written and spoken, is mandatory, while some knowledge of another NATO language is desirable.

Additional Notes:
This position is part of NCIA's expansion into a new or developing duty location. Candidates should be prepared for potential business travel to NATO and national facilities, including operational theatres. The work is typically performed in office and secure areas and may involve shift work. The role may also provide professional guidance to staff. Candidates should be aware that practical onboarding guidance may vary based on the duty location, and they should not assume benefits, allowances, or relocation support until formally confirmed. The recruitment process is subject to organizational approvals and other applicable procedures.