NATO Internship - Political Affairs and Security Policy Division (PASP)

Internship Call 2026 - Vacancy Notice

The Political Affairs and Security Policy Division leads on the political aspects of NATO’s fundamental security tasks, with responsibility for: 

·       Political relations with Allied countries;

·       NATO’s Partnerships;

·       Security Policy development;

·       Women, Peace and Security and Human Security

·       Relations with Multilateral Organizations;

·       Conventional Arms Control Policy and the non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Division comprises approximately 110 staff members, and also provides policy and administrative support to Liaison Offices in Georgia, Moldova, Jordan and Ukraine, to Liaison Officers to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, as well as to the OSCE in Vienna and to the NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait and the Political Engagement Support Cell in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The Women, Peace & Security and Human Security (WPS/HS) Section, operates under the responsibility of the Secretary General’s Special Representative (SGSR) for WPS and for HS. The SGSR’s role is to develop policies, provide guidance and oversight on the implementation of NATO’s WPS and HS Agendas, and  facilitate coordination and integration of WPS and human security perspectives into NATO’s policies and activities across the three core tasks.

The Security Policy Directorate (SPD) and the Partnership and Global Affairs Directorate (PGAD) include the following sections:

·       The NATO Affairs and Security Policy (NASP) Section, responsible for preparing Alliance Foreign Ministerial and Summit meetings, for providing speaking notes, checklists and background briefs for senior leaders’ meetings with high-level Allied officials, and for developing security policy in key areas, including through engaging with Allies.

·       The Indo-Pacific (IP) Section, responsible for NATO’s relations with partner countries (Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan) and non-partner countries (such as China, India and Singapore) in the Indo-Pacific region. The Section has the overall responsibility for policy formulation and reform advice related to NATO’s relations with the countries under its responsibility.  

·       The Partnerships & Policy (P&P) Section, responsible for NATO’s relations with the West European partners, the South Caucasus and the Western Balkans. The Section has the overall responsibility for policy formulation and reform advice related to NATO’s relations with the countries under its responsibility and is also responsible for the NATO Open Door policy.

·       The Policy East (PE) Section, responsible for NATO’s policy on and relations with Ukraine, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and the Central Asian partners. The Section has the overall responsibility for policy formulation, as well as engagement and cooperation advice related to NATO’s relations with these countries

·       The Russia Policy Coordination (RPC) section leads on Russia policy issues within PASP. The Section has the overall responsibility for policy formulation, as well as engagement with Allies on this portfolio. RPC also has the role in coordinating Russia-related policy issues with other divisions across NATO and in the entire enterprise.

·       The Southern Neighbourhood (SN) Section, responsible for developing and promoting NATO policy, political relations with the countries of the region, especially those participating in NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and in the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). 

·       The Multilateral Organizations (MO) Section, responsible for handling NATO’s relations with Multilateral Organizations such as the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as with Non-Governmental Organizations. 

·       The Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD Non-Proliferation (ADN) Section serves as NATO’s focal point for consultation, coordination and policy development related to Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at NATO HQ. This includes conventional and WMD global and regional ADN regimes, and their implementation, as well as efforts to address emerging disruptive technologies and ADN. The ADN section also serves as focal point for cooperation in the area of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and Mine Action (MA). Finally, the ADN Section coordinates and oversees implementation of NATO’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defence Policy. The ADN Section also promotes cooperation on these challenges among Allies, with NATO partners and with International Organisations (IOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as appropriate. and supports the work of relevant NATO bodies and committees.

What the daily work will look like?

Interns will gain an invaluable insight into the Alliance’s decision-making and into the broader institutional processes behind its policies, projects and partnerships. They will have a unique opportunity to enhance their research, drafting and analytical skills against a complex international environment. In addition, their communication and organisational skills, flexibility and adaptability will be put to the test against the background of the ever-changing security environment. They may have the opportunity to participate in missions on an ad-hoc basis. The selected intern should be a good team player, willing to work dynamically in a multicultural team setting. They will be required to support the office with activities ranging from organization, research and administrative tasks.

The intern will:

-        Assist in the development and preparation of policy papers, checklists and speeches for high level NATO officials and speaking notes for meetings; 

-        Take notes at and draft reports of committee meetings; 

-        Support the organisation of workshops, seminars and events; 

-        Conduct basic research and assist in monitoring global developments; 

-        At times, attend debates and discussions on security and defence related issues with relevance to the internship; 

-        Provide administrative, organisational and coordination support. 

What do we offer?

• A 6-month traineeship at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, starting in March / September 2027.
• A full-time traineeship (38 hours a week).
• A monthly grant of 1,334.96 € and a travel reimbursement upon joining and leaving the organisation.
• Teleworking subject to business requirements.
• A rich programme of activities, attending regular events and participating in meetings with several stakeholders.
• NATO HQ Staff Centre which promotes employee well-being and foster a healthy work environment (click here for more info, special membership price for NATO interns)

Selection Criteria

Please note that you can apply for up to three (3) different vacancies!

Apply until 30/04/2026 [23.59, Brussels time]

Essential:

The candidate must:

1.     be a national of a NATO member state,

2.     be at least 21 years old,

3.     have at least two years of university level studies OR equivalent education OR be currently a student OR a recent graduate (degree obtained no longer than 12 months ago),

4.     have proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages (English/French),

5.     be able to conduct research and draft in the English language.

Desirable:

The following criteria will be considered an advantage:

1.     have a Bachelor's degree or in the final stage of a Master’s degree relevant to the requested area of expertise,

2.     elementary knowledge of the second official NATO language (English/French),

3.     be an advance user of IT tools including Microsoft Office and SharePoint,

4.     previous experience with other international organizations, national administration, research or industry.

Competencies required:

The candidate must demonstrate the following competencies:

·       Achievement: Works to meet standards.

·       Analytical thinking: Breaks down problems and see basic relationships.

·       Clarity and accuracy: Shows general concern for order and clarity, and checks own work.

·       Customer service orientation: Responds appropriately, maintains clear communication.

·       Empathy: Listens actively.

·       Flexibility: Acts with flexibility.

·       Initiative: Reacts to short-term opportunities or problems.

·       Organizational awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure.

·       Teamwork: Cooperates, shares information and knowledge freely, offering support and cooperation.

Our Values:

NATO 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 disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply.

NATO is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible working environment, where all candidates living with disabilities can fully participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require reasonable accommodation, please inform us during your selection process. Candidates will be required to provide documented medical evidence to support their request for accommodation.  

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.

Special Notice:

In order for the Internship Office to assess your eligibility for the Internship Programme, please attach the following documents:

1.     Copy of university qualifications you have completed and/or

2.     Proof of ongoing studies with the dates clearly mentioned if you are still studying.

We prefer that these documents are in one of the NATO official language (English or French). If you don’t have these documents in English or French, please attach a self translation.

Please ensure that all information is complete and accurate before submitting your application.

Please note that the application cannot be updated after the relevant deadline. 

The pool of candidates will be available to all NATO IS / IMS Divisions, Offices and NATO Bodies in case there is a need for a similar profile.

Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.

Read more about the Internship Programme, including terms and conditions, and what we offer at our website.

Kindly note that 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.