NATO Internship - Joint Intelligence and Security (JIS) Division

Internship Call - Vacancy Notice 

The Joint Intelligence and Security Division (JISD) has two main missions: to provide strategic intelligence to NATO HQ decision makers and to protect NATO’s personnel, information, and physical assets. JISD’s Intelligence pillar, comprised of both military and civilian personnel, is responsible for ensuring the situational awareness of the North Atlantic Council (NAC), the Military Committee (MC) and the senior-level decision-makers on strategic issues of concern. Its functional areas address intelligence analysis and production, intelligence policy, and intelligence capability development. JISD’s Security pillar is responsible for the overall coordination of NATO security among member Nations, NATO civil and military bodies as well as International Organizations and partner countries with which NATO cooperates. It is also responsible for the security of the NATO Headquarters (HQ), its personnel, information, physical assets, and for the protection of the Secretary General.

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How the daily work will look like?

In the cyber security domain, you might focus on oversight activities, contributing to the development of cyber security policies and regulations adapted to the fast-changing cyber environment, supporting the analysis of vulnerability assessments and penetration tests or supporting technical “hands-on” cyber security tasks such as security tests and verifications. You might also assist in the security accreditation of NATO networks and analyse workflows, proposing ways to improve these.

You may work on security policy, being part of the negotiations of security agreements with Nations and International organisations, working on the administrative arrangements and the certification process. You will also assist with the Security Committee work and prepare courses and workshops to ensure a clear understanding of the protection of classified information.

You may contribute to the further enhancement and implementation of the NATO HQ Security Awareness Programme, which strives to develop and maintain security consciousness for all personnel during the whole workforce lifecycle process. In order to increase of Security Awareness campaigns, tailored engagement and continuous learning, you will be involved in the revision of the existing e-learning courses and will help develop various security awareness-raising materials, such as newsletters, pamphlets, portal updates, etc.

Within the NATO Headquarters Security Force, responsible for carrying out security duties connected with the protection (personnel, infrastructure and information) of the NATO HQ, you will contribute to enhancing operational efficiency and optimizing the training programs. You will assist the Training Coordinator by developing innovative e-learning modules, streamlining reporting and follow-up processes, and updating internal documentation. You will also provide comprehensive administrative support by preparing planning documents and developing dashboards in order to facilitate effective project management and strategic decision-making.

In our Close Protection Unit (CPU), responsible for the security of the NATO Secretary General, you will identify and document the different administrative and operational workflows in the CPU, focussing on missions abroad, day-to-day protection, training and manpower planning and propose ways to improve or simplify those workflows. This is an opportunity to learn and put into practice concepts and ideas in the area of security and emergency management in a high-level, professional, international security environment.

You may also contribute to the Security Intelligence Branch (SIB) responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence to protect NATO's interests, personnel, and facilities, including the protection of the Secretary General.

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 €1,286 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).

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, 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.