Post Context/Post Summary
SHAPE is NATO’s strategic headquarters supporting the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). This position supports a programme delivering new headquarters facilities.
The Programme Integration Manager leads the integrated delivery of the SHAPE Static Command Facilities Transformation Programme, ensuring infrastructure, ICT/CIS, transition, security, national, and campus-related projects are aligned to deliver a coherent Full Operational Capability. The post also acts as Deputy to the Director POSH, supporting the oversight of daily Programme Office activities, coordinating team workplans, and representing SHAPE/POSH positions in programme governance bodies.
Principal Duties
The incumbent's duties are:
Primarily, act as the POSH Programme Integration manager and advisor to key Programme stakeholders (SHAPE CG, NMRs, USA EUCOM, SHAPE Requirements Owners, leaders in cross-cutting areas etc.) as necessary during all stages of the SHAPE SCF Transformation programme to deliver a fit-for-purpose capability.
Initiate and ensure continuous collaboration with NATO member nations, Strategic Commands (SC), NATO HQ and the HNs (BEL, NCI Agency and SHAPE) to ensure coherence across contributions;
Lead the master programme, advising on concept and maintaining programmatically each project’s independency while driving towards a common outcome in support of specific Transformation strategies and objectives.
Plan, manage and guide the integration of infrastructure, security and CIS activities providing alignment with transition activities as necessary to produce a fully operable facility at the point of delivery;
Initiate and lead the Integrated programme delivery plan to ensure that works are integrated and synchronized, monitoring actual progress and forecasting progress in future tranches;
Initiate, lead, advise and oversee programme management best practice, providing deep understanding of NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) implementation model, and technical knowledge in all functional areas (Engineering, CIS, Security, Transition), across governance, acceptance and implementation to achieve a higher degree of certainty to deliver the desired outcomes across cost, risk, and timelines;
Monitor, report and advise on overall programme performance and risk, in close coordination with the Technical Coordination Officer(communication and stakeholder engagement) and the Transition manager (benefit realisation).
Drive programme level issue and risk management, escalating organizational-level issues to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), SHAPE COS, with the ability to deal with most difficult cases. Manage project level risks throughout the appropriate project manager.
Principal advisor to DPOSH supporting SHAPE Command Group (CG) undertaking significant risk and timeline management in CG decision-making processes, which comes from a balance of operational (construction and installation) and transformational (transition and service) awareness experience.
Represent NATO/SHAPE interests at international gatherings leading to policy agreement and/or technical decisions which commit SHAPE to a specific course of action, such as Construction Technical Arrangements, Memorandum of Understanding or Memorandum of Working Arrangements;
Provide clear leadership to POSH team, promoting self-development and maintaining skills up to date.
Lead the data mining and report required information, taking into account any past decision or assumption, as part of the institutional knowledge during all phases of the project from conception till warranty period.
Represent POSH in senior working groups, committee and board meetings on key issues for the SHAPE SCF to define and develop the SHAPE position for the relevant NATO boards and committees.
Special Requirements and Additional Duties
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.
Undertakes all additional duties as directed by Director POSH.
Although the work is mainly performed in a Normal NATO office working environment, it will be required to regularly access the Construction site to inspect, monitor and report activities, support visits and attend meetings. The work is occasionally performed in a Construction Site including access to hard-hat areas. Slightly Undesirable Conditions apply. The risk of injury is categorised as Light Risk of Injury.
Essential Qualifications
Senior project management experience : Proven ability to lead complex, multi-discipline transformation programmes, managing scope, cost, schedule, resources, risks, interdependencies and benefits.
Experience delivering major civil engineering projects: Strong background in large-scale construction, building, civil engineering or infrastructure projects, ideally within NATO, military or government environments.
Strategic governance and stakeholder management: Ability to coordinate and advise senior internal and external stakeholders, governance bodies, customers, suppliers and multidisciplinary teams.
NATO/military or international organisational experience: Experience working in a Military Headquarters, military environment, government body or international organisation, with knowledge of NATO processes.
Project/programme management and risk management training: Training and practical experience in PRINCE2, MSP or equivalent methodologies, and risk management experience.
Engineering requirements and technical communication experience: Ability to manage engineering requirements and communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical audiences and decision-makers.
Masters Degree in Civil Engineering/Architecture or equivalent disciplines and 7 years professional experience, with at least 3 years at management level.
English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
Desirable Qualifications
Knowledge of classified or hardened facility construction: Understanding of the specific requirements, constraints and standards associated with secure, classified or hardened infrastructure.
Knowledge of Cost Benefit Analysis: Ability to assess options, benefits, costs and trade-offs to support informed programme decisions.
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Knowledge of Organizational Change Management.
English - SLP 2222 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
Training :
Microsoft Project
ISO 19650 - Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling
Automation design software
Change Management
Attributes/Competencies
Personal Attributes:This senior-level management post will require the incumbent to solve numerous complex problems and challenges in the field of programme and project management. S/he need to be capable of:
Discretion, good inter personal skills , tact and diplomacy, and excellent communication skills are predominant in negotiation with key stakeholders’ at leadership level to represent SHAPE’s position affecting the realization of strategic objectives and benefits
Strong analytical thinking, pro-active problem-solving, initiative and creative thinking, particularly in areas where there are no clear models/precedents to guide.
Clarity of thought, sound consistent judgment combined with strong technical knowledge, and lateral thinking are indispensable for the development of new concepts, techniques and procedures to bridge the challenge of the diverse application of varying national engineering stanndards and practices which, in addition, may have possible inherent political ramifications and sensitivities.
Managerial Responsibilities: -Acts as the Operational Requirement Team (ORT) Leader, maintaining the Operational Requirement Statement (ORS) up to date and ensuring the delivery of a fit for purpose HQ.
Accountable to the Board of Director (BOD) as delegated by DPOSH;
Accountable to the Security, CIS and Transition WG;
Acts as SHAPE User Representative at any coordination meeting with internal and external stakeholders and/or the HN.
Professional Contacts: The incumbent will routinely interface with a variety of NATO and National authorities, bodies and organisations, including the following:
Recurring professional contacts with national representatives in the NATO Investment Committee, Resource Policy and Planning Board, the International Staff NATO Office of Resources;
Weekly professional contacts throughout SHAPE, to provide advice, guidance, informational and/or support decision making process at the highest management level, to Senior officers at OF-7 level and Command group at OF-8/9 level.
Daily internal contacts with senior staff in SHAPE Divisions and National Military Representatives mainly OF-5/6 level;
Daily contacts at senior and high-management level and technical level with programme and project managers and engineering staff at OF-5 level, and with Host Nation, ACT, NATO Agencies, Architecture and Engineering Consultants and Industry.
Contribution To Objectives: This post enables the timely and effective planning and implementation of SHAPE Command and Control Facilities, ensuring that the proper facility to plan for, employ and coordinate military as well as civilian crisis management capabilities that Nations provide for agreed Alliance missions, are delivered with prudent commitment of scarce NATO investment, workforce and O&M resources. Failure to fully achieve success in all aspects of this effort would jeopardise the effectiveness of Command and Control and could severely prejudice SHAPE’s ability to operate.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervise up to 14 POSH and the progress of all working groups
REMARKS:
Duration of contract: This post has been identified as being required for a limited period and is strictly linked to the lifespan of the New SHAPE Headquarters project. The post will be suppressed upon the closure of the project. Newly recruited staff will be offered a definite duration contract of 3 years, which could be renewed depending on the envisioned project timeline. Please be aware that because this post is project-dependent, there is no expectation of contract renewal or conversion to an indefinite duration contract upon the project's completion. Serving NATO staff members will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (NCPR).
The salary will be the basic entry-level monthly salary defined by the NATO Grade of the post, which may be augmented by allowances based on the selected staff member’s eligibility, and which is subject to the withholding of approximately 20% for pension and medical insurance contributions.
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.
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.
We believe that all people are capable of great things. Because of this, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all of the criteria listed within this job description.
Applicants who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment in another post of a similar nature, which might become vacant in the near future, albeit at the same or lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Applications are to be submitted using 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) are not accepted. Recruitment process is wil be held at SHAPE mid-December 2026.
More information to be found on these links:
A copy of the qualification/certificate covering the highest level of education required by the job description must be provided as an attachment. Essential information must be included in the application form. Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of the application form. The application should be in English. Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide original documentary evidence and a set of copies supporting statements in their applications. After submitting your application, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt of your application.
Remarks:
A) Only nationals from the 32 NATO member states can apply for vacancies at SHAPE.
B) 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.
C) Candidates’ individual telephone, e-mail or telefax enquiries cannot be dealt with. All candidates will receive an answer indicating the outcome of their application
D) NATO will not accept any recruitment or selection materials created, in whole or in part, using generative artificial‑intelligence tools, including but not limited to chatbots such as ChatGPT or other language‑generation systems. NATO may screen submissions to detect such use. Any application prepared with generative or creative AI may be rejected at NATO’s sole discretion, and further action may be taken as appropriate.
E) As part of the recruitment process, the organization may review publicly available information to assess potential conflicts of interest, reputational risks, or behaviours inconsistent with the organization’s values.