Section Head (Performance Management)

Post Context

ACT contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading, at Strategic Command level, Warfare Development required to enhance NATO’s posture, military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.

The Resources and Management (RM) Directorate acts on behalf of SACT on all internal management and resource-related issues. It monitors the coherency of ACT plans to ensure that ACT remains an effective and efficient organization and improves continuously.

The Strategy Management Branch is responsible for the cross-functional coherence of ACT’s Programme of Work (PoW). In the wider NATO context, the Branch is the POC for the integrated objective-based midterm planning. It is also the POC for management and governance modernisation within the Alliance. These responsibilities translate into two broad areas of activity: Resource Planning and Policies, including Resource Reform, and Internal Management coherence, performance analysis, and management in support of the ACT executive boards, organisational development, and portfolio, programme and project (P3) management activities.

The incumbent serves as Section Head  (Performance Management), coordinates the internal management and supports strategic oversight and performance reporting of the ACT PoW.

Principal Duties

• Prepare and oversee the execution of the ACT Warfare Development Plan, providing guidance for the execution of the annual programme, including guidance on performance measurement, risk management and reporting.
• Supervise the in-year management and oversight of the ACT programme, ensuring that execution and performance measurement of plans and programmes is conducted in accordance with the SACT’s intent.
• Supervise the development and maintenance of the Performance Measurement System.
• Lead the coordination and delivery of ACT Periodic Performance Reports and ACT Annual Report.
• Lead ACT internal Management boards coordinating performance assessment and provide support as necessary to the other Management Boards, the ACT Audit Advisory Panel and the ACT Anti-Fraud Committee.
• In coordination with the Section Head Plans and Policy design and maintain a capability output measurement system.
• Coordinate the development and maintenance of cascading management documents from SACT’s Intent to the ACT Warfare Development Plan, thereby facilitating the alignment of ACT’s PoW to SACT’s Objectives and DCOS Objectives in a cross-functional effort, ensuring their coherence with higher NATO objectives, and prepare them for ACT Decision Board endorsement.
• Provide overall direction and guidance regarding Portfolio, Programme and Project (P3) management training objectives and technical/internal policy development & implementation.
• Support Branch Head Strategic Management in all Strategic Management issues as required.
• Oversee the development and administration of the ACT Management Information System tool, to ensure that it provides the functionality required to support ACT Programme and Project Management.
• Direct Section efforts and set priorities in accordance with BH D&G.

Essential Qualifications / Experience

• University Degree  in managerment information systems, accounting, economics, finance, business administration, public administration, operations research, project management or related discipline  and 6 years post related experience, or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training  in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 6 years post related and 2 years function related experience.
• More than three years’ experience managing business performance evaluation programmes in a large organisation.
• Proven ability to produce clear, concise and persuasive written products for senior decisionmakers, supported by excellent oral communication skills and the ability to engage effectively with a range of audiences.
• Experience using enabling technologies to capture and analyse varied performance-management data and present complex information clearly and simply to support senior-leader decision-making.
• At least one year of demonstrated experience in a leadership role.
• At least three years’ experience designing, managing or improving organisational performance measurement and reporting arrangements, including measures of performance, measures of effect or comparable assessment frameworks.
• Experience overseeing complex planning and resource-management processes in support of senior-level decision-making.

Language

• English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience

• Understanding of NATO, defence, government, international organisations or a comparable multinational and politically sensitive environment.
• Knowledge or practical experience of portfolio, programme and project management, including governance, benefits management, interdependencies, resources and programme risk.
• Experience supporting senior governance or decision-making bodies through performance reporting, management information, executive-level recommendations or secretariat support.
• Experience in organisational change, continuous improvement, or the development and implementation of management policies, processes or digital information systems.

Attributes/Competencies

Personal Attributes:

Exercises sound judgement, tact and influence. Builds consensus and works effectively across organizational and professional boundaries, combining confident leadership with a collaborative approach.

Demonstrates strong analytical judgement: synthesizes complex information, assesses performance and risk, and translates evidence into clear, well-reasoned recommendations for senior decisionmakers, including under demanding timelines

Managerial Responsibilities:

Leads the Section with clear priorities and accountability. Takes ownership, adapts to changing demands and delivers high-quality outcomes under broad direction and demanding timelines. Works collaboratively across and beyond HQ SACT, using persuasion and reason to secure effective solutions.

Professional Contacts:

The incumbent must develop and maintain professional contacts, often at a higher level, both within HQ SACT but also across HQ NATO and back into HQ SACT staffs.

Contribution To Objectives:

The incumbent will be responsible for preparation and oversight of execution of the ACT Warfare Development Plan, providing guidance for the execution of the annual programme, including guidance on performance measurement, risk management and reporting – results from these have direct impact on SACTs objectives and priorities.

Security Clearance

The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO SECRET Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract

Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.  Newly recruited staff will be offered a three year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The HQ SACT web site gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.  However, candidates should particularly note:

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as: “please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc” are not acceptable; this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application. 
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.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade G17 will be considered with priority.

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.

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.

This vacancy will close on 23 November 2026 @ 17:59hrs (EST) / 23:59hrs (CET).