Project Coordinator

DIANA is the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, a NATO body dedicated to finding and accelerating innovation to provide decisive defence and security effects for the Alliance, while fostering deep-tech innovation. DIANA is comprised of a Board of Directors, representing all 32 nations, and an operational team referred to as the DIANA Executive (“DX”). Operating from three offices in Europe and North America, the DX leverages a network of military end users, world-leading accelerator sites, test centres, professional mentors and experts, and Allied expertise to accelerate the most innovative technologies from across the NATO Alliance. DIANA is a dynamic, agile workplace, which strives for innovative thinking, diversity, and performance excellence across all teams. To achieve our mission, DIANA is committed to providing our people with an environment that is positive, inclusive and collaborative.

The Project Coordinator will play a key role in supporting the Accelerator, Test Centre and Adoption Teams to deliver high-impact projects efficiently and on time. This role involves coordinating activities, managing timelines, and ensuring seamless communication across stakeholders. Reserve candidates may be considered for similar posts in Estonia or Canada, if appropriate. This recruitment serves to fill Project Coordinators positions in the following units:

• Office of the Chief Commercial Officer (OCCO): Based in London, UK, OCCO is responsible for the tactical and strategic activities related to identifying, pursuing, enabling, and establishing commercial and defence growth opportunities for DIANA’s innovator cohorts.
• Office of the Regional Office North America (ONA) - Testing, Evaluation, Verification, and Validation (TEVV): Based in Halifax, CA, the TEVV team is focused on supporting and enhancing innovators’ capabilities in testing, evaluation, verification, and validation to ensure robust and reliable solutions.
• Office of the Regional Hub Estonia (OES): Based in Tallinn, ES, the OES hosts the DIANA Accelerator Programme, designed to equip businesses with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in deep-tech and dual-use innovation offering an immersive curriculum and intensive acceleration programme, leveraging NATO’s innovation network and strategic partners from both commercial and defence sectors.

Candidates are requested to indicate their preference in their application but, if selected, will be assigned to a unit by the Hiring Manager.

Duties of this role include:

• Act as point of contact for internal and external stakeholders and facilitate communication between team members, partners, and Senior leadership.
• Assist in outreach and relationship management with military stakeholders, industry partners, venture capital firms, and government bodies.
• Conduct basic research and monitor industry trends to support strategic planning.
• Organise meetings, prepare agendas, and capture action items ensuring resources and tools are available for project execution.
• Support planning workshops by assisting in preparing materials, coordinating logistics, and capturing outputs from planning sessions.
• Monitor progress and prioritise tasks with limited direction, and provide regular updates and risk mitigation plans to senior leadership and other colleagues.
• Track project performance using data analytics, assist in database management, and help visualise outcomes through dashboards and reports.
• Maintain project documentation, including timelines, status reports, and risk logs.
• Contribute to the maintenance, update and improvement of the Information and Knowledge Management tools and platforms, team workflows, and taskings, including preparation, handling and saving documents for action or signature according to appropriate NATO guidelines.
• Perform any other related duties as may be required.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS, QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

• The incumbent must have minimum higher vocational training in a relevant discipline with 2 years of post-related experience, or a secondary educational qualification with 4 years’ post-related experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in project support functions within a multilateral environment or an environment with a variety of multi-cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office suite, as well as MS communication/collaboration tools MS Teams and MS SharePoint.
• High-level expertise in PowerPoint, including advanced design, animation, and presentation skills to create impactful and professional slides.
• Excellent customer-service skills.
• Proven experience in the organisation of conferences, meetings and informative events.
• Exceptional writing skills with experience in drafting standard project documents such as project mandates, project plans, presentations, highlight reports, lessons learned reports, etc.
• Excellent communication skills - written and oral, in particular, be able to draft quickly, clearly, and concisely in the English language.
• Possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; and I (“Beginner”) in the other.

DESIRABLE

• Experience working with project management software (i.e. Smartsheets, Asana, MS Projects or similar).
• Experience using data analytics tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI) to generate reports and identify trends.
• Work experience in innovation, incubation or accelerator settings.
• Knowledge of NATO institutional framework, policies and procedures.

COMPETENCIES

• Organisational and environmental awareness.
• Ability to take initiative and responsibility.
• Ability to adapt and be flexible.
• Ability to provide positive customer service.
• Ability to plan and prioritise in dynamic conditions.
• Ability to build positive working relationships and contribute to collective work products.
• Self-awareness and a learning mindset.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Genuinely meaningful work as part of the newest unit within the most successful alliance in history.
• Tax-free salary.
• Household and children’s allowances and privileges for expatriate staff including expatriation and educational allowances (where applicable) and additional home leave.
• Excellent private health insurance scheme.
• NATO pension scheme.
• Generous annual leave of 30 days plus official holidays.
• Flexible working conditions and a smoke-free office in London, Halifax and Tallinn.
• Opportunities for learning and development.

CONTRACT

In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an extension. If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period up to 3 years subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years.

USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using the e-recruitment system. Applications and other documents will not be reviewed if sent through other formats (including email, social network, etc). Before you apply to any position, we encourage you to review how to apply. There are helpful videos to watch that describe the recruitment process and provide helpful tips to prepare your application. Due to the broad interest in NATO DIANA and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or email enquiries cannot be dealt with.

After review of your online application, successful candidates will be invited to a pre-recorded video interview. Shortlisted candidates from that will then be invited to the final assessments, which include: a language proficiency test, a written test, and a panel interview. These final assessments are expected to be held approximately 8-10 weeks after the application closing date. Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser. Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature, albeit at the same or a lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.

NOTE: DIANA will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools. DIANA 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 DIANA’s sole discretion.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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 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 along with documented medical evidence to support your request. All NATO DIANA personnel are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the current NATO Code of Conduct as agreed by the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and thus display the core values of integrity, impartiality, loyalty, accountability, and professionalism. The incumbent is required to be a resident in the host nation for the duration of their contract. DIANA has a flexible teleworking policy to permit working in office, at home, and across NATO Allied Nations subject to managerial approval.

For more information on DIANA, please visit our website.