NATO Internship Programme

NATO Standardization Office (NSO)

NSA Policy and Coordination Branch

The NSO Policy & Coordination (P&C) Branch is responsible for developing, maintaining and monitoring NATO policy related to standardization and standardization management procedures. Through the NATO Standardization Staff Group (NSSG), and by other means, the P&C Branch liaises with the staffs of other NATO bodies involved in standardization (e.g. NATO committees and Strategic Commands’ headquarters) as well as national and international standardization entities, fostering cooperative action and information sharing.

The Policy & Coordination Branch provides staff support to NATO’s Committee for Standardization (CS) and Standardization Management Group (SMG).

What could an internship in the NSO be like?

As an intern in support of the NSO P&C Branch, you will join a small dynamic office composed of military and civil personnel. You will meet and work with people from across the International Staff, the International Military Staff, NATO bodies, 28 Allied Nations and several Partner Nations.

You will be required to perform diverse functions in support of standardization and interoperability. In particular, you could be asked to:

• Prepare agendas, assessments and reports for the NSSG, the Standardization Management Group and the Committee for Standardization;
• Liaise with the International Staff, the International Military Staff, NATO bodies, Allied and Partner Nations on standardization management issue;
• Conduct research and analysis on the status, management and use of NATO standards and communicate these to staffs and Nations, individually and in several Committees;
• Research common standardization practices in the international community, including civil standardization organizations.

Working in the NSO will give you an in-depth, comprehensive view of NATO’s diverse interoperability and standardization programmes and tools. Exposure to the NATO strategic initiatives, and its transformation to adapt to present and future challenges, will provide you with firsthand knowledge of current international security issues. You will also have the opportunity to discover your aptitude for diplomacy and cooperation, as you work with a multinational and multicultural set of stakeholders.  You will surely find much to learn from the diverse experiences of your colleagues.