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What do we offer at NATO Headquarters?

Working for NATO’s International Staff offers the opportunity to acquire a unique international experience that contributes to personal and professional growth. You will be doing meaningful work in support of the most successful political-military alliance in history. 

NATO’s International Staff receive a competitive employee benefit package, which includes:

  • An initial three-year contract;
  • Competitive monthly tax-free salary; 
  • Excellent health insurance;
  • Annual leave of 30 days plus official NATO holidays;
  • Opportunities for flexible working; 
  • Pension scheme;
  • Additional benefits for expatriate staff may include expatriation and education allowances (where applicable) and additional home leave.
  • Training opportunities 

We also offer employment opportunities for interns, young professionals, temporary staff and freelance interpreters.

Below you can find more details about working conditions for NATO’s International Staff.

In principle, successful applicants for positions on NATO’s International Staff are offered a 3-year definite duration contract, which may be extended for a further period.  A contract for a further period may then be offered, subject to a decision based upon factors which include: confirmation of a continued requirement for the post, the staff member’s performance and the need for rotation. For some posts, there will be a possibility to apply for an open-ended contract during the second term. Please see specific provisions included with each vacancy notice.

In principle, the first six months of definite duration contracts are a probationary period. During this period the staff member's work is assessed to ensure that he/she has the ability to carry out the duties of the post. At or before the end of the probationary period, the staff member will be notified in writing that the appointment is confirmed or terminated or, in exceptional cases, that the probationary period is extended.

Salaries and emoluments paid to NATO’s International Staff are exempt from taxation. 

The remuneration structure for all NATO bodies is known as the single salary spine. Posts are placed on the single salary spine and are described in terms of 24 "NATO grades".

View the current salary scales by grade for Belgium.

Staff are in principle recruited at pay step one of their grade. Subject to satisfactory performance, higher steps are awarded in subsequent years within the limits of the grade appointed to. Subject to Council approval, annual adjustments are normally applied to basic salaries to take into account changes in purchasing power and cost of living.

NATO International Staff members pay a premium for combined medical, invalidity and life insurance. This covers:

  • partial reimbursement of medical costs for staff members, their spouses and dependent children;
  • full reimbursement of medical costs for staff members in case of an accident on duty or occupational illness;
  • an invalidity pension if the staff member is declared an invalid;
  • a lump sum in the case of death of the staff member.

NATO International staff are entitled to 2.5 days of annual leave per month (30 days per year in total). After the probationary period, it is cumulative and may be taken in advance with the approval of the staff member’s supervisor.

Staff who are entitled to the expatriate allowance (and were not a national of the host country at the time of their recruitment) will also receive extra days for home leave plus travel time. Home leave is granted every two years and for a limited period. It amounts initially to 8 working days for the first home leave cycle and 3 days for the second. The amount of home leave will then reduce to zero for the third and successive cycles, with only travel time being granted and travel costs reimbursed.

In addition to annual leave, NATO International Staff have 17 days per year as official NATO holidays. An office notice specifying the exact dates of the official NATO holidays is published every year.

NATO HQ in Brussels offers standard working hours (38 hours per week) - usually from 8:30 to 17:30 on Mondays to Thursdays, and until 15:30 on Fridays, with a 1-hour lunch break. There is, however, the possibility to work part-time or to request flexible working hours. This subject to agreement with your manager and service requirements. 

As a general rule, staff are allowed to work from home part of the time. However, different teams have different needs and types of work, so working from home may not be possible for some positions. Please note that NATO International Staff are only allowed to tele-work from abroad in very exceptional circumstances.

If your appointment to NATO starts now, you will be a member of the NATO Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS).

The NATO Defined Contribution Pension Scheme is a fully capitalized, money-purchase pension scheme which is funded by contributions made by the Organization and by the staff member. The contributions together with interest on investment shall be used solely for the provision of retirement pensions and related benefits and fees.

In the NATO DCPS, contributions are paid into individual member accounts. The accounts are credited each month with member contributions (8% of basic salary) and with Employer's contributions (12% of basic salary). You have the possibility to make Additional Voluntary Contributions of up to max 5% of your basic salary.

NATO appointed an external provider as the pension scheme administrator. This provider runs and maintains the DCPS website which allows members to administer, consult and monitor their pension accounts and benefit from online services such as requesting fund switches. Members can also find pension related information provided by the NATO Pensions Unit together with fund performance data, frequently asked questions and useful links on the website.

The contributions are invested in commercially managed funds in order to build up a growing capital which later on can be converted into a recurrent pension from the moment of retirement onwards. In order to invest your contributions, you have the flexibility to  make your own investment decisions. Contributions and holdings can be invested in one, or several funds within a fund range of 11 funds, comprising two money market funds, five fixed income funds and four equity funds. Returns on the investments can be positive or negative, and your account in the Scheme is credited or debited accordingly. The rules of the Scheme, as approved by the nations, state that the Organization shall not be held responsible for any losses on investments incurred by movement in the investment markets.

Your final DCPS holdings will depend on the level of contributions paid, and on the return on investment achieved by the funds you chose to invest in. This means that the future return on your investments, and the future benefits to be paid, are NOT known in advance. High investment performance would lead to larger holdings and consequently higher pension benefits while poor investment performance would result in payment of smaller pension benefits.

If you leave NATO having contributed to the Scheme for less than 6 years; you have the following options:

  1. NATO will pay you your holdings as cash lump sum upon departure or,
  2. You can ask for the transfer of your DCPS holdings to the pension fund of your next employer or;
  3. You have the possibility to maintain your holdings invested and draw your retirement benefits at a later point in time.

If you leave NATO having contributed to the Scheme for 6 years or more, you are in addition entitled to conversion of your accrued capital into payment of monthly annuities

Members of the DCPS are also appropriately covered for risks of death and invalidity in service.

Download the DCPS information flyer

Allowances/supplements are granted on the basis of the personal and family situation of the staff member and on production of the relevant supporting documents. They are subject to deduction of allowances/supplements of the same nature to which the household or the unmarried staff member may be entitled from other sources. The various types of allowances/supplements are listed below.       

Expatriation allowance

Expatriation allowance is paid to all staff members of NATO grades 2, 5, 8, 10 to 24 who, at the time of their appointment, are not nationals of the host country and have not been continuously resident in the host country for one year or more.

Under the single salary spine, the rate of the expatriation allowance is 10% of the first increment of the grade. In years six through ten, the allowance is reduced by two percentage points per year to reach zero in year ten.

Installation allowance

Staff who at the time of their appointment were residing more than 100 kilometres away from the duty station and who move their residence in order to take up duty are eligible for installation allowance.

For staff who are not entitled to the expatriation allowance, the amount of the installation allowance is equal to one month's basic salary, up to a ceiling of EUR 2,373 (Brussels base), adjusted by the purchasing power parity applicable in the country of the duty station.

For staff appointed to a post who are entitled to the expatriation allowance, the amount is one month's basic salary, up to a ceiling of EUR 6,528 (Brussels base), adjusted by the purchasing power parity applicable in the country of the duty station.

Supplement for change in geographical zone

Staff entitled to the expatriation allowance who change geographical zone* in order to reside in the vicinity of the duty station are in addition entitled to a supplement amounting to 75% of the basic amount of the installation allowance.

* EME (Europe and Middle East), Africa, Americas (North, Central and South America), Asia and Pacific (Far East and Pacific countries).

Supplement for mobility

Staff who transfer for a period of at least one year within NATO and settle their actual and habitual residence in a different duty station more than 100 km away are entitled to a supplement amounting to 75% of the basic amount of the installation allowance.

The supplement for a change in geographical zone, and the supplement for mobility, may not both be granted in respect of the same installation.

Supplement for dependants

The spouse of the staff member (according to the definition in the Civilian Personnel Regulations), or in the absence of a spouse, the first dependent, gives rise to an increase of 20% in the basic amount of the installation allowance. Each additional dependant gives rise to an increase of 10%. The collective increase for spouse and dependants is capped at 100% of the basic amount of the allowance. Payment of these additional amounts is subject to presentation of proof that the individuals in question have taken up residence with the staff member at the duty station.

Payment of the installation allowance

The allowance is payable when the eligible staff member takes up duty or is transferred to a different duty station within NATO. Staff who resign less than a year after their appointment or transfer are required to reimburse the allowance on a pro rata basis unless they are resigning to take up a new NATO appointment.

Family allowances/supplements

Regime applicable to staff appointed by NATO on or after 1 January 2017

  • Basic family allowance amounting to EUR 369.26 per month (Brussels base) for staff members not entitled to expatriation allowance, and EUR 738.52 per month (Brussels base) for staff members entitled to expatriation allowance, is payable when the staff member and his/her spouse have established a family unit at the duty station, provided that the salary of the spouse (if applicable) does not exceed a certain ceiling;
  • Dependent child supplement is equal to EUR 369.26 per month per child (Brussels base), depending on the age of the child and subject to certain conditions;
  • Supplement for disabled and dependent parent, payable under certain conditions to a staff with a dependent parent who is disabled;
  • Supplement for disabled or severely disabled child.

Education allowance

The education allowance is paid to staff members entitled to the expatriation allowance with dependent children who are regularly attending an educational establishment on a full-time basis.

The age limit for payment of the education allowance for staff receiving the dependent child allowance for children aged over 18 who are in full-time education may not be extended beyond the age of 24.

The age limit for staff receiving the dependent child supplement for children aged over 18 who are in full-time education is 22.

Payment of the allowance ceases at the end of the month in which the child has his/her 24th birthday or until the end of the school year during which the child reaches the age of 22.

If the dependent child has been called up to perform compulsory military service, payment may be extended beyond the age of 24 or 22 but may not exceed the length of the compulsory military service.

The amount of the education allowance is subject to certain ceilings.

More details may be found in Annex III of this brochure.

Removal and travel expenses 

Members of NATO’s International Staff whose permanent residence at the time of their appointment is 100 kilometers or more from NATO Headquarters have their travel and removal expenses paid for them when taking up their duties and on departure from NATO. The travel expenses for the spouse and dependent children can only be reimbursed after satisfactory completion of the probationary period.

Special identity card

NATO employees have special status by virtue of the Ottawa Agreement and can obtain a special ID card. After signature of the employment contract at NATO, the formalities for obtaining special ID cards for the staff member and family are begun by the NATO Privileges and Immunities Service. This personal identification document, equating to a residence permit, will be provided by the Belgian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the new staff member and spouse and each dependent living under the same roof.

Visas

Please note that nationals of some non-EU countries may require visas to enter Belgium.  

Further details can be found on this website https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/travel-belgium 

The NATO Privileges and Immunities Service can provide some support with the administrative process for obtaining visas. 

Training and development of staff is a high priority at NATO. Increasing the knowledge, skills, expertise and motivation of staff raises the operational flexibility of the Organization as a whole, to better meet new challenges and carry out the mandates of Member Nations. NATO encourages its international civilian employees to undertake regular training with the aim of enhancing and acquiring the competencies and skills needed to perform their duties to the highest possible standards. Language training is available for NATO’s two official languages, English and French, as well as other languages of interest. Competency-focused training is available for staff seeking to enhance their soft skills in areas such as teamwork, analytical thinking, customer service and organisational awareness. Job-specific courses may also be offered. NATO also offers a range of executive, senior leadership and management development programmes, designed to enhance the leadership abilities and potential of NATO staff.

The Civilian Personnel Regulations (CPRs)

The NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (CPRs) provide the legal framework for the administration of NATO international civilian staff NATO-wide. The rules comprise a large number of articles and annexes, and constitute binding contractual arrangements between staff members and NATO. A copy of the CPRs is given to each staff member who joins the International Staff of NATO.

Code of Conduct

The NATO Code of Conduct sets forth the framework and standards for the personal and professional conduct which is to be expected of those entrusted with positions in the Alliance. Service in NATO entails promoting the highest levels of trust and confidence in our integrity, impartiality, loyalty, accountability, and professionalism. These five core values – and the principles that exemplify them – form the basis of this Code, which shall guide the conduct of all NATO staff, whether they be civilian or military, in all NATO bodies. 

Policy on Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination

As an employer, NATO takes a zero-tolerance approach towards any form of harassment, bullying or discrimination. The Civilian Personnel Regulations (CPRs) state that members of staff shall treat their colleagues, and others with whom they come into contact in the course of their duties, with respect and courtesy at all times. They shall not discriminate against them on the grounds of gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, nor harass, bully or otherwise abuse another staff member. The CPRs and the NATO Code of Conduct make it clear that, in a multicultural environment, every person must be aware of and respect the sensitivities of others. NATO has adopted a specific policy on the Prevention, Management and Combating of Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination in the Workplace. This provides a framework for both informal and formal complaints, as well as preventive measures with a focus on informal resolution, which may include mediation. Several resources are available to staff members who seek informal advice or support.

There is a Staff Association, represented by an elected Staff Committee, which provides a channel of communication between the administrative authorities and the staff. The Staff Association strives to make working conditions better for all staff - men, women, junior or senior - by dealing with issues of salary, benefits, pensions, performance review, health and safety, harassment and the work environment. 

The two official working languages of NATO International Staff are English and French. Staff members must be proficient in at least one of these two languages. A working knowledge of the second is considered an asset. Knowledge of other languages may also be considered an asset for certain positions. The specific languages requirements will be specified in the vacancy notice of the position you are applying for. 

Staff members may be deployed to other locations during their employment at NATO. There are special conditions and procedures for civilian staff who are assigned to a location other than their duty station to carry out duties in support of Council-approved operations.  These are described in the Civilian Personnel Regulations and in implementing directives for NATO’s International Staff. There are also a number of preparatory steps which have to be taken before a NATO civilian is permitted to deploy.  These are intended to ensure adequate protection and administrative support.  They include pre-deployment training, immunization, insurance, and provision of protective clothing and equipment.