YPP, Data Engineering & Artificial Intelligence

NATO•Capellen, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) at NATO is a global three-year program designed to accelerate international careers. It offers participants the chance to experience the frontline of a political and military alliance, fostering personal and professional development in a diverse and inclusive environment. The program aims to ensure NATO can respond to growing dangers, build stronger defenses, harness new technologies, leverage partnerships, and contribute to stability. This specific role focuses on Data Engineering & Artificial Intelligence, providing opportunities to apply knowledge and skills in this broader area. Participants will be assigned to three different NATO bodies over the three years: Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, USA for Year 1, NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in Capellen, Luxembourg for Year 2, and NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) in Brussels, Belgium for Year 3. The work areas will involve Innovation and Emerging Technologies, specifically Artificial Intelligence, and Chief Technology Office (Digital Capability Development).

Requirements

National of a NATO member state.
Master’s degree.
At least one year of professional experience.
Master’s degree in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) - particularly in data engineering, AI/ML, data analytics, or related fields.
Any other degree that you believe can be useful to the area of Data Science & Innovation – let us know how your knowledge and skills can be applied!
Academic knowledge or professional experience Data Science, Data/Systems Engineering, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or Operational Research & Analysis.
Understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science, including but not limited to technology and policy matters, particularly as applicable to security and defence.
Genuine interest in Technology Innovation topics in international and multidisciplinary contexts.
Strong analytical thinking and drafting skills.
Proactive mindset, a can-do attitude, and willingness to learn and share knowledge.
Ability to work effectively in teams, excellent communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills, including active listening, stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills.
Ability to support change management and the adoption of innovative technologies and methodologies within complex organisational environments.
Curious & innovative mindset.

Nice To Haves

Experience with writing policy reports on technology topics, preferably in the areas of AI and data.
Experience with data analysis tools (e.g. Power BI, Matlab, KNIME, Python, or VBA) preferably in the context of a project.
Experience with Natural Language Processing, data/machine learning engineering, or computer vision.
Knowledge of NATO, its policies, priorities, and operational context.
Prior professional experience or internship with other International Organisations, National Administration, research or the technology industry.
Relevant training or certification(s) related to Data Science, AI, Innovation and project/ program management.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement and promote the use of data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in support of NATO policy development and NATO’s digital transformation.
Work on data science and AI use cases that contribute to better decision-making and multi-domain military operations.
Employ and assess state-of-the-art and emerging technologies, including advanced analytics, machine learning, large and small language models (LLMs/SLMs), agentic AI systems, and cloud/high-performance computing platforms to support their responsible adoption within NATO.
Develop and maintain of models (in a wide sense: organizational, process, data, systems…), data environments and pipelines; study existing and prospect technologies to improve or integrate business processes in the systems engineering and capability development domains.
Research and employ research and analysis techniques (e.g. modelling, simulation, war gaming, Analyses of Alternatives) in support of systems engineering and capability development activities.
Stay ahead in data engineering & AI considering relevant cutting-edge domains such as cyber defense.
Support the development of joint analysis of operations, training, exercises and experiments, based on technical requirements defined within the NATO enterprise.
Contribute to the transition of innovative data-driven and AI-enabled solutions into operational use, supporting their integration into mainstream business and engineering practices across the NATO enterprise.
Support change management and stakeholder engagement activities required for the adoption and integration of new digital capabilities, tools and methodologies.
Constantly scout for new ideas, adoption of innovation and technological developments of relevance to the Alliance.
Coordinate and collaborate with stakeholders across NATO, Allies, Partners and Industry in support of achieving allied objectives.
Inform the Strategic Level about military implications of Technological Innovation.
Research new trends within the areas of responsibilities of Data Science & Innovation.