Job Description
Challenge Manager (London) - 241809
Primary Location: United Kingdom-Londo
nOther Locations: CA-Halifa
xNATO Body: Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA
)Schedule: Full-tim
eApplication Deadline: 19-Jan-2025, 10:59:00 P
MSalary (Pay Basis): £8,495.61 Pound Sterling (GBP) Monthl
yGrade: NATO Grade G2
0
1 OVERVIEW OF DI
ANA
The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) is NATO’s newest body. From across the Alliance, DIANA will bring together innovators and operational end users to foster a transatlantic ecosystem supporting dual-use ground-breaking innovation in deep technolog
ies.DIANA is an independent NATO body comprised of an Allied Board of Directors and an executive management team - the DIANA Executive (DX). Operating out of regional offices in Europe and in North America, the DX will conduct DIANA’s mission: accelerating deep tech, dual-use solutions to critical transatlantic challenges in defence and security. The DX will use Challenge Programmes in line with a published Strategic Direction, as the primary vehicle to accomplish this miss
ion.DIANA is a dynamic, agile and hybrid workplace, which strives for innovation, diversity, and excellence. In order to achieve these aims, DIANA is committed to providing our people with an environment that is positive, inclusive, and collaborat
ive.
2 OVERVIEW OF TH
E ROLE
DIANA’s Challenge Programmes will combine the vision and inspiration of the Challenge Manager with external insights and engagement from across the Alliance’s innovation ecosystems and the NATO Enterprise. DIANA will maintain a close working relationship with various Allied and NATO bodies, especially the Science and Technology Organisation, Allied Command Transformation, the Conference of National Armaments Directors, and others. Moreover, it will seek to establish industrial, academic, and international partnerships for the development and commercialization of emerging and disruptive technology
areas.The Challenge Manager should join as an experienced professional from academic labs, government R&D, or the corporate sector and be ready to immediately leverage their deep technical knowledge and professional networks to drive the creation of new programs. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer in London, they will work with R&D communities and stakeholders to establish the rigorous and ambitious program goals (including detailed technical milestones and other program activities) needed to manage a portfolio of sophisticated R&D pr
ojects.
The incumbent should hold experience and expertise in one or more of the following areas (priority areas i
n bold):
• Next Generation Commu
nications• Energy & Pr
opulsion • Infrastructure R
esilience• Human Health & Biot
echnology
• Web 3.0• Novel
Mate
rials• AI•
Autonomy
• Quant
um• Space
Duties of the ro
le include:
· Conduct and implement DIANA‘s Challenge Programs in collaboration with DIANA affiliated Acceleration Sites and T
est Centers.· Coordinate with stakeholders across the NATO enterprise and member nations to develop the biannual Strategic Direction document that is used to inform the design of DIANA’s Challen
ge Programs.· Engage technically with DIANA-affiliated start-up companies and provide technical guidance and feedback during the Phase 1 of the Accelera
tor Program.· Develop, refine, and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for DIANA’s Challenge Program(s), based on lessons learned from the pilot year (2023) and each e
nsuing year.· Lead the selection and coordination of Evaluation Panels for each years’ Challenge program so
licitations.· Provide cross-functional support to the other strands of work of DIANA including, among other things, expert and technical advice on the legal framework and agreements with DIANA-affiliated Accelerator sites and Test Centres, the development of the rules and procedures of the Rapid Adoption Service, as well as DIANA’s other policies and procedures, and speak at public and private sector events as part of program-specific and DIANA-gener
al outreach.· Represent DIANA in different fora, including seminars, conferences, speaking engagements or official visits. Adapt and tailor the presentations to the needs and expectations of the audience. Contribute to public information efforts, including making technical presentations to relevant stockholders, providing briefings to the media, and representing the Alliance at conferences and symposi
a as needed.· Perform any other related duty
as assigned.
3. ROLE REQUIREMENTS, QUALIFICATIONS
AND EXPER
IENCE ESSENTIAL
The
incumbent must:· Possess an advanced university degree from an institute of recognized standing or equivalent qualification, in a science or en
gineering field;· Have at least 8 years’ experience in technology development, innovation and other STEM
related fields;· Have at least 4 years' experience engaging with private sector entrepreneurs, and/or commercial and academic innovato
rs in EDT areas;· Be familiar with government, industry, and/or academic laboratories, research and development (R&D), technology transfer, and
tech-to-market;· Have technical experience working and negotiating with experts from other fields, including across other functions and with military oper
ational experts;· Be experienced in a lead
ership position;· Be experienced in pro
ject management;· Possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; and I (“Beginner
”) in the
other.
DESIRABLEThe following would be consid
ered an advantage:PhD degree in STE
M relative fields;Expertise in one or more of th
e following areas:• Next Generat
ion Communications• Energy
& Propulsion • Infrast
ructure Resilience• Human Health &
amp; Biot
echnology• Web 3.0· Experience in designing and executing and a challenge or technology competition programme involving criteria fo
r selection, etc.;· Experience with or in accelerators/incubators with
a deep tech focus;· Experience working in a multilateral environment or an environment with a variety of stakeholders from multi-cul
tural backgrounds;· Experience in providing guidance and mentorship to junior staff, inte
rns, and students;· Project Managem
ent Certification;· Be conversant with the Alliance’s political and decision
-making processes;Knowledge of and experience working with technical NATO bodies such as ST
O
, NCIA, ACT, etc.
La
nguage Proficiency:A thorough knowledge of one of the two NATO languages, both written and spoken, is essential and some knowledge of the
other is desirable.NOTE: Most of the DIANA’s internal work is conducted in th
e English langu
a
ge.
4. WHAT WE OFER · Genuinely meaningful work as part of the newest unit within the most successful
alliance in histo
ry.· Tax-free salary.· Household and children’s allowances and privileges for expatriate staff including expatriation and educational allowances (where applicable) and a
dditional home leave.· Excellent private hea
lth insurance scheme.·
NATO pension scheme.· Generous annual leave of 30 days pl
us official holidays.· Flexible working conditions and a smoke-free offic
e in London/ Halifax.· Opportunities for lear
ning and development.
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 t
o managerial approval.
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be furt
her extended by 1 year.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 of up to 1 year subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staf
f member is four years.
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 t
he 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 th
e necessary requirements.
For more information on DIANA, please visit our website:
