Job and Career Info

Email for Application: applications@cimicweb.org
Deadline: 28 June 2010

Only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

Introduction
NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation (SACT) has been working to enhance Civil-Military Interaction (CMI) and further develop mechanisms to improve how the Alliance conducts Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC). To do this, SACT has developed a capability to facilitate information sharing between civilian and military actors working on complex crises in order to enhance their sense of shared situational awareness. This capability consists of a Civil-Military Fusion Centre (CFC) which supports a web portal, CimicWeb (www.cimicweb.org). The CFC is an Information and Knowledge Management organisation that works with partner organisations and subject-matter-experts to gather, process and disseminate relevant information in crisis (and non-crisis, when requested) situations. CimicWeb is the web platform for hosting the information for users to access.

CimicWeb possesses collaborative tools that offer users a virtual environment for communications, meetings and information sharing. CimicWeb is accessible to military and civilian actors.

Background and Support
Following an operational request from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), HQ SACT established the CFC in Norfolk staffed by functional area experts with expertise in the political, security, humanitarian and development communities, and a background with international organisations (UN DPKO, UN agencies, OSCE, etc.) international NGOs, and the armed forces.

The CFC has expanded its geographic coverage in the past twelve months outside its original Afghanistan mission. The CFC has developed two sites on CimicWeb for crisis situations in East Africa and Haiti,and is in the process of developing a site dedicated to the coverage of Mediterranean security issues. The purpose of the websites was to provide a common platform for information flow between civilian and military actors in the field.

The CFC has also developed a site specific to civil-military interaction (CMI) as part of NATO’s support to a “Comprehensive Approach”. CMI is a common element of peacekeeping and stabilisation operations that NATO is engaged in, working alongside UN agencies, international and national NGOs, national governments, the diplomatic community, and the commercial sector. This part of CimicWeb hosts information on guiding principles related to civil-military interaction, and other related information (NATO CIMIC, UN Civil-Military Coordination, the EU’s civilian crisis management, peacekeeping training, research and analysis of peacekeeping etc.). The personnel working in this area are expected to be involved in more than research on civil-military issues. They will also be expected to participate in NATO exercises and experiments as a functional expert, either participating directly in the event or by providing subject-matter-expertise on issues like the humanitarian perspective to a military audience.

Contracted Support
Knowledge Managers (KMs) are independent consultants working for NATO who operate as functional specialists, based on their past background, education, experience and training. In this capacity, they utilize their social-network to facilitate information sharing and perform information and knowledge management functions to collect, process and disseminate relevant information in order to enhance the situational awareness among all actors involved in a complex crisis. Therefore, KMs are responsible for developing and maintaining CimicWeb web pages specific to their area of expertise.

The CFC has recently established a Comprehensive Approach Team that has developed a website on Civil-Military Interaction (CMI) – an aspect of NATO’s support to a Comprehensive Approach – and the Team Leader requires one support staff for assistance in developing the project. The project is a combination of research, website development on CMI issues and surge capacity for short term information-sharing assignments, and NATO exercise support. The CFC requires an individual with a good understanding of humanitarian issues (including from a non-military perspective) to maintain the website appropriately and support NATO exercises when required.

Tasking and Deliverables
The “Comprehensive Approach Team” will be responsible for researching initiatives in the area of civil-military interaction and maintaining a website on the civil-military environment. In addition, the team will respond to newly emerging crises or natural disasters to establish a site for information-sharing purposes, until time allows for staff recruitment to take-over the site over the longer term. The Comprehensive Approach Team will also be tasked with supporting NATO exercises, either hosting a cimicweb.org-like capability for the purposes of the exercise, or providing exercise support as a resource person and humanitarian ‘expert’.

The CFC is currently looking for a Knowledge Manager (level 4) to join the Comprehensive Approach Team. The KM will be located in Norfolk, VA (USA) and will support the Team Leader by providing the following:

Information and Knowledge management: Collect process and disseminate information under the guidance of the Team Leader on civil-military issues.

Website development: with the support of the CFC Information Technology (IT) team, the KM will populate CimicWeb with relevant information on civil-military issues.

Coordination support: With the support of the senior military staff of the CFC, support and when necessary participate in the Comprehensive Approach Team’s engagement with civil-military discussions, planning, and research within NATO to improve the CFC’s intellectual capital on civil-military issues.

Competencies:
- Knowledge of humanitarian affairs, specifically humanitarian reform and UN and NGO structures and practices.
- Ability to conduct research, including the ability to evaluate and integrate information into a website.
- Solid interpersonal skills to establish and maintain contacts with relevant agencies and organisations in the area of civil-military relations.
- Ability to work off initiative (with guidance).
- Good academic research abilities and writing skills are required to gather, assess, summarise, present and produce information in a clear, concise and accessible manner.

Required Qualifications
- (Minimum) Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs, Political Science, History, Economics/Finance, Sociology, Anthropology or Public Health from an accredited college or university. (Note: Other degrees may be taken into account if deemed relevant)
- Minimum of twelve months experience with an organisation associated with international politics / international affairs.
- Minimum three months experience in humanitarian affairs / civil-military affairs in a field location.
- Language: Must be able to fluently read, write and verbally communicate in English.
- Standard Automated Data Processing (ADP) Knowledge: Good skills with current Information Technology (IT) tools: Internet and Microsoft Office Suite.

Desirable Qualifications
- A minimum of one year of experience in a research and analysis environment.
- Knowledge of development issues, security issues, and international relations.
- Practical or academic experience working on civil-military information sharing
- One year experience in leveraging information technology to increase information sharing.
- One year of multinational Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) experience.
- Experience working with Microsoft SharePoint Portal Services.