For more than 75 years, NATO’s mission has been to preserve peace and security in the Alliance for nearly one billion citizens. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is NATO’s technology and cyber hub. We are a team of 3400 civilian and military staff, working together to connect all corners of NATO and maintain its edge from 30 locations across the Alliance.

We are a key partner in NATO's Digital Transformation, working hand in hand with industry to provide technical solutions and expertise, facilitating political consultations and decision-making, and enabling multi-domain operations.

Our experts provide secure static and deployable communications infrastructure, satellite communications and information technology services, connected the Alliance’s forces, and strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence posture. Fulfilling NCIA’s missions is possible because of our greatest force, our people. In order to reinforce NATO’s edge, we aim to hire, train and retain the very best staff.

Our staff members represent both the diversity and unity of our Alliance. When you join NCIA, you will be part of an organization where you can contribute authentically to the mission and purpose of NATO and help us ensure seamless connectivity among Allied partner nations.

About the Program

The NCIA internship is a 6-month program based at one of our key hubs in The Netherlands, Belgium or Portugal. Our internship opportunities start from either 1 March or 1 September with the start date being dependent on the timeline to secure the required security clearance to work within the NATO community. During an internship, you will join and support a diverse international team and simultaneously learn from our experts via on-the-job training, working independently on purposeful projects or initiatives during your tenure.

About the Internship

Internship duration: 6 months

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

The Command and Control (C2) Centre is responsible for planning and executing all lifecycle management activities (design, transition and operations) for Joint/Maritime/Land C2 services in the following technical service areas: Land, Maritime, Joint, Special Operations, Logistics, Medical, Military Engineering and Nuclear Command and Control, Military Messaging, Situational Awareness, Operations Planning and Collective Training and Exercise Support.

The current FFT standard if focused on a near real time exchange of friendly military unit positional report and on the non-real time exchange of additional unit information (e.g unit type, symbol). The additional information is cumulatively called Track Augmentation Data (TrAD). As part of the technological update of the FFT standards and services, the FFT team is requested design, implement, and validate an Application Programming Interface (API) and the corresponding service

to exchange and store TrAD. In line with the NATO directive this API should conforms to the design principles of the Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style and its security shall be based on the OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) standardsThis internship supports the modernization of FFT standards and services by contributing to the design, implementation, and validation of an API and service for exchanging Track Augmentation Data (TrAD). You will develop a concept demonstrator aligned with REST architectural principles and secured using OAuth-2.0 and OpenID Connect. The role includes creating initial documentation, validating the service against technical requirements, and supporting efforts to modernize TrAD exchange mechanisms in line with NATO directives.

About you:

The valuable knowledge and experience that you bring to this role is:

Data modelling and design: Establishes, modifies or maintains simple data structures and associated components. Uses specific data modelling and design techniques under guidance.

Programming/software development: Designs, codes, verifies, tests, documents, amends and refactors simple programs/scripts. Applies agreed standards and tools to achieve a well-engineered result. Reviews own work.

Systems integration and build: Produces software builds from software source code. Conducts tests as defined in an integration test specification and records the details of any failures. Analyses and reports on integration test activities and results. Identifies and reports issues and risks.

Behavioural Competencies

* Deciding & Initiating Action: Takes responsibility for actions, projects and people; takes initiative and works under own direction; initiates and generates activity and introduces changes into work processes; makes quick, clear decisions which may include tough choices or considered risks

* Creating & Innovating: Produces new ideas, approaches, or insights; creates innovative products or designs; produces a range of solutions to problems

* Relating & Networking: Easily establishes good relationships with customers and staff; relates well to people at all levels; builds wide and effective networks of contacts; uses humour appropriately to bring warmth to relationships with others

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply for our internship program, you will need to meet the following criteria:

* You are a national of a NATO member country

* You are currently studying towards a university-level degree or have recently graduated in the past 12 months

* 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 work of the NCIA is conducted in the English language

We also request that you please attach the following documents to your application form:

* Copy of the university degree you have completed and/or

* Proof of ongoing studies with the dates clearly mentioned if you are still studying

Application Process:

The application process for an internship at NCIA is:

1. Apply via the NCIA Careers site by 23:59 CET Sunday 8th March 2026

2. If selected to progress to the first stage evaluation this will consists of a variety logic, numeracy and behavioral gamified exercises in addition to on-demand video questions aligned to the requirements of the internship

3. Virtual interviews will take place in the months of March and April

4. Conditional offer to be presented to successful candidates by early May

Compensation

Netherlands

You will be compensated at a fixed taxable rate of 1,477.30 EUR per month, based on 38 hours of work per week and for reasonable travel expenses to start on day 1 and to return to your home location once the internship is complete.

Thank you for your patience while we consider your application. To learn more about NCIA and our work, please visit our website.

Future Opportunities

In support of the NCIA strategy to hire, train and retain exceptional talent the NCIA Internship Programme embeds a performance management process throughout the 6 month internship to provide high performing interns with the opportunity to continue their internship experience after their internship is successfully completed in a paid post at G8 equivalent at the duty location for 6 months to a maximum of 24 months. There is no guarantee that the internship can transfer to an Internship Temporary Personnel (ITP) as the funding is aligned to business priorities and objectives.

NCIA prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment of mutual respect and value uniqueness and differences in gender, gender identity, race, ethnic or cultural origin, age, religion, sexual orientation and physical or neurocognitive ability.

Additional details on the conditions of application can be found via the NCIA career site.