Denmark in international contexts - Operations Staff

Denmark in international contexts – Operations Staff seeks an academic case handler.

Denmark is involved in a number of international contexts. Do you have the courage to set the direction for, among others, the Joint Expeditionary Force, NORDEFCO and the UN? And do you want to work in a section with touchpoints to both the political and the operational military level?

If that sounds exciting, then we have the job you are looking for.

About us

The Operation Staff is part of the Danish Defence Command and is organized with three departments named Operations, Plans, SUPPORT. The Planning Department of the Operations Staff consists of about 55 people as well as a few civilian employees, divided into planning sections J5 Kingdom, J5 Global, J5 Cyber, J5 Operational Policy and J7.

The department’s staff are mainly located in Copenhagen, but we also have a few employees in Karup.

The Operational Policy Section is based in Copenhagen. We are staffed to 12 people including the head, and primarily consist of experienced majors/lieutenant commanders as well as a few civilians – all with a strong personal drive and commitment.

The section handles the conceptual and policy-driven operational matters at the military strategic and operational level both nationally and to international organizations. We collaborate, among others, with NATO, the EU, Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Nordic Defence Cooperation and the Arctic. Additionally, the section is an integrated part of the Operations Staff’s command capacity – Joint Headquarters - and the related battle rhythm.

A position with us thus gives you the opportunity to be connected to the operational environment and to delve into governing strategic concepts, translate these into the operational reality and present this to the Defence leadership, while also giving you the opportunity to represent Denmark in important international forums.

Even though we are busy, we focus on a good workplace and solve tasks in a teamwork. There is ample room for individual needs and social activities, and we prioritise the development of skills both as further education and standalone courses.

About the position

As an academic case handler in the section with JEF and NORDEFCO as well as the UN as the primary area of work, you are the Operations Staff’s pivot in relation to the daily contact with these structures.

In the position you will contribute to developing, formulating and driving the foundation for the Danish engagement in JEF and NORDEFCO in close cooperation with other parts of the Defence Staff, including our liaison officers at foreign staffs and commands, weapon commands, the Ministry of Defence and NATO headquarters.

You must through your task solving be able to translate military strategic and political intentions and priorities into reality.

It will be a natural task to decide on others’ work and ensure that current operational policy and guidance are followed – or assess whether it is necessary to update policy.

You will participate in working groups as the Operations Staff’s Joint Headquarters battle rhythm and planning group.

The specific content of the position will also depend on how the section’s total competencies are distributed.

There is some possibility to work from home, but since a large part of the work takes place on higher classified systems, you should expect a large portion of time at the office.

Periods with various travel activities of shorter duration, typically in connection with meetings, planning tasks and conferences, can be expected.

About you

You may have a master’s degree in, for example, social sciences, administration, logistics, economics or similar. We emphasise that you:

• have experience in leading project groups
• have a background from the Ministry of Defence’s department
• have knowledge of the defence
• have experience with JEF, NORDEFCO and UN structure and organization
• have knowledge of Denmark’s contributions to other organizations including NATO, the EU, support for Ukraine.

You build good relations and trust in collaboration with others, and are able to understand the different perspectives and motives of your partners – political as well as cultural.

You have personal drive and initiative that enable you to independently plan, develop and drive the planning of various tasks, typically handled as independent projects. After a relatively short time it is expected that you are self-sustaining in your task solving.

You have a broad overview and contribute to ensuring that there is continuously coherence, quality and consistency in Denmark’s international collaborations. You can drive development and ensure that lessons learned are translated into actions.

You must be able to understand new material, derive main conclusions from conferences, documents and meetings, and then be able to convey the messages to others both orally and in writing, in both Danish and English.

What you do now

If you can see yourself in the position, do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about the job or are just curious about who we are in the section.

Employment conditions

The position is advertised both civilian and military

The employment is in accordance with the current agreement between the Ministry of Finance and a number of academic organizations for academics in the state (Academic Agreement).

Depending on your qualifications and competences, there is an opportunity for negotiation of allowances. The position is tied to an employer-funded pension scheme.

The workplace is in Copenhagen, Holmens Kanal

As an employee within the Ministry of Defence’s area you are subject to special conditions. You must, among other things, be security cleared and maintain the security clearance throughout the employment.

You, as an employee, have a duty to serve outside the country’s borders, including at units in international operations with a view to participating in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking, humanitarian and other similar operations.

Contact and application

If you want to hear more about the position, you are welcome to contact the section head KK Brian Møller Ottesen at tel. 72840540 / 22956857 or by email at [email protected]

Should you have questions about salary and employment terms you are welcome to contact the Personnel Command, HR consultant Camilla Elleman Keldsted at telephone 32665521.

The application deadline is 22 October 2026 and interviews are held on an ongoing basis or expected to be held in connection with that. The position is to be filled as soon as possible or by agreement

You apply for the position via the link, and we ask you to attach your application, CV and copies of your educational certificates/apprenticeship diploma. Please note that attachments must be added in PDF format.

In the Defence Ministry’s organization we believe that diversity optimises task execution. Therefore we encourage all interested regardless of background to apply for the position.

About the Defence Command

The Defence Command is Denmark’s and the Realm’s supreme military authority.

The Defence Command solves its tasks under the motto “Worth fighting for,” and our primary responsibility is to develop, produce and deploy the military capabilities and units in national and international tasks.

The Defence Command is led by the Chief of Defence, who is also the Defence Minister’s top military adviser. The Chief of Defence also has the responsibility for the operational leadership of the Danish armed forces. The Defence Command consists of the Defence Staff and the five commands; Army Command, Navy Command, Air Command, Special Operations Command and Arctic Command.

Application deadline: 22 October 2026

Department: Holmens Kanal 9 1060 København K

Location: Copenhagen City