Denmark in international contexts - Operations Staff

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

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

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

About us

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

The department's staff are primarily based in Copenhagen, but we also have a few staff in Karup.

The Operational Policy section is based in Copenhagen. We are staffed for 12 people including the head, and mainly consist of experienced majors/ship captains as well as a few civilians – all with a strong personal drive and engagement.

The section handles the conceptual and policy-driven operational matters at military strategic and operational levels both nationally and for international organizations. We cooperate, among other things, with NATO, the EU, Joint Expeditionary Force JEF, Nordic Defence Cooperation and the Arctic. In addition, the section is an integrated part of the Operations Staff's command capacity – Joint Headquarters - and the associated battle rhythm.

A position with us therefore 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 Danish Defence leadership, while also having 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 team. There is ample room for individual needs and social activities, and we prioritise the development of competencies both as further education and as standalone courses.

About the position

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

In the position you will contribute to developing, formulating and driving the basis for 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, war commands, the Ministry of Defence, and NATO Headquarters.

You must, through your task execution, translate military strategic and political intents and priorities into reality.

It will be a natural task to decide about 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 concrete content of the position will also depend on how the section's overall competencies are distributed.

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

Periods of travel activity 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 e.g. social sciences, public administration, logistics, economics or similar. We place emphasis on you:

• have experience 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 structures and organization
• have knowledge of Denmark's contribution to other organizations including NATO, EU, support to Ukraine.

You build good relationships and trust in collaboration with others, and are able to understand colleagues' different perspectives and motives – political as well as cultural.

You have personal drive and initiative that enables you to 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-driven in your task solving.

You have a broad overview and contribute to ensure 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, extract main conclusions from conferences, documents and meetings, and then be able to convey the messages to others both verbally and in writing and in both Danish and English.

What you do now

If you 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.

Terms of employment

The position is advertised as civilian and military

Employment is in accordance with the current agreement between the Ministry of Finance and a number of academic organizations for academics in the public sector (Academic Agreement).

Depending on your qualifications and competencies, there is a possibility for negotiation of allowances. The position is linked to an employer-financed pension scheme.

The workplace is in Copenhagen, Holmens Kanal

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

You have as an employee the duty to perform service outside the country, including at units in international operations with the aim of participating in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peace-enforcing, humanitarian and other similar operations.

Contact and application

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

If you have questions about salary and terms of employment 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 will be held on an ongoing basis or expected to be held shortly thereafter. The position is to be filled as soon as possible or by agreement

You apply for the position via the link, and please attach the application, CV and copies of your diploma/apprenticeship certificate. Please note that attachments must be added in PDF format.

In the Defence Command's organization we believe that diversity optimizes 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 employ the military capacities 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-technical advisor. The Chief of Defence also has 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.