Deputy Commander at Forsvarets stasjon Varanger

Etterretningstjenesten – Knowledge about the world for the protection of Norway

The mission of Etterretningstjenesten is to collect information and provide warnings about conditions abroad that may threaten Norway and Norwegian interests.

Forsvarets Stasjon Varanger is now seeking a Deputy Commander. This is a fast-paced position with a large area of responsibility and exciting tasks in both operations and development. We are looking for an experienced leader who thrives in organizational and business management and is capable of thinking both strategically and regarding more short-term gains. You will be a close supporter to the Station Commander and play a key role in ensuring good interaction, effective resource management, and continuous development.

As the station's Deputy Commander, you will have a central role in coordinating the station's overall activities. The world is changing, and so are we. A large part of the position will involve leading investigations and improvement work, with a strong focus on employees and interaction during upcoming changes. The position also holds overall responsibility for finance and competence management.

This is a position for you who enjoys translating strategic goals into practical results and who is motivated by contributing to the development of a socially critical operation.

Tasks

The position's overall area of responsibility is to lead work with the station's administration and organization, including supporting decision-making processes. The Deputy Commander also serves as a deputy for the Station Commander when necessary.

In this role, you will:

• Support the Station Commander with the further development and operation of the station, especially regarding strategic and operational planning as well as following up on goals and action plans
• Work with interaction internally at the station, with other units in Etterretningstjenesten, as well as Forsvaret in general and other partners. The station has a special focus on interaction with both civilian and military actors in Øst-Finnmark
• Manage overall competence and financial management
• Lead and/or participate in investigations and working groups

Qualifications

The position has the following requirements that must be met to be considered a relevant applicant:

• Bachelor's degree or education at an equivalent level (cand.-degrees, former Engineering education, etc.) or scope within a relevant field. Relevant higher education and several years of experience with good results may compensate for the education requirement
• Leadership experience
• Good understanding of financial management, HR processes, and the interplay between operations and operative results
• Experience from operative units
• Good knowledge of and experience from the other activities of Etterretningstjenesten
• Very good English language skills

In addition, it is desirable if you have:

• Master's degree or education at an equivalent level (major, professional studies, etc.) or scope within a relevant field.
• Education from Forsvarets stabsskole, leadership training, or other economic/administrative education
• Knowledge of and experience from partner activities
• Experience with project or change management, organizational development, preparedness and/or digitalization work
• Experience from Forsvarets stasjoner

Special requirements for a position in Etterretningstjenesten:

Applicants must satisfy the requirements for the highest security clearance.

For employment in Etterretningstjenesten, one cannot have any citizenship other than Norwegian at the time of employment.

The position is subject to compulsory service, cf. the Forsvarsloven and Forsvarstilsatteforskriften, which implies that you can be ordered to international operations. This normally occurs on the basis of willingness. Compulsory service entails requirements for medical and physical fitness and basic English language skills. If you do not meet the requirements, you have the opportunity to apply for a dispensation.

Personal qualities

Personal suitability for a position in Etterretningstjenesten will be given great weight:

• Holistic: take responsibility for your own section and for the organization as a whole.
• Result-oriented: assign tasks where the intention is clearly stated, follow up, and focus on good results.
• Change-oriented and strategic: encourage employees toward creativity and new thinking, and follow developments within your own field of expertise.
• Employee-oriented and relational: motivate, support, and develop your own employees, and always provide constructive and clear feedback.
• Interaction and cooperation: In Etterretningstjenesten, we are concerned with having a good working environment. Good team spirit, respect, and tolerance when meeting others are of great importance.
• Stress management: It is a prerequisite that our employees have the ability to handle periods of high workload.
• Good written and oral presentation skills.

We offer

With us, you will get an exciting and socially important job where you will be able to make a difference.

Etterretningstjenesten is committed to increasing the competence of its employees, and there will be investments in both you as a person and your professional interests.

Our employees have flexible working hours, the opportunity for training during working hours, as well as favorable loan and pension schemes through Statens pensjonskasse.

You will receive an annual salary within the range of NOK 925,000 - 1,030,000 in the position of underdirektør (1059) according to the current Hovedtariffavtale. For particularly qualified applicants, higher salary may be considered. Final salary placement depends on qualifications.

Contact InformationContact WorkplaceVadsø 9800 Vadsø Key information:Employer: Etterretningstjenesten

Reference no.: 5175560623 Employment percentage: 100% Permanent Application deadline: 27.09.2026

About the employer:

What is actually happening in the world?

Etterretningstjenesten collects, processes, and analyzes information on behalf of Norway. We do this to provide Norwegian authorities with the best possible basis for making good decisions. We are part of Forsvaret, but also solve missions for the rest of the government apparatus. The service works according to overarching political priorities and guidelines. More information about us can be found at etj.no. Here you will also find Fokus - Etterretningstjenesten's open assessment of current security challenges.

We depend on diversity in perspectives and experiences to solve our missions. Therefore, we want to recruit employees from different backgrounds, with different life experiences, to work with us. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of gender, cultural background, gaps in CV, or functional ability.