Authority for Civil Protection is looking for a Section Manager

The Authority for Civil Protection is the leading, directing, and coordinating authority in civil defense. We ensure that society is prepared for crises, heightened readiness, and war.

Do you want to prepare others?

With us, you will contribute to strengthened cross-border resilience and an increased common ability to effectively prevent, reduce, and manage the consequences of risks, accidents, crises, and wars together with other countries and organizations.

We are now looking for a section manager for the section for international resilience and peace-promoting efforts where you will lead about 20 employees located in both Karlstad and Stockholm. The section plays a key role in implementing long-term international capacity-building and security-promoting efforts towards actors such as the EU, UN, OSCE, NATO, and bilateral partners.

The authority actively works to integrate cross-cutting perspectives into all our activities, including gender equality, equal treatment, accessibility, sustainable development, and conflict-sensitive approaches. We are looking for someone who has the will and ability to translate these perspectives into practice and contribute to ensuring that our work is characterized by inclusion, transparency, and a holistic perspective.

Our leadership is based on trust, humanity, and the desire to work together. We assume that we do our best and wish each other well. Acting in line with this means contributing to increased security and a sustainable working life.

Your responsibilities and tasks

As a manager with us, you are responsible for operations, personnel, and budget. You are part of the unit's management team and contribute to the development of operations for both the unit and the entire department.

As a manager, you are responsible for driving the section's issues at a strategic and operational level together with your employees. You will lead and steer based on the unit's, department's, and authority's goals and approaches. Your role includes collaboration both internally within the Authority for Civil Protection and externally with other organizations.

As a manager, you actively contribute to developing and strengthening the unit's overall strategic and operational capacity. The department has recently reorganized itself according to a staff structure, and you will, together with the other section managers, be active in the ongoing change work. You contribute to developing operations in line with the Authority for Civil Protection's mission and seek synergies between national and international activities.

Your responsibilities include planning and prioritizing for an efficient operation with high quality and creating conditions for a good working environment where employees thrive and develop. In your role as a manager, it is crucial to establish, develop, and maintain partnerships, as well as promote collaboration both internally within the authority and externally with a variety of both national and international actors. The role also includes working strategically with external funding.

The timeframes for operational work can sometimes be short, and you are expected to make decisions under time pressure based on limited information. Standby duty is included in the employment.

As a section manager, you are also expected to drive systematic learning by following up on results, analyzing effects, and ensuring that experiences are translated into continuous improvements of operations.

Your knowledge and competencies

We are looking for someone who has:

• Relevant academic education.
• Experience in a managerial role where you have applied trust-based leadership and have documented good leadership skills.
• Experience in a leading role in an international context.
• Experience in international development cooperation and collaboration with bilateral and multilateral partners.
• Experience in strategic work with external funding.
• Very good knowledge of Swedish and English in speech and writing.
• Experience in leading change.
• Experience in decision-making under time pressure with limited information.

It is an advantage if you have:

• Experience in government work.
• Previous experience and competence within the Authority for Civil Protection's mission and mandate.
• Experience in leading operations in challenging security contexts.
• Experience in working in operationally focused activities.
• Experience in staff work.

In all our work, both internally and externally, we must act based on the government value base. Like all employees and leaders with us, you are expected to act based on the authority's approach.

The approaches apply in everyday life, crisis, and war. They should be seen as a whole and build on each other; collaborative – proactive - action-oriented.

To succeed in the role, you must be able to be a secure and stable leader with good self-awareness. You can distinguish between the personal and professional, adapt your approach according to the situation, and create engagement and participation. You motivate and empower to achieve common goals, coordinate groups, and serve as a natural reference point. Furthermore, you work systematically by planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks effectively, setting clear goals, and ensuring that timelines are met.

About the employment

We offer you a permanent full-time position that begins with a probationary period and a fixed-term managerial appointment for four years.

Your place of employment will be Karlstad or Stockholm, and travel is required in the position.

The majority of our positions involve placement in a security class. Usually, Swedish citizenship is required. When placed in a security class, a security review with a background check will be conducted before employment according to Chapter 3 of the Security Protection Act. Most employees at the Authority for Civil Protection are war-placed.

Do you want to know more?

If you have questions, you are welcome to contact unit manager Caroline Källner. Union representatives are Carin Hammarbo (Saco-S), Peter Nytting (ST), and Ann-Britt Paradis (SEKO). All can be reached via the switchboard number 0771-240 240.

Welcome with your application by March 10, 2026.