[6462] Communications Standards Support Services

Start date: Negotiable
Clearance Required: NATO Secret
Location: Brussels, Belgium

Requirements
• University degree in a relevant CIS field, such as systems science, or an equivalent technical qualification.
• Relevant qualification in ArchiMate and TOGAF, or a comparable framework.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working with NATO CIS technical specifications, including demonstrated knowledge of their application in operational environments.
• Strong project management skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to analyse complex technical specifications and translate them into clear, actionable requirements or technical guidance.
• Demonstrated analytical thinking, including the ability to perform complex analyses and develop structured solutions.
• Strong attention to clarity and accuracy, producing high-quality, error-free work.
• Conceptual thinking, with the ability to apply and adapt learned concepts.
• Customer-service orientation, taking ownership of issues and ensuring resolution.
• Initiative and ability to act decisively in a time-sensitive, fast-paced environment.
• Organisational awareness.

Desirable Experience and Qualifications:
• Knowledge of the NATO Digital Policy Committee (DPC) and its substructure.
• Knowledge of NATO standardisation artefacts, including STANAGs, Allied Communications Publications (AComP) and Standards Related Documents (SRD).
• Professional certifications in areas such as ITIL, PRINCE2, PMP or CIS governance.

Duties and Role:
• Develop and maintain NATO reference architectures using ArchiMate, primarily focusing on the NATO Communications Reference Architecture.
• Deliver a stakeholder-approved NATO Communications Reference Architecture in ArchiMate.
• Contribute to the design, development and maintenance of NATO CIS technical standards and standardisation documents, including STANAGs, AComPs and SRDs.
• Support the modernisation and development of application-layer and routing protocols to integrate HF and other Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLoS) communications systems with IP-based networks.
• Define and document conformance criteria for NATO communications systems, particularly within the Satellite Communications (SATCOM) portfolio.
• Identify measurable technical criteria to support interoperability and enable early system integration during the development lifecycle.
• Support interoperability across NATO CIS systems, ensuring effective integration across BLoS, Line-of-Sight (LoS), SATCOM and cellular communication systems.
• Validate standards and specifications in operational or testing environments, helping reduce integration issues.
• Support governance and coordination activities within the DPC substructure, NCIA and standard custodians.
• Coordinate communications standardisation efforts, ensuring consistency, alignment and progress across stakeholders.
• Support chairpersons and contribute to structured standardisation processes.
• Analyse complex technical specifications and translate them into clear requirements and technical guidance.
• Coordinate with CIS engineering stakeholders across NATO entities to support specification development and standardisation.

Specific Working Conditions:
• Based at NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium, embedded within CDT and working closely with the Interoperability and Standardization Section (ISS) within the Strategy and Policy Directorate.
• Expected to work on-site five days per week. Limited teleworking may be permitted from the contractor’s residence in Belgium, subject to a security assessment. Teleworking from other locations is not permitted.
• Office-based work in a secure environment during standard working hours, with occasional non-standard hours for urgent or high-priority tasks.
• Business travel may be required to support specification development and coordination with CIS engineering stakeholders across NATO entities.
• Travel expenses are reimbursed under NATO rules, but travel to SHAPE will not be reimbursed.
• If remote working is authorised, travel to NATO HQ for mandatory meetings is at the contractor’s expense. Travel to other locations will be reimbursed as though the journey originated in Brussels.
• The contractor is responsible for complying with Belgian national requirements relating to work permits, visas, taxation and social security.
• A NATO SECRET security clearance is required, or the contractor must be capable of obtaining one.
• A signed Non-Disclosure Agreement is required before commencing work.
• The contract runs from 4 January 2027 to 31 December 2027, with a possible extension for 2028, subject to performance, NATO regulations and budget availability.