[Hiring] Senior Communications Engineer @Spektrum

Role Description

Spectrum supports apex purchasers (NATO, UN, EU, and National Government and Defence) and their Tier 1 supplier ecosystem with a wide range of specialist services. We provide our clients with professional services, specialised aerospace and defence sales, delivery, and operational subject matter expertise. We are looking for personnel to join our team and support key client projects.

Who we are supporting

The NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) is responsible for providing secure and effective communications and information technology (IT) services to NATO's member countries and its partners. The agency was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

• Cyber Security: Advanced cybersecurity solutions to protect NATO's communication networks and information systems against cyber threats.
• Command and Control Systems: Development and maintenance of systems used by NATO's military commanders to plan and execute operations.
• Satellite Communications: Services to enable secure and reliable communications between NATO forces.
• Electronic Warfare: Services to support NATO's mission to detect, deny, and defeat threats to its communication networks.
• Information Management: Management of NATO's information technology infrastructure, including databases, applications, and servers.

The program

Assistance and Advisory Service (AAS) - The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is NATO’s principal C3 capability deliverer and CIS service provider. It provides, maintains and defends the NATO enterprise-wide information technology infrastructure to enable Allies to consult together under Article IV, and, when required, stand together in the face of attack under Article V.

To provide these critical services, the NCI Agency needs to build and maintain a high performance-engaged workforce. The NCI Agency workforce strategically consists of three major categories: NATO International Civilians (NIC's), Military (Mil), and Interim Workforce Consultants (IWC's). The IWCs are a critical part of the overall NCI Agency workforce and make up approximately 15 percent of the total workforce.

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• Technical documentation development
• Characterization of BLOS AP use cases, in accordance to the BRIPES service delivery concept, and definition of configuration baselines.
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation containing the STANAG 5066 complete protocol stack parameters and configuration required for the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services.
• Interoperability analysis on different implementations of STANAGs, namely STANAG 4538 and 5066, and documentation of discrepancies found in the configuration of different Editions of those STANAGs.
• Optimization of configuration baselines based on identified performance criteria.
• Ensure technical documentation is complete, consistent, traceable, and aligned with applicable NATO standards and NCIA engineering practices.
• Identify configuration dependencies resulting from different STANAG editions, vendor implementation specificities, and national implementation approaches.
• Maintain version control and configuration management of all engineering documentation and technical artefacts.
• Testing and validation activities
• Setup of a testing environment for verification and validation of configuration baselines, including modems back-to-back, usage of HF channel simulators and over-the-air transmission.
• Analysis on interoperability and interfacing challenges between STANAG 5066 and interfacing modules part of the IP over HF architecture, including troubleshooting of identified standard interface issues and conformance testing.
• Develop testing approaches and validation plans supporting the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services.
• Participation in experimentation and demonstration activities in events held within NATO countries.
• Support the establishment and maintenance of representative testing environments for the verification and validation of BRASS Enhancement 1 service configurations.
• Perform technical testing and interoperability validation of service configurations prior to publication of implementation guidance.
• Analyse test results, identify interoperability issues, configuration inconsistencies, and implementation risks.
• Recommend corrective actions and optimized service configurations where required.
• Document testing activities, validation results, engineering findings, and recommendations.
• Service Instructions development
• Development of Service Instructions for BRIPES, including full protocol stack for different information services.
• Ensure Service Instructions are aligned with technical documentation, validated configurations, and applicable NATO standards.
• Maintain consistency between Service Instructions, technical documentation, and approved implementation baselines.
• Update Service Instructions following validation activities, stakeholder feedback, or changes to technical requirements.
• Engineering analysis and technical support
• Perform engineering assessments of proposed service configurations and implementation approaches.
• Analyse interoperability impacts associated with differing STANAG 5066 editions, vendor-specific implementations, and national deployment environments.
• Analyse interoperability and interface challenges affecting the BRIPES architecture and provide recommendations to resolve identified issues.
• Provide engineering recommendations supporting harmonized implementation across NATO Nations.
• Support technical coordination with NCIA stakeholders and other NATO organizations involved in BRASS Enhancement 1 implementation.
• Contribute engineering expertise to implementation planning, technical reviews, and working groups as required.
• Stakeholder coordination and reporting
• Liaise with NCIA technical authorities and relevant NATO stakeholders, providing engineering inputs and consolidated technical documentation.
• Prepare technical reports, engineering analyses, implementation guidance, and briefing material.
• Participate in technical meetings, workshops, validation activities, and engineering reviews, technical demonstrations, and experimentation activities as required.
• Report progress, technical risks, issues, and recommendations in accordance with NCIA governance processes.

Qualifications

• University Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, with at least two (2) years of post-related experience; or Higher Vocational Training with a minimum of five (5) years of post-related experience.
• Minimum of two (2) years of practical experience in the engineering, implementation, configuration, or support of military or secure communications systems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of STANAG 5066 Ed 3 and Ed 4, including its protocol stack, implementation considerations, and interoperability aspects.
• Knowledge on the usage of standards associated with IP over HF services, namely STANAG 4538 and STANAG 4539.
• Knowledge on the usage and interfacing commercial and/or open-source application clients with STANAG 5066.
• Expertise in developing STANAG 5066-based testbeds and test setups.
• Demonstrated capability in performing interoperability testing activities.
• Strong knowledge of IP networking principles, communication protocols, and network architectures.
• Experience in the preparation of technical documentation, engineering specifications, implementation guidance, or Service Instructions for communication systems.
• Experience in testing, validation, and troubleshooting of communication systems.
• Good understanding of interoperability principles, configuration management, and engineering practices.
• Familiarity with relevant NATO communications standards, STANAGs, and secure communications architectures.
• Experience working with laboratory environments, reference systems, or engineering test platforms.
• Experience in NATO or multinational military environments is strongly desirable.
• Solid understanding of NATO operational standards, procedures, and communication protocols.
• Strong analytical capability applied to technical assessments, interoperability analysis, testing, validation, and engineering activities.
• English language proficiency at minimum C1 level.

Requirements

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical communication and interoperability concepts.
• Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with technical teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while contributing effectively as part of a team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to engage constructively with stakeholders, identify technical issues, and recommend practical engineering solutions.
• High level of motivation, adaptability, and collaboration.
• Knowledge of NATO and NCIA structures, roles, and organisational context is desirable.

Working Policy

• 100% Remote

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required.

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance.