Senior NIRIS Level 3 Support & Interoperability Engineer

Spektrum 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.

The NCIA provides a wide range of services, including:

Cyber Security: The NCIA provides advanced cybersecurity solutions to protect NATO's communication networks and information systems against cyber threats.

Command and Control Systems: The NCIA develops and maintains the systems used by NATO's military commanders to plan and execute operations.

Satellite Communications: The NCIA provides satellite communications services to enable secure and reliable communications between NATO forces.

Electronic Warfare: The NCIA provides electronic warfare services to support NATO's mission to detect, deny, and defeat threats to its communication networks.

Information Management: The NCIA manages NATO's information technology infrastructure, including its databases, applications, and servers.

Overall, the NCIA plays a critical role in ensuring the security and effectiveness of NATO's communication and information technology capabilities.

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, in the modern evolving dynamic environment the NCI Agency needs to build and maintain high performance-engaged workforce. The NCI Agency workforce strategically consists of three major categorise's: 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.

• Senior NIRIS Level 3 Support & Interoperability Engineer
• Role ID – 2026-0139
• Role Background
• NCIA requires an experienced engineer to support the Networked Interoperable Real-
• Time Information Services (NIRIS) software. The role covers Level 3 technical
• support, deployments/upgrades, incident and problem management, interoperability
• testing, and support to NATO and national NIRIS sites.
• The SOW states that the services are expected to be delivered by one experienced
• support engineer .
• Role Duties and Responsibilities
•  Provide Level 3 technical support for NIRIS at NATO and national sites.
•  Install, configure, upgrade and verify NIRIS deployments.
•  Provide escalation support to Level 1 and Level 2 teams.
•  Diagnose and resolve complex incidents and problems and perform root-cause
• analysis.
•  Prepare and validate new NIRIS software versions before deployment.
•  Plan, coordinate, execute and report on NATO interoperability test events.
•  Act as Test Director for assigned interoperability test areas.
•  Analyse interoperability issues involving NIRIS standards and interfaces.
•  Provide on-site installation, site enablement, training and workshops.
•  Support security accreditation and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
•  Produce and maintain deployment, support and test documentation.
• The four main work-package deliverables are:
• 1. NIRIS installation, deployment and upgrade support – 30%
• 2. NIRIS Level 3 incident and problem management – 25%
• 3. NIRIS interoperability test event support – 30%
• 4. NIRIS site enablement, training and acceptance support – 15%
• Essential Skills
•  Strong Level 2/Level 3 technical support and incident/problem management.
•  Enterprise server infrastructure, including Oracle and/or HPE server
• platforms .
•  Secure information exchange technologies, including Data Diodes or
• comparable unidirectional gateway solutions .
•  Linux and Windows installation, configuration, upgrades and troubleshooting.
•  Interoperability and data-exchange standards in defence/NATO or comparable
• operational C2 environments.
•  Strong practical experience with Tactical Data Links (TDLs) and military data-
• exchange protocols, particularly:
• o Link 16
• o JREAP
• o OTH-Gold
•  Interoperability test planning, execution, analysis and reporting.
•  Virtualisation such as VMware ESXi .
•  Containerisation such as Docker .
•  Scripting and automation.
•  Application and system log analysis

•  Ability to deliver technical training, workshops and briefings.
•  Professional written and spoken English.
•  Ability and willingness to travel to NATO and national sites.
• Experience
• This is a very senior/specialist requirement . The SOW requires:
•  At least 15 years of professional experience supporting, deploying or operating
• distributed software systems.
•  At least 10 years with enterprise server hardware/infrastructure.
•  At least 10 years providing Level 2 or Level 3 support.
•  At least 10 years installing, configuring and upgrading software on Linux and
• Windows.
•  At least 15 years in interoperability and data-exchange standards, particularly in
• defence, NATO or comparable operational C2 environments.
•  At least 10 years practical experience with Tactical Data Links including Link 16,
• JREAP and OTH-Gold.
•  At least 10 years supporting or executing interoperability test events.
• The requirement is primarily based on extensive specialist technical experience.
• The individual must also be a national of a NATO member nation .
• Working Location
• Primarily remote , with recurrent on-site work at:
•  NCIA The Hague, Netherlands
•  NATO sites
•  European national NIRIS sites
• Working Policy
• Remote with required travel/on-site missions.
• The role requires recurrent scheduled travel for deployments, interoperability test events
• and training. The Contractor must assume at least two on-site missions per year,
• pro-rated for the 2026 base period . Normal scheduled travel, accommodation and
• associated expenses are included in the bid price.
• Extraordinary purchaser-directed travel is handled separately through a contract
• amendment and reimbursed according to the applicable framework contract provisions.
•  Period: 16 November 2026 – 31 December 2026
•  Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
•  One contractor/person expected.
• Travel
•  Some travel to other NATO sites may be required
• Security Clearance
•  Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance