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Post Context

ACT contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading, at Strategic Command level, Warfare Development required to enhance NATO's posture, military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.

The Capability Development Directorate (CAPDEV) comprises two Divisions-Requirements and Capabilities. The Directorate supports SACT in his Capabilities Requirement Authority (CRA) role. It is responsible for a holistic through lifecycle Capability Development approach that infuses innovation and transformative efforts that are an integral part of the Warfare Development. This includes responsibilities for elicitation, development, capture and collection, quality review, traceability and visibility of capability requirements.

The Capabilities Division coordinates the development of capabilities from capability planning through acceptance and then disposal with the management entities, NATO Headquarters staff and the NATO Governance Structure. This entails synchronizing horizontally across capabilities to achieve coherent efforts and outcomes.

The Cyberspace Branch provides scientific, technical and operational expertise for the development and continuous improvement of modern and agile Cyberspace capabilities including Cyber Defence and enabling cryptographic infrastructure. The Branch provides services and products through a competency-aligned structure to support appropriate product, programme coordination across DOTMLPFI lines of development throughout the lifecycle. The Branch supports cyber concepts development, capability requirements elicitation, architectures (including cryptographic reference and target architectures) and federated interoperability. This includes leveraging applied science, technology, operations research and horizon scanning. The Branch leads the development of Capability Programme Plans (CPPs)  and ensures delivery of programme outcomes by assessing throughout the lifecycle the CSSPR against agreed tolerances. The Branch leads the acceptance testing and documentation of assigned capabilities. The Branch analyses emerging technologies with stakeholders. It ensures military and technical coherence and persistent interoperability.

Within the Cyber Branch the incumbent's main responsibility is to develop cyberspace warfare products in support of cyberspace operationalization, under the direction and guidance of the Technical Director.

Principal Duties:

• Develop and/or support the development of cyber-operationalization related concepts:
  • Based on cyber branch TD D&G, and using the branch prioritization as per the cyberspace warfare development work-plan and cyberspace concept framework, identify operational concepts to be developed.
  • For identified concepts:
    • Conduct bibliographic/literature review.
    • Collect cyber branch Subject Matters Experts (SMEs) inputs and seek inputs from external stakeholders.
    • Conduct comparative analysis with similar concepts developed by nations and other organizations.
    • Develop concept proposal and concept development plan.
    • Define purpose, aim and scope. Identify gaps, hypothesis and assumptions. Conduct research to develop cyberspace domain solution-oriented transformational ideas that address capability gaps and identify solutions.
    • Based on previous research, document and develop concept draft(s), collect feedback, validate concept draft(s), develop final concept(s).
    • Seek concept approval at the right level(s).
  • Use command tools to facilitate a-per-concept Community of Interest (CoI) building and exploitation, by organizing and attending conferences, conducting or participating in workshops, utilizing post-experiment/exercise data, considering lessons identified/learned, and being familiar with existing (national and industry) concepts and NATO policies to ensure consistency between documents. These activities include:
    • Building or liaising with appropriate communities of interest;
    • Leads a working groups and writing teams as required;
    • Drafting initial concept and development of implementation plan;
    • Soliciting comments and feedback from the identified communities of interest, and using it to enhance the maturity of concept drafts;
    • Ensuring coherence of developed concepts with other NATO and national related concepts.
    • Finalising expected concepts; and assisting on follow-on actions, including concept approval and dissemination.
    • Contributing to annual update of Cyberspace Warfare Development Plan and cyberspace concept framework.
    • Providing quality assurance and coordination for the concepts developed by other NATO entities;
    • Liaising for concept related issues and participates in bilateral engagements with NATO entities, Partner Nations and International organizations;
• Support other communities of interest (concept validation and experimentation, operational communities, requirements elicitation and capability development, among others) and act as SME, as required, to enable concept-driven capability development products (including Operational requirements Statement [ORBs], Capability Requirements Briefs [CRBs]) and Capability Programme Plans [CPPs]).
• Prepare relevant briefing materials, as required, and deliver presentations.

Essential Qualifications / Experience:

• University Degree  in information security, computer science or related discipline  and 4 years post related experience, or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training  in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 5 years post related and 2 years function related experience.
• Six years' system engineering experience, preferably in cybersecurity and/or cyberspace operations projects dealing, at principal technical-resource level, with the development of system-level specifications and architectures, interfaces definition and implementation options. In general, non-system-level profiles, like security engineer, architects or IT/network designers, developers and operators will not suffice for the purposes of this role. In general, candidates that have experience in managing system engineering teams, rather than conducting the activities themselves, will also not qualify for this job.
• Six years' of demonstrated experience in scientific concept development processes, with least 2 of those years in a role of lead or main contributor.
• Four years' recent (less than two-year old) demonstrated experience in planning, execution and assessment of military missions in cyberspace.
• Four years' demonstrated experience in cooperative, distributed document development. This should include managing the refinement process, versioning, and comment resolution and stakeholder management. Preferably within the concept project life cycle.
• Four years' demonstrated recent experience in the process of planning, facilitation and executing workshops for various stakeholders including governmental agencies, industry and academia.
• Post-grade education in CIS security and cyberdefence disciplines, as Certified Information Systems security Professional (CISSP), GIAC Security Expert or ISACA Certified information security Manager (CISM).

Language:

English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience:

• Knowledge of NATO or similar International Organisation structure, including its policy development processes and procedures.
• Administrative and office environment experience including experience with MS Office applications.
• Master's degree or similar national academic qualification in computer science, network security, cyber-security or any related field. Can be substituted with Bachelor Degree and 5 years of experience in relevant field and/or verifiable long time experience in the subject.

Attributes/Competencies:

Personal Attributes:

Incumbent shall demonstrate attributes related to analytic mind-set, ability to decompose complex problems into solution sets, good judgement and common sense, adaptability, flexibility and tact, along with the ability to be target oriented and develop independently in a complex environment.

Managerial Responsibilities:

Although the incumbent is not expected to directly manage any HQ staff, he/she will be required to organize teams and their work and activities, being able to influence the work strategy and the expected results. Ability to plan, coordinate and synchronize activities will be required with a varied type of internal and external stakeholders. Soft skills will be essential.

Professional Contacts:

The incumbent will have professional contacts, normally at a higher functional level, with others inside and outside the organization, Nations, Industry and Academia. Contacts requiring explanation, discussion, persuasion and approval of action. The incumbent will provide advice, may negotiate and commit the organization to a Course of Action (COA).

Contribution To Objectives:

The incumbent will work in the analysis or research of complete tasks, with recommendations affecting plans of the Branch.

Security Clearance

The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO SECRET Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract

This position is linked to a specific NATO project and is for a limited duration of 3 (three) years only.

Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.  Newly recruited staff will be offered a three year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The HQ SACT web site gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.  However, candidates should particularly note:

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as: "please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc" are not acceptable; this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application.

Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of your application form, which should be populated with details of your career to date and educational achievements and certifications as they relate to your application.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade G17 will be considered with priority.

NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO's sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and strives to provide equal access to employment, advancement and retention, independent of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, cultural background, sexual orientation, and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply

This vacancy will close on 15 June 2026 @ 17:59hrs (EDT)/11:59hrs (CEST).