Who we are
For more than 70 years, NATO’s mission has been to preserve peace and security in the Alliance for nearly one billion citizens. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) and its predecessors have worked tirelessly in providing the means that enable the connectedness and togetherness that keep our Alliance strong. We are the NCI Agency, a team of 3000 civilian and military staff in 29 locations throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
Our technology and cyber experts allow NATO to conduct critical operations, protect NATO’s airspace, make data-driven decisions, defend against cyber-attacks, secure NATO networks and maintain superiority in space. This is all possible because of our greatest force, our people. In order to keep this edge we aim to hire, train and retain the very best staff.
Our staff members represent both the diversity and unity of our Alliance. When you join the NCI Agency, you will be part of an organization where you can contribute authentically to the mission and purpose of NATO and help us keep our technological edge.
About the job
Based in Brussels, Belgium, you will join the Agency as we embark on a journey to transform our IT services to support NATO’s Digital Endeavour. You will join the Acquisition (ACQ) Office, which provides the full range of acquisition expertise and activities that support the planning, implementation and maintenance of the capabilities behind NCIA’s strategic goals and missions. The ACQ Office is composed of three sections: Procurement & Policy, Lifecycle & Business Operations, and the Joint Centre of Expertise (JCOE). The Cost Estimating and Analysis (CEA) team, together with the Integrated Product Support (IPS) team, makes up the Lifecycle team within the Lifecycle & Business Operations section. This post is assigned to the CEA team.
About the grade
This opportunity is advertised at two grades – Cost Professional (G15) and Senior Cost Professional (G17). The duties are broadly common to both; the grade at which an appointment is offered will depend on the successful candidate’s experience, qualifications and demonstrated level of responsibility. We welcome applications from candidates at both levels, and we encourage you to apply if you meet the requirements for either grade.
The salary for a G17 in Belgium is 8,273.12 Euros per month
The salary for a G15 in Belgium is 6,713.06 Euros per month
What you will do
•Conduct Life Cycle Cost Estimating (LCCE) and analysis in liaison with other NCIA Business Areas and Portfolios, developing cost estimates for Type B Cost Estimates (TBCE) / Project Proposals (PP), Options Analysis, Investment Costs, Project Service Costs (PSC) and Internal Engineering Services (IES) costs, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) and Services costs including Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM);
•Develop cost trade-off proposals and conduct multi-criteria decision analysis to support procurement options and what-if scenarios;
•Perform quantitative risk analysis and estimate cost uncertainty and contingencies for Investment, PSC, IES, and Services and Support costs;
•Provide costing and financial inputs for developing Invitations for Bids (IFBs) and establishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs);
•Determine the price ranking or price scores of bids in international competitions and assess the price realism of bids;
•Assess the fairness and reasonableness of contractor prices to support contract negotiations and sole-source procurements, and perform audits of charges for services and supplies provided to NATO;
•Develop and maintain historical databases (e.g. labor, hardware and software costs) and advise on the acquisition and application of cost tools;
•Represent CEA at NATO meetings and conferences, and give briefings and presentations.
At the Senior (G17) level, you will also deputize for the Head of CEA when required, and bring extensive, independent expertise to the most complex estimates and analyses.
For a full list of duties, please review the job description on the NCI Agency career site. The job description can be viewed by clicking on this link.
About you
The valuable knowledge and experience that you bring to this role are:
•A Bachelor’s degree from a nationally recognized/certified university in a related discipline (such as Business Management, Economics or Mathematics), plus relevant post-graduation experience – a minimum of 2 years for the Cost Professional (G15) role, or 3 years for the Senior Cost Professional (G17) role. Exceptionally, the absence of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of particular abilities or experience of interest to NCIA – that is, at least 6 years (G15) or 10 years (G17) of extensive and progressive expertise in duties related to the function of the post;
•Experience in lifecycle cost estimating and analysis – and, for the Senior role, extensive experience – preferably for Defence, in fields directly applicable to NCIA’s programs, projects and services;
•Proven ability to work with professional lifecycle estimating tools for cost estimating and analysis; expertise in MS Excel and familiarity with other computer-based support tools including MS Word;
•Proven ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with good briefing skills;
•A thorough knowledge of English (written and spoken) is essential; some knowledge of French is desirable.
Desirable experience and qualifications include:
·Professional certification in cost estimating or a related field;
·Experience with software development, IT systems & infrastructure, communication & network services, cyber security, command & control (C2) and ISR projects;
·Experience developing and analyzing delivery models (non-recurring, recurring and as-a-service);
·Prior experience in an international military and civilian environment;
·Knowledge of NATO’s organization and bodies (including ACO and ACT);
·Knowledge of NATO’s procedures for common-funded projects and services.
What we offer
•Genuinely meaningful work as part of the most successful alliance in history.
•A five-year contract with a competitive tax-free salary and household and children’s allowances.
•Privileges for expatriate staff, including expatriation and education allowances (where eligible), additional home leave, and other benefits.
•Excellent private health insurance scheme.
•Generous annual leave, offering 30 days plus official holidays.
•Pension benefits under the NATO Pension Scheme.
•Growth and development programs, including professional training and wellbeing initiatives.
To learn more about NCI Agency and our work, please visit our website.
We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where mutual respect thrives, valuing diversity in gender, ethnicity, religion, and more.
Additional details on the conditions of application can be found via the NCI Agency career site.
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website . Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.