Who we are:

For more than 70 years, NATO’s mission has been to preserve peace and security in the Alliancefor nearly one billion citizens. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and its predecessors have worked tirelessly in providing the means that enable the connectedness and togetherness that keep our Alliance strong. We are the NCIA, 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 NCIA, 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 The Hague, Netherlands 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 Command and Control (C2) Centre. At the NCIA Command and Control (C2) Business Area, we are delivering secure, innovative, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems solutions to enable command & control of NATO forces, where and when required. You will be joining our ambitious team as Principal Solution Engineer for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN), Land Command and Control (C2), and Operations Planning (Ops Planning) capabilities of NATO.

The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Principal Solution Engineer to work as part of the CBRN, Land C2, and Ops Planning group, whose core competencies and expertise are highly technical and diverse. We are a collaborative, growth-oriented team looking for sharp minds who can connect business goals with cutting-edge technical solutions.

The role as solution engineer is technical, yet human-centric. We hope you are too.

In your role as Principal Solution Engineer, you will be supporting NATO’s mission and exercises by translate capability requirements into implementation plans, designs and development activities. You derive solution requirements and designs from capability requirements and architectures. You select, design and implement solutions to requirements within a given application domain and lead the evolution of these capabilities. You also evaluate supplier’s technical solution and to manage selected interfaces of that solution and will be responsible for implementing software development activities in a DevSecOps manner.

Your dedication and achievements will be appreciated and recognized. Our team enjoys open, transparent, and respectful communication.

We are looking for a driven and enthusiastic Principal Solution Engineer who will take on the following roles and responsibilities:

  • Solution Architecture

  • Requirements Definition and Management

  • Systems Development Management

  • Network Design

  • Sourcing

  • Contract Management

  • Product Ownership and Capability Development Operations Planning, Land C2 and CBRN

  • Military Domain Expertise and Operational Relevance 

  • Systems Integration and Software Project Leadership

  • Industry and Acquisition Engagement

  • Leadership, Communication, and Governance

About you:

The valuable knowledge and experience that you bring to this role are:

Education

A minimum requirement of a master’s degree at a nationally recognised/certified university in a related discipline and at least 5 years post-related experience. Or a Bachelor’s degree with at least 8 years of extensive and progressive expertise in duties related to the function of the post.

Experience

  • Demonstrated experience acting as Product Owner, Product Manager or equivalent role for complex software systems, including managing roadmaps, backlogs, and stakeholder priorities across multiple concurrent development streams;

  • Strong understanding of military planning processes or land operations, with practical experience applying this knowledge to capability development or operational support;

  • Substantial experience working with command and control capabilities, including their architecture, integration, and operational use in joint or land-focused contexts;

  • Proven ability to lead or significantly contribute to the delivery of complex software-based capabilities, from requirements capture through architecture, development, and fielding;

  • Hands-on experience designing, evaluating, and integrating system architectures, with specific emphasis on interoperability, scalability, and security in federated or multinational environments;

  • Demonstrated ability to understand software logic, architecture, and system behaviour, including working knowledge of programming principles and structured problem-solving;

  • Ability to read and interpret code and contribute to solution development using at least one modern programming or scripting language at a basic level (e.g., Python, Java, C , JavaScript);

  • Understanding of relational or NoSQL database concepts, data models, and structured data representation relevant to system design and integration;

  • Demonstrated ability to work closely with senior stakeholders, operational users, developers, and acquisition staff to translate strategic needs into technical solutions;

  • Practical experience working with defence industry partners, including technical input to Statements of Work, proposal evaluations, and vendor oversight or similar experience as defence industry partner;

  • Strong interpersonal skills with experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and delivering clear, effective communication across technical and non-technical audiences.

      Training/Certifications

ITIL Foundation certified or knowledge.

Nice To Have

  • NATO or National Defence Context: Prior experience working within NATO, a national Ministry of Defence, or similar multinational defence environments, particularly in capability development or operational planning roles;

  • Agile and Scaled Agile Environments: Familiarity with agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, SAFe) and experience applying them to software-intensive defence programmes;

  • Operational Experimentation and Validation: Involvement in concept development & experimentation (CD&E), field trials, or user validation exercises related to C2 systems or emerging capabilities;

  • Emerging Technologies: Exposure to or participation in the evaluation and integration of emerging technologies relevant to C4ISR, such as AI/ML, data fusion, or cloud-based C2;

  • Security and Interoperability Standards: Understanding of NATO or national defence information assurance standards, interoperability profiles (e.g., NISP, MIP), and service-oriented architectures;

  • Ability to understand and contribute to software development processes, with working knowledge of programming logic, data structures, algorithms, and version control practices. Familiarity with at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Java, C , JavaScript);

  • Solid understanding of relational and/or NoSQL databases, data modelling, schema design, and structured data management, particularly in the context of integrated information systems;

  • Acquisition and Procurement: Experience supporting capability acquisition programmes, including requirements definition, technical evaluations, and lifecycle cost considerations.

Training/Certifications

Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, ITIL, SAFe, or equivalent in architecture, project management, or product ownership.

For a full list of duties, please review the job description on the NCIA career site.

Internally this role is officially titled : Principal Solution Engineer

What we offer:

  • Genuinely meaningful work as part of the most successful alliance in history;

  • 5 year contract with competitive tax-free salary and household and children’s allowances;

  • Privileges for expatriate staff including expatriation and education allowances (where appropriate) and additional home leave;

  • Excellent private health insurance scheme;

  • Generous annual leave of 30 days plus official holidays;

  • NATO Pension Scheme;

  • Development programs such as professional training, wellbeing, and more

To learn more about NCIAand our work, please visit our website.

The NCIA prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment of mutual respect and value uniqueness and differences in gender, gender identity, race, ethnic or cultural origin, age, religion, sexual orientation and physical or neurocognitive ability.

Additional details on the conditions of application can be found via the NCIA career site.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.