Description
This is a position within the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
We are NATO's IT Agency serving 29 nations by deploying and defending its networks and providing real-life support to its operations and missions. We are working around the clock safeguarding the freedom and security of nearly 1 billion citizens.
We are looking for an experienced Principal Systems Engineer (Test and Eval) to work under the direction of the Chief, Mission Assurance Branch to plan and execute major/larger verification and validation activities in support of AMDC2 products; specifically to Manage the production of test plans and procedures, Perform peer-reviews of test plans, cases and reports, and to Manage the test related human and material resources. Therefore, If you have the experience in Test, Validation and Verification activities from a team leader / senior team member perspective and a relevant academic background, matching the requirements of the position, we would like to hear from you.
Role Responsibilities
This is a position within the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Directorate Air Missile Defence Command & Control (AMDC2) ensures the harmonized planning, implementation, deployment evolution, and support of the Air Command and Control System (ACCS) and other Air Command & Control (AirC2) and Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) assigned programs.
Working within The Acquisition Verification and Validation Section (AVVS) which plans and executes verification and validation related activities as part of in-house development/maintenance which includes the provision of test directors and test operators. The Principal Test Engineer is responsible for the overall planning and execution of major/larger verification and validation activities in support of AMDC2 products. The activity includes coordination with sites, customers and industries as required to provide the required level of assurance that the AMDC2 products are functionally compliant to its requirements and safe and secure to use in an operational environment.
Under the direction of the Chief, Mission Assurance Branch (MAB), you will perform duties such as the following:
- Manage the production of test plans and procedures for a particular project;
- Perform peer-reviews of test plans, cases and reports to ensure that they meet the applicable requirements, standards, and conventions;
- Manage the test related human and material resources;
- Coordinate the execution of testing in an NCI Agency location or on-site;
- Coordinate the timely availability of the system under test and its required test environment;
- Prepare and conduct test-related reviews and attends project milestone and artifact reviews;
- Provide status reports and ensure correct documentation, analysis, and reporting of test results;
- Collect, analyze, report and archive test results and output data;
- Manage the collection, selection, and generation of test input data as required for the execution of test cases;
- Maintain test-related repositories and populates these with documentation and reusable test cases, test data, pass-fail-criteria, and traceability matrices;
- Maintain a defect tracking database, performs trend analysis and follows up on corrective or improvement actions;
- Contribute to the analysis of user change requests, formulated through Engineering Change Proposals or other relevant documents, from a V&V perspective;
- Review product design and requirements documents for completeness, accuracy, and testability;
- Provide first and second-line support for issues reported by system users;
- Define and monitor the improvement of the V&V processes and working methods;
- Deputize for higher grade staff, if required;
- Perform other duties as required
Person Specification
Qualifications Required
To be considered qualified for this post you must hold a Master of Science (MSc) degree at a nationally recognized/certified University in a technical subject with substantial Information Technology (IT) content.
Exceptionally, the lack of a university/college degree may be compensated by the demonstration of particular abilities or experience that is/are of interest to NCI Agency; that is, at least 15 years of extensive and progressive expertise in the duties related to the function of the post.
Additionally, any Professional certification in the area of Validation and Verification or, in the absence of professional certification a proven background in the field of Validation and Verification
Experience required:
In addition to at least 8 years of relevant experience in Demand Analysis, Workforce Analysis, Business Planning and Financial Planning; you will also be required to demonstrate:
- Recent experience in the planning and execution of verification and validation activities in a large scale software-intensive project;
- Experience in the development related to any part of the system/software lifecycle of real-time safety-critical systems/software;
- Knowledge of software life cycle management and quality management preferably in a Prince 2 environment;
- Experience (at least 8 years) in a position responsible for the management and coordination of services and deliverables in an engineering environment;
- Experience working as a test director in planning and execution of test, verification and validation activities for large-scale projects; using modern test engineering and test management methods and paradigms.
In addition to the above, it would be considered highly desirable if you can display:
- Operational or technical experience within Air Command and Control (AirC2), Theatre Missile Defence (TMD), Air Operations Planning or Decision Support system;
- Knowledge of NATO Tactical Data Links or other military NATO or national interoperability standards;
- Experience in system performance, security and safety engineering including testing;
- Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements;
- Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO and ACT.
Competencies Required
- Deciding and Initiating Action - Takes responsibility for actions, projects, and people; takes initiative and works under own direction; initiates and generates activity and introduces changes into work processes; makes quick, clear decisions which may include tough choices or considered risks.
- Working with People - Shows respect for the views and contributions of other team members; shows empathy; listens, supports and cares for others; consults others and shares information and expertise with them; builds team spirit and reconciles conflict; adapts to the team and fits in well.
- Adhering to Principles and Values - Upholds ethics and values; demonstrates integrity; promotes and defends equal opportunities, builds diverse teams; encourages organizational and individual responsibility towards the community and the environment.
- Writing and Reporting - Writes convincingly; writes clearly, succinctly and correctly; avoids the unnecessary use of jargon or complicated language; writes in a well-structured and logical way; structures information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience.
- Analyzing - Analyses numerical data and all other sources of information, to break them into parts, patterns and relationships; probes for further information or greater understanding of a problem; make rational judgments from the available information and analysis; demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger system.
- Achieving Personal Work Goals and Objectives - Accepts and tackles demanding goals with enthusiasm; works hard and puts in longer hours when it is necessary; seeks progression to roles of increased responsibility and influence; identifies own development needs and makes use of developmental or training opportunities.
- Delivering Results and Meeting Customer Expectations - Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction; sets high standards for quality and quantity; monitors and maintains quality and productivity; works in a systematic, methodical and orderly way; consistently achieves project goals.
- Coping with Pressures and Setbacks - Maintains a positive outlook at work; works productively in a pressurized environment; keeps emotions under control during difficult situations; handles criticism well and learns from it; balances the demands of a work-life and a personal life.
Language Skills
Most of the work of the NCI Agency is conducted in the English language, and therefore a thorough knowledge of English, both written and spoken, is essential and some knowledge of French is desirable.
Travel
Business travel to NATO and national (NATO and non-NATO) facilities as well as frequent travel between the NCI Agency offices.
May be required to undertake duty travel to operational theatres inside and outside NATO boundaries.
What do we offer?
- Excellent tax-free salary, including (where eligible) expatriation household and children's allowances and additional privileges for expatriate staff.
- Education allowance for children (where appropriate) and an excellent private health insurance scheme.
- Generous annual leave and home leave (if eligible).
- Retirement Pension Plan.
To learn more about NCI Agency and our work, please visit our website.
Please note that due to the Agency’s transition into a new structure shortly, this post may be subject to transfer to one of our other locations, as well as to a change of reporting lines. The final decision will be made at the time of a firm offer.
The Agency’s recruitment team advises you that due to the large volume of applications it receives the screening process may take up to 2 months after closing date. We appreciate your patience.
