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 (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 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 NATO Infrastructure Services Centre (NISC), which is accountable for planning and executing the full lifecycle management activities (design, transition and operations) for the identified area of responsibility. NISC provides generic, domain independent, technical functionality that enables and facilitates the operation and use of Information Technology resources.

The Engineering Environment Services (EES) element of NISC, performs the complete lifecycle management of complex engineering environments on multiple security classifications, supporting projects both internal and external to NCIA.

The Head Engineering Environment Services (H-EES) serves as the system custodian for Engineering Environments. In this role, you lead a diverse team of military, civilian, and industry engineers and technical experts responsible for operations and maintenance, ensuring high system availability and strict compliance with security standards. The team transforms approved customer use cases into practical technical solutions, selecting, designing, and implementing technologies that meet evolving requirements while maintaining a resilient and scalable infrastructure.

The H-EES oversees team performance, resource management, and the effective execution of all activities within their domain. You also collaborate closely with other Heads of element to support Business Area objectives, projects, and initiatives, ensuring alignment with the Agency’s Strategic Plan.

You will take on the following roles and responsibilities:

• Ensure services are monitored against defined KPIs and service level targets

• Lead and manage engineering teams to deliver operational and strategic objectives

• Translate stakeholder requirements into effective technical solutions

• Oversee system availability, maintenance, and compliance with security regulations

• Manage resource allocation, ensuring the right skills and capacity are available

• Act as the primary point of contact for service delivery, escalations, and stakeholder engagement

• Drive performance management, including setting objectives and developing team capabilities

• Coordinate with other business area leaders to align with strategic goals and initiatives

• Facilitate continuous improvement of processes, procedures, and service delivery practices

• Support stakeholder communication, decision-making, and the evolution of service offerings

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

About you:

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

• A Master’s degree at a nationally recognised/certified University in a related discipline and 5 years related experience. Or a Bachelor’s degree with 8 years related experience

• Proven experience in the leadership and management of a team of engineers

• Practical experience leading system engineering activities and engaging stakeholders

• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills

• Fluency in English, both written and spoken

Certifications:

• Project Management Certification (PRINCE2, PMP PMI or equivalent)

• ITIL v4 Foundation

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 NCIA and 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.