Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems Administrator

Job Posting Organization:
The BICES Group Executive (BGX) is a NATO entity that serves as the executive body of the BICES Group (BG). The BG was established to facilitate the sharing and exchange of intelligence and information among NATO nations, as well as with non-NATO nations and organizations. The BGX is led by a Director and consists of several divisions, including the Intelligence and Enterprise Services (IES) Division, the Programme, Engineering and Maintenance (PEM) Division, the Operations and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security-services" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security Services (OSS) Division, and the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Cell. The organization is dedicated to enhancing multinational ISR capabilities and ensuring interoperability among participating nations.

Job Overview:
The role of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems Administrator is crucial for maintaining and supporting ISR services deployed on the BICES platform. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Head of the ISR Cell and will coordinate with the ISR Lead Architect/Engineer. The primary responsibilities include administering ISR systems, providing technical support, and ensuring compliance with security and operational requirements. The position requires working in a secure facility, which may involve slightly undesirable conditions and a light risk of injury. The incumbent will also participate in continuous technical support and may need to undertake on-call and overtime duties outside regular working hours. Operational travel may be required in accordance with BG Deployment Policy and national requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the ISR Systems Administrator include:

• Administering, operating, and maintaining assigned ISR systems and services, including STANAG 4559 Edition 4 Coalition Shared Data services, servers, databases, storage, backup, and virtualization environments.
• Installing and configuring approved hardware, software, and application components according to established procedures.
• Supporting testing of national implementations against approved BICES ISR reference tools and recording results.
• Resolving incidents and customer requests in coordination with the Service Desk, communications technicians, Information Assurance staff, and the PEM Division.
• Providing first-, second-, and third-level technical support as required.
• Implementing approved upgrades, changes, and modifications to ISR application services.
• Monitoring system utilization, capacity, and lifecycle status, and reporting identified limitations.
• Maintaining effective technical support for ISR services by assisting nations during capability fielding and testing activities.
• Providing technical advice and troubleshooting assistance for operational ISR services across approved classified and unclassified environments. 1
• Supporting change and release activities, including testing, rollout, and rollback. 1
• Participating in Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity testing, recording findings, and contributing practical recommendations. 1
• Maintaining accurate and current ISR technical and service documentation and ensuring its controlled storage. 1
• Collecting and reporting ISR system and service performance data to support service improvement. 1
• Supporting Service Improvement Plans and providing required information to the BGX Configuration Manager. 1
• Maintaining configuration records for hardware and software installed for ISR functions and services. 1
• Supporting the timely execution of ISR-related projects and programmes within the assigned technical area. 1
• Maintaining effective working relationships with military and civilian officials in participating nations and NATO.

Required Qualifications:
The essential qualifications for the position include:

• A technical degree or equivalent qualification in information systems management, library science, computer science, information science, or a related discipline.
• At least 6 years of professional experience as a Systems Administrator with a background in both Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms.
• Proven experience with the installation, support, configuration, and troubleshooting of IT services.
• Ability to understand, assess, and solve technical issues in a troubleshooting environment under pressure and with time constraints.
• Demonstrated experience as a system administrator in Microsoft/Linux environments, including MS WS SVR 2016 or above, RHEL 7.5 or above, HyperV, and VMware.
• Experience with maintaining Oracle and SQL Databases.
• Experience with VMware Horizon virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments, including administration, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Horizon-based virtual desktop services.
• Microsoft Certifications in Server 2019 and Windows 10 (or above) and virtualization (e.g., VMware).
• Proven experience with storage, access, problem reporting, and change control of Configuration Items (Cls). 1
• Willingness to work outside of normal office working hours. 1
• Possession of level V (Advanced) of the English language. Desirable qualifications include:
• Recent experience providing ISR technical services support to military and coalition operations.
• Proven experience with the installation, support, configuration, and troubleshooting of ISR-related services, such as the Coalition Shared Dataserver (CSD).
• Experience with ISR service interfaces between STANAG 4559 compliant systems and non-STANAG 4559 compliant ISR systems.
• Experience with Information Exchange Gateway solutions supporting ISR service interfaces between different classification level networks.
• Experience with status accounting and auditing, in line with recognized standards, such as ISO 9000, 9001, and 9004 throughout the ClS lifecycle.
• Certification on Horizon (formerly VMware), version 7 or above.
• Certification on IT industry/service provider standards (e.g., ITIL).
• Strong foundation in system security issues.
• French Level II (Elementary).

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a technical degree or equivalent qualification in fields such as information systems management, library science, computer science, information science, or a related discipline. This educational foundation is essential for understanding the complexities of the systems and technologies involved in ISR operations.

Experience:
The position requires at least 6 years of professional experience as a Systems Administrator. This experience should encompass a strong background in both Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, as well as proven capabilities in the installation, support, configuration, and troubleshooting of IT services. The candidate should have a demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure and manage technical issues in a timely manner.

Languages:
The mandatory language requirement for this position is English at level V (Advanced). Additionally, having proficiency in French at Level II (Elementary) is considered desirable, as it may enhance communication within the multilingual environment of NATO.

Additional Notes:
The contract offered to the successful applicant will be a definite duration contract of three years, with the possibility of renewal. If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member states, a similar contract will be offered, subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a security clearance process, medical file approval by the NATO Medical Adviser, and verification of educational and work experience. The recruitment process is open only to nationals of NATO member countries, and applications must be submitted through the specified e-recruitment system. NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from all member nations and particularly welcoming women to apply. The organization offers several work-life policies, including Teleworking and Flexible Working arrangements, subject to business requirements. It is important to note that NATO does not charge any fees in connection with the application or recruitment process.