SATCOM Engineer

Spektrum supports apex purchasers (NATO, UN, EU, and National Government and Defence) and their Tier 1 supplier ecosystem with a wide range of specialist services. We provide our clients with professional services, specialised aerospace and defence sales, delivery, and operational subject matter expertise. We are looking for personnel to join our team and support key client projects.

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Who we are supporting 

The NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) is responsible for providing secure and effective communications and information technology (IT) services to NATO's member countries and its partners. The agency was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

The NCIA provides a wide range of services, including:

• Cyber Security: The NCIA provides advanced cybersecurity solutions to protect NATO's communication networks and information systems against cyber threats.
• Command and Control Systems: The NCIA develops and maintains the systems used by NATO's military commanders to plan and execute operations.
• Satellite Communications: The NCIA provides satellite communications services to enable secure and reliable communications between NATO forces.
• Electronic Warfare: The NCIA provides electronic warfare services to support NATO's mission to detect, deny, and defeat threats to its communication networks.
• Information Management: The NCIA manages NATO's information technology infrastructure, including its databases, applications, and servers.

Overall, the NCIA plays a critical role in ensuring the security and effectiveness of NATO's communication and information technology capabilities.

The program

Assistance and Advisory Service (AAS)

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is NATO’s principal C3 capability deliverer and CIS service provider. It provides, maintains and defends the NATO enterprise-wide information technology infrastructure to enable Allies to consult together under Article IV, and, when required, stand together in the face of attack under Article V.

To provide these critical services, in the modern evolving dynamic environment the NCI Agency needs to build and maintain high performance-engaged workforce. The NCI Agency workforce strategically consists of three major categorise's: NATO International Civilians (NIC)'s, Military (Mil), and Interim Workforce Consultants (IWC)'s. The IWCs are a critical part of the overall NCI Agency workforce and make up approximately 15 percent of the total workforce.

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Role ID – 2025-0340

Role Background

This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the provision of specialized SATCOM Engineering Support Services to assist NATO entities in the definition, assessment, and evolution of future SATCOM capabilities.

The Contractor shall provide expert engineering services to support the strategic planning, design, and definition of NATO SATCOM systems, ensuring alignment with operational requirements, interoperability standards, and emerging technologies within the Alliance’s communication and space domains.

All work shall be performed as service-based deliverables, with measurable outputs and documented technical artefacts produced under NCIA’s supervision and in close coordination with Allied Command Transformation (ACT), ACO, and other NATO stakeholders.

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• 1 Engineering Analysis and Studies
  • Conduct technical assessments of SATCOM networks, terminals, and anchoring systems across NATO strategic, operational, and tactical domains;
  • Support system architecture definition, including integration of MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM resources;
  • Perform trade-off and feasibility analyses addressing performance, resilience, spectrum efficiency, and cost-benefit aspects;
  • Contribute to the development of future-oriented SATCOM system concepts, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) integration, software-defined payloads, and multi-orbit architectures;
  • Create Analysis of Alternative documents for different options considered.
• 2 Requirements and Interface Definition
  • Develop and maintain system-level functional and technical requirements for future SATCOM systems and related ground infrastructure;
  • Support interoperability and standardization activities (e.g., STANAGs, NATO interoperability profiles, SATCOM reference architectures);
  • Provide interface control documentation (ICD) and configuration baselines for engineering reference.
• 3 Capability and Architecture Modelling
  • Contribute to modelling and simulation of SATCOM service delivery architectures and integration with existing Networks;
  • Assess the impact of emerging technologies such as AI-driven resource management, optical links, and protected waveforms;
  • Provide recommendations for technology insertion and obsolescence mitigation.
• 4 Stakeholder Coordination and Reporting
  • Liaise with ACT, ACO, and NCIA technical authorities, providing engineering inputs and consolidated documentation;
  • Prepare technical briefings, reports, and data packages supporting NATO capability planning;
  • Participate in workshops, technical meetings, and industry engagement events as required.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• SATCOM Expertise: Minimum of three years of practical experience in SATCOM systems, including UHF and SHF.
• Technical Expertise: Familiarity with modern military communication networks, including interfaces, protocols, and experience with SATCOM Operations.
• Deep knowledge of SATCOM architecture principles, including link budget analysis, modulation schemes, error correction coding, satellite network topologies
• Strong understanding of RF engineering, antenna systems, propagation modelling in SATCOM bands, cybersecurity architecture for SATCOM, including encryption
• Familiarity with SATCOM related standards, such as DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, MIL-STD-188, experience in Software Defined Networking (SDN) in SATCOM
• Customer Service and Incident Management: Familiarity in service management (incident, problem management, etc.) and a customer-focused approach in a control centre environment.
• NATO Environment: prior experience working in a NATO or multinational military setting, with a solid understanding of NATO operational standards and protocols.

Education

• University Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics, or a related field, with at least two years of post-related experience; or Higher Vocational Training with a minimum of five years of post-related experience.

Language

• English: C1

Working Location

• Norfolk, USA

Working Policy

• Onsite

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance