Senior Project Manager

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 – C004449

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project.
• Ensures that realistic project plans are maintained and ensures regular and accurate communication to stakeholders.
• Adopts appropriate project management methods and tools whether predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Ensures Quality reviews occur on schedule and according to procedure.
• Manages the change control procedure, and ensures that project deliverables are completed within agreed cost, timescale and resource budgets, and are signed off.
• Provides effective leadership to the project team, and takes appropriate action where team performance deviates from agreed tolerances.
• Provide monthly report to their Projects Portfolio Manager using Agency reporting tool/framework.
• Ensure projects are formally closed and, where appropriate, subsequently reviewed, and that lessons learned are recorded.
• Contributes to selection of the requirements approach for projects, selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Defines and manages scoping, requirements definition and prioritisation activities for initiatives of medium size and complexity.
• Facilitates input from stakeholders, provides constructive challenge and enables effective prioritisation of requirements.
• Reviews requirements for errors and omissions.
• Establishes the requirements base-lines, obtains formal agreement to requirements, and ensures traceability to source.
• Investigates, manages, and applies authorised requests for changes to base-lined requirements, in line with change management policy.
• Manages user experience evaluation of systems, products or services, to assure that the usability and accessibility requirements have been met, required practice has been followed, and systems in use continue to meet organisational and user needs.
• Advises on what to evaluate and the type of evaluation to use and the extent of user involvement required.
• Works iteratively with design teams to ensures that the results of evaluations are understood and acted upon by designers and developers of systems, products and services.
• Seek to fully address customer needs, enhancing the capabilities and effectiveness of customer personnel, by ensuring that proposed solutions are properly understood and appropriately exploited.
• Oversees and measures the fulfilment of contractual obligations.
• Uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and challenge performance and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Develops strategies to address under-performance and compliance failures, including application of contract terms.
• Identifies where changes are required, evaluates the impact, and advises stakeholders about the implications and consequences for the business and/or the procurement element of programmes/projects.
• Negotiates variations and seeks appropriate authorisation.
• Actively supports and engages with experts and stakeholders to ensure continuous improvements are identified through review and benchmarking processes.
• Investigates and reports on hazards and potential risk events within a specific function or business area.
• Propose appropriate actions to provide an increased level of confidence and reduced risks such that the project will meet its objectives in terms of deliverables (scope and quality), schedule, and costs.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• Recent experience (at least 3 years) in Project management of C4ISR acquisition and / or development projects for a large organization;
• Experience in planning, design, system engineering and implementation of military or other C4ISR systems;
• Experience in Project Management tools, managing cost and labour;
• Recent experience (at least three years) and knowledge in the successful project management of ICT projects for a large, preferably international, organization.

Desirable Skills, Experience and Certifications

• A formal project management qualification such as PRINCE 2 or PMI PMP;
• Extensive experience with Project Management Tools;
• Experience and certification in Agile Project Management (Agile PM, Scrum);
• Experience and certification in Service Management (i.e. ITIL V3 or V4);
• Experience in supplier management, negotiations, conflict resolution and contract management;
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements;
• Knowledge and experience with NATO's procurement process for ICT projects;
• Experience in communicating with senior management and large groups (briefings, written and oral presentations).

Working Location

• Oeiras, Portugal

Working Policy

• Onsite

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance