Cybersecurity Training & Exercise Coordinator

Spektrum have a wide range of exciting opportunities in several global locations. We are always looking to add great new talent to our team and look forward to hearing from you.

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.

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 NATOs 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 NATOs communication networks and information systems against cyber threats.
• Command and Control Systems: The NCIA develops and maintains the systems used by NATOs 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 NATOs mission to detect deny and defeat threats to its communication networks.
• Information Management: The NCIA manages NATOs information technology infrastructure including its databases applications and servers.

Overall the NCIA plays a critical role in ensuring the security and effectiveness of NATOs communication and information technology capabilities.

The program

Assistance and Advisory Service (AAS)

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is NATOs 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 categorises: 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.

Role ID CDT-0017

Role Background

The Cyber and Digital Transformation Division (CDT) oversees all aspects of cyber and digital transformation across the entire NATO enterprise and is the principal institutional engine for advancing the Alliances agenda on those issues. The division also coordinates on all aspects linked to countering hybrid actions. As a fully integrated civilian-military Division it combines the strategic insight of the International Staff (IS) with the operational expertise of the International Military Staff (IMS) enabling coherent credible and actionable advice to NATOs senior decision-making bodies. The Readiness and Operations Directorate ensures that NATOs digital and cyber capabilities are operationally viable exercised and maintained at readiness. It plays a pivotal role in translating developed capabilities into operational outputs and enduring services supporting real-time cyber defence efforts digital situational awareness and service assurance across NATO missions. It leads on training exercises operational preparedness and serves as the primary link with the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre (NICC). Feeding back experiences and lessons identified from operations into strategy policy plans capability development and readiness the directorate enables continuous improvement and reinforces NATOs resilience and responsiveness in the information and cyber domains.

The Cyber Readiness (CYR) Section leads and coordinates the implementation of NATOs cyber strategy policy and governance by ensuring operational readiness and business continuity resilience and responsiveness contributing to the continuous monitoring and improvement of NATOs cybersecurity posture. The Section is established across four functions:

• Implementation oversight;
• Framework and directive development;
• Learning training and exercise support;
• Effectiveness measurement and reporting.

The learning training and exercise support function ensures cyber individual and collective learning training and exercises across the NATO Enterprise in coordination and complementarity with Alliance-wide initiatives contributing to the development of skilled and effective cyber workforce for NATOs future

Role Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Pathfinder Exercise Support

Support the planning development execution and reporting activities of Enterprise Pathfinder (ENPAF) exercise a holistic Table Top Exercise (TTX) led by CDT by:

• Developing the necessary planning execution and post-execution deliverables including calling notices Exercise Specification (EXSPEC) training audience handbooks storylines presentations exercise reports;
• Supporting and coordinating the ENPAF Exercise Group meetings and activities and reporting to the ENPAF Exercise Director;
• Supporting and coordinating the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) working level and principal level involvement in all phases of the exercise within the context of the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre (NICC) way of working;
• Liaising with the relevant stakeholders involved in the planning development and execution phases of ENPAF;
• Organising and supporting periodic in-person and virtual events for exercise planning execution and post-execution purposes;
• Capturing assessing and consolidating observations and lessons identified in
• the ENPAF exercise report.

Cyber-related Exercises Support

Support CDTs participation to various cyber-related exercises by:

• Supporting the planning development execution and reporting phases of NATO cyber-related exercises in which the participation of CDT leadership or subject matter experts is required;
• Representing CYR Learning training and exercise support function in the exercises planning and coordination meetings and events of multiple exercises (e.g. Cyber Coalition Crisis Management Exercises (CMX) Short Notice Exercise (SNEX));
• Ensuring that the necessary planning education and execution activities and deliverables are properly coordinated and timely completed;
• Liaising with the relevant stakeholders including NATO Entities and Allies involved in the planning development and execution phases of NATO Exercises;
• Organising periodical in-person and virtual coordination events for exercise planning purposes;
• Further developing and improving the CYR Exercises SharePoint portals ensuring appropriate information management of all exercise related information;
• Capturing assessing and consolidating observations and lessons identified.
• Consolidating CDTs lessons identified from different exercises.

Exercises Continuum Coordination

Support the exercises continuum approach by:

• Facilitating the identification of potential synergies gaps and/or missing links to increase alignment between cyber and related exercises;
• Supporting the creation of efficiencies across the cyber exercises landscape through the convergence of exercise scenarios and re-use of storylines their supporting elements and related artefacts as much as possible;
• Supporting CDTs periodic reporting on the progress implementing the exercise continuum approach;
• Conducting structured data collection comparison and assessment of current cyber exercises.

Essential Skills Experience and Certifications

• More than 3 years of experience in planning and conducting exercises preferably in a large organization;
• Excellent knowledge and experience with cybersecurity best practices;
• Good knowledge of the principles policy and procedures governing cybersecurity preferably in military and/or defence organizations;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Word Excel PowerPoint Teams Outlook) and Microsoft 365 ecosystem;
• Experience in content management in a Microsoft SharePoint environment;
• Fluent or Native levels of English ensuring excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Ability to seamlessly engage all levels of staff from working-level practitioners to senior leadership;
• Exceptional digital literacy with ability to bridge technical operational and policy domains;
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines;
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to producing high quality error-free content;

Desirable Skills Experience and Certifications

• Experience working with NATO or equivalent international organizations supporting exercises;
• Knowledge and experience with the NATO Lessons Learned process;
• Knowledge and Experience of NATO Bi-SC 75-03 Exercise Design and Execution;
• Knowledge of NATOs security policy and supporting directives Experience in Training Design Analysis;
• Knowledge on NATO cybersecurity processes;
• Knowledge and experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders during the response activities to cybersecurity related incidents in large geographically sparse organizations;
• Cybersecurity certifications such as CISM CISSP or equivalent post-graduate degree in cybersecurity is desirable.

Education

• Possess a university degree or an equivalent qualification;

Working Location

• Brussels Belgium

Working Policy

• On-site

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance

We never know what new opportunities might be just over the horizon. If this opportunity isnt for you please feel free to send us your resume anyway and be the first to know if something suitable for your skills and experience comes up.