Systems Technician

Brussels - Belgium

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 9 hours ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

1. SUMMARY

The BICES Group Executive (BGX) a NATO entity is the executive body of the BICES Group (BG). The BG exists to enable the sharing and exchange of Intelligence and Information between and amongst the NATO nations with NATO and with other non-NATO nations and Organisations. The BGX under the leadership of the Director is comprised of the following pillars: Intelligence and Enterprise Services (IES) Division Programmes Engineering and Maintenance (PEM) Division Operations and Security Services (OSS) Division and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Cell.

The core mission of the PEM Division is to provide the primary expertise to manage the BICES Programme including the development execution implementation and maintenance related plans for the development and improvement of IT capabilities and their lifecycle management. PEM is championing all IT aspects with integrated expert team members from other BGX Divisions. The Division is directed by the Deputy Director for PEM and is composed of three Branches in direct support of the mission: Programme and Project Management Engineering and Enterprise Architecture and Maintenance and Implementation.

The Maintenance and Implementation (M&I) Branch led by the Head Maintenance and Implementation is responsible for 2nd level maintenance of the BGX IT and networking Infrastructure including software and hardware administration patching and upgrades as well as the implementation phase of new capability projects.

Under the supervision of the Head M&I the System Technician provides 2nd level support for complex technical issues related to server platforms and associated applications and services. The incumbent contributes to daily Incident and Problem Management processes by performing recovery troubleshooting maintenance and resolution activities. They support the design documentation testing and implementation of assigned projects throughout the Service Transition lifecycle. The Systems Technician also assists in investigating potential security vulnerabilities conducts in-depth analyses and provides recommendations to the OSS Division to mitigate software and server security risks. Work is performed in a secure facility where slightly undesirable conditions may apply. The risk of injury is categorised as: Light Risk of Injury. Technicians provide support services and systems on a 24/7 basis and are subject to on-call and overtime duties outside normal working hours.

2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

The incumbent must:

possess a higher secondary education with at least 3 years post related experience and at least 1 year post-related experience as a Systems Administrator or technician in Microsoft and/or LINUX environments;
be experienced in maintaining SQL Databases;
be able to understand assess and solve technical issues in a troubleshooting environment and under time pressure constraints;
be experienced in the installation and maintenance of system software such as operating systems data management products office automation products and other utility software;
have knowledge of virtual server and storage technologies;
be able to prepare and maintain documentation of a technical nature (e.g. configuration guides diagrams training and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
must be willing and able to undertake operational deployments and/or travel duty assignments both within and beyond NATO boundaries;
be willing to work outside of regular office hours;
possess level V (Advanced) of the English language.

Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

experience in software configuration management;
familiarity with ISO 9000;
experience in Military and Coalition Operations;
knowledge of software development with experience in writing code/scripts and WEB design;
certification in IT industry/service provider standards (e.g. ITIL);
certification in Microsoft Server (2019 and beyond) Windows (10 and beyond) and virtualization (e.g. VMware);
knowledge of NATO and national IT security policies;
experience with the installation configuration and maintenance of network based systems in accordance with NATO BICES and/or national security regulations.
3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Expertise Development
Support periodic testing of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plans and recommend improvements. Stay informed of technological developments relevant to the area of work.

Information Management
Collect analyse and forward proposals for service and technical support contracts through the Service Owner. Draft review and test SOPs for server and client hardware and software troubleshooting to ensure accuracy and standardization. Collect and validate performance metrics to optimize system and service performance. Support the development and execution of Service Improvement Plans. Ensure that technical and service documentation for assigned servers and systems is accurate current and properly stored. Prepare Requests for Change (RFCs) related to incidents and change management processes. Maintain and regularly update the Configurations Management Database (CMDB).

Planning and Execution
Resolve incidents and service requests related to servers application services and technical assets (e.g. servers data storage). Update and enhance system management and monitoring tools; support incident and problem management planning and actions. Support upgrades and modifications to application services through capacity management studies such as: system utilizations limitations of operational devices and lifecycle effectiveness. Support the installation integration programming operation and maintenance of the BICES Backbone Network (BBN) node including administration of the hardware and software of assigned system servers including MS Windows Servers and LINUX-based systems with associated services. Participate in auditing accounting and verification of severs and applications. Support the development and implementation of change and release plans including testing rollout and rollback. Ensure disaster recovery and backup capabilities are implemented and maintained. Execute established preventive maintenance plans for assigned applications and operating systems. Analyze incident and problem patterns and develop recovery action plans to minimize downtime of services. Contribute to the maintenance of the Alternate BICES Operations Centre. Perform on-call duties for systems support outside regular working hours.

Stakeholder Management
Maintain contacts with software and hardware vendors and contractors for incident resolution updates and new releases. Liaise with counterparts at Allied Command Operations Supreme Allied Command Transformation NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and Component Commands.

4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS

The incumbent reports to the Head Maintenance and Implementation Branch. They maintain regular contact with internal and external systems and application counterparts and liaise with commercial organizations to support service enhancement and maintenance.

Direct reports: None
Indirect reports: None

5. COMPETENCIES

The incumbent must demonstrate:

Achievement: Works to meet standards. Works to meet expected performance at standards set by others (management or customers). Executes duties in a timely efficient and accountable fashion and meets objectives within target dates. May express frustration at waste or inefficiency.
Analytical Thinking: Breaks down problems. Makes a list of items that need doing with no particular order or set of priorities. Pulls together data ideas issues and observations into a clear and useful format.
Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems. Takes ownership of the correction of customer-service problems. Corrects problems promptly efficiently and without becoming defensive. Monitors client satisfaction.
Flexibility: Acts with flexibility. Works effectively in a changing environment. Adapts to change by actively revising own behaviours methods and priorities. Applies procedures flexibly where context allows in order to get a job done or to meet agreed objectives (e.g. alters normal procedures to fit a specific situation and to meet a clients needs).
Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation. Acts quickly and decisively in a crisis or other time-sensitive situation. Is unafraid to propose and/or take action when the norm would be to wait study the situation and hope the problem will resolve itself.
Organisational Commitment: Supports the Organisation. Acts to support the Organizations mission and goals. Makes choices and sets priorities to meet the Organisations needs and to align self with its mission.
Self-Control: Responds calmly. Remains patient does not show frustration. Continues to act calmly under pressure or while experiencing strong emotions. Rises above the situation and diffuses others negative emotions.
Teamwork: Cooperates. Participates willingly in the team doing his/her share of the teams work. Shares information and knowledge freely offering support and cooperation.

6. CONTRACT

Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years duration; possibility of renewal.

Contract clause applicable:

In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years which may be renewed.

If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATOs member States a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned.

Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.

7. USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member must be submitted using e-recruitment system as applicable:

For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (link);
For all other applications: you apply to any position we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process.
Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.
More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment can be found at our website ( will be subject to receipt of asecurity clearance(provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) approval of the candidatesmedical fileby the NATO Medical Adviser verification of your study(ies) and work experience and the successful completion of theaccreditationand notification process by the relevant authorities.
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared in whole or in part by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools including and without limitation to chatbots such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT) or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared in whole or in part by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATOs sole discretion and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion and strives to provide equal access to employment advancement and retention independent of gender age nationality ethnic origin religion or belief cultural background sexual orientation and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations and strongly encourages women to apply.

NATO is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible working environment where all candidates living with disabilities can fully participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require reasonable accommodation please inform us during your selection process.

Candidates will be required to provide documented medical evidence to support their request for accommodation.

Building Integrity is a key element of NATOs core tasks. As an employer NATO values commitment to the principles of integrity transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.

Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.

Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature albeit at the same or a lower grade provided they meet the necessary requirements.

The nature of this position may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.

The organization offers several work-life policies including Flexible Working arrangements (Flexitime) subject to business requirements.

Please note that the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels Belgium is a non-smoking environment.

For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading Allowances etc.) please visit ourwebsite. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.

NATO does not charge any application processing training interviewing testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. For more info please click here.

Required Experience:

1. SUMMARYThe BICES Group Executive (BGX) a NATO entity is the executive body of the BICES Group (BG). The BG exists to enable the sharing and exchange of Intelligence and Information between and amongst the NATO nations with NATO and with other non-NATO nations and Organisations. The BGX under the ...