Test 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.

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.

Role ID – C005012

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides advice and guidance to support the adoption of methods and tools and adherence to policies and standards.
• Tailors processes in line with agreed standards and evaluation of methods and tools.
• Reviews and improves usage and application of methods and tools.
• Develops acceptance criteria related to functional and non- functional requirements, business processes, features, user stories and business rules.
• Designs, specifies and executes test cases and scenarios to test that systems, products and services fulfil the acceptance criteria and deliver the predicted business benefits.
• Collaborates with project colleagues and stakeholders involved in the analysis, development and operation of products, systems or services to ensure accuracy and comprehensive test coverage.
• Analyses and reports on test activities, results, issues and risks including the work of others.
• Provides technical expertise to enable the configuration of system components and equipment for systems testing.
• Collaborates with technical teams to develop and agree system integration plans and report on progress.
• Defines complex/new integration builds.
• Ensures that integration test environments are correctly configured.
• Designs, performs and reports results of tests of the integration build.
• Identifies and documents system integration components for recording in the configuration management system.
• Recommends and implements improvements to processes and tools.
• Applies tools, techniques and processes to track, log and correct information related to configuration items.
• Verifies and approves changes ensuring the protection of assets and components from unauthorised change, diversion and inappropriate use.
• Ensures that users comply with identification standards for object types, environments, processes, life cycles, documentation, versions, formats, baselines, releases and templates.
• Performs audits to check the accuracy of the information and undertakes any necessary corrective action under direction.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• At least 2 years recent experience in planning and execution of test, verification and validation activities in large complex projects;
• At least 2 years recent experience with functional, non-functional and interoperability testing of systems and products;
• Proven experience with managing external stakeholders and co- workers during the execution of large complex projects;
• Ability to understand and reason about hardware and software systems architectures typically found in system design documents;
• Ability to understand technical concepts such as DNS, NTP, Email, Databases, Application architectures and inter-application communication protocols;
• Ability to communicate with clarity, coherence, conciseness and engagement, both orally and in writing;
• Certification in the area of test, verification and validation such as ISTQB or a similar certification at the foundation level

Education

• A minimum requirement of a Bachelor's degree at a nationally recognised/certified University in a related discipline and 2 years post-related experience.

Working Location

• The Hague, Netherlands

Working Policy

• Onsite

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance