Senior Cisco Network 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 – C005093

Scope of Work

• Delivering first- and second-line operational support for network services.
• Monitoring, maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing network infrastructure.
• Supporting infrastructure deployment, asset replacement, and technology refresh projects.
• Implementing network configurations, upgrades, and security controls in accordance with established standards.
• Maintaining technical documentation, operational procedures, and configuration records.
• Supporting security compliance activities, infrastructure validation, and acceptance testing.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders, service providers, and project teams to ensure effective service delivery.
• Providing operational support outside normal business hours when required.

Deliverables:

• Reliably and timely resolution of network incidents and service requests.
• Stable, secure, and well-maintained network infrastructure supporting business operations.
• Successful staging, testing, deployment, and commissioning of network equipment for infrastructure projects.
• Accurate and current technical documentation, operational procedures, and configuration backups.
• Effective support for security assessments, infrastructure validation, and compliance activities.
• Recommendations that improve network performance, resilience, operational efficiency, and service quality.
• Regular reporting on operational activities, project progress, risks, and issues

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide first- and second-line support for enterprise network infrastructure, diagnosing and resolving incidents in a timely and systematic manner.
• Install, configure, replace, maintain, and troubleshoot routing, switching, authentication, and related network technologies.
• Monitor network performance, identify emerging issues, and implement corrective or preventive actions to maintain service availability.
• Support Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) administration to facilitate client provisioning, moves, additions, and changes.
• Perform routine operational maintenance, including configuration management, backups, and system health verification.
• Support network infrastructure projects through equipment preparation, staging, testing, deployment, migration, and acceptance activities.
• Assist in security assessments, infrastructure validation, and implementation of mandatory security controls.
• Maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), technical documentation, and configuration records to support operational continuity.
• Identify opportunities for process, performance, and infrastructure improvements, and recommend practical solutions.
• Liaise effectively with internal teams, NCIA Service Lines, and external service providers to coordinate operational and project activities
• Work independently with limited supervision while contributing effectively within a collaborative technical environment.
• Participate in operational planning, status meetings, and technical reviews, providing clear updates on assigned activities.
• Perform additional duties, including planned out-of-hours support, as required to maintain service continuity.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• Hold a valid Cisco Certified Network Professional certification;
• At least four years support experience with Campus (SDAccess) and Datacentre network systems (ACI);
• At least two years support experience with DNS, DHCP and IP address Management systems(IPAM);
• At least two years experience with Cisco ISE;
• At least two years experience with network monitoring system such as Cisco Prime, Cisco CCC, Zabbix; Cisco NDFC;
• At least two years experience with support and implementation of Wireless network systems;
• Experience with support of multi-tenancy network environments and multicast network technologies;
• Support experience and knowledge of Firewall systems;
• Experience with the support and implementation of Network Load Balancing techniques.

Desirable Skills, Experience and Certifications

• Support experience with VMWare virtual network systems;
• Support experience with Infoblox;
• Working experience with Splunk;
• Working knowledge of PKI certificates and systems;
• ITIL certified in Service Operations;
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising of both military and civilian elements.

Essential Education

• Possesses a bachelor degree with 4 years post-related experience;

Working Location

• Brussels, Belgium

Working Policy

• Full time On-site

Travel

• No travel required

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance