SHAPE is looking for an Assistant (Situational Awareness) responsible for receiving, and exploiting big data from multiple sources as well as collating cyberspace vulnerability assessment and incident reports to inform defensive cyberspace operations planning.

General Background:

SHAPE, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, is the Headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO), one of the two major military commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).  ACO safeguards an area extending from the northern tip of Norway to the eastern border of Turkey.  This equates to nearly two million square kilometres of land, more than three million square kilometres of sea, and a population of about 320 million people.

POST DESCRIPTION:

Location: Casteau/Mons, 60 Km south of Brussels (Belgium)

Division: Cyberspace Operations Centre

Post Context/Post Summary

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) provides an integrated Strategic Effects framework, employing a multi-domain and multi-region focus to create a 360-degree approach, with the flexibility to enable, upon direction, a seamless transition from Baseline Activities and Current Operations (BACO) up to the Maximum Level of Effort (MLE). SHAPE supports SACEUR in fulfilling his terms of reference, as directed by the North Atlantic Council. The Cyberspace Directorate is responsible for directing, monitoring and coordinating all cyberspace functional area activities and staff functions across ACO. The Cyberspace Operations Centre (CyOC) is NATO’s only Theatre Component for cyberspace, providing persistent, centralized and comprehensive cyberspace situational awareness, Command and Control (C2) and execution. The CyOC is within the SHAPE establishment but with different roles and responsibilities. The Cyberspace Situational Awareness Branch is to provide the Cyberspace Operations Centre (CyOC)’s ability to incorporate the various aspects of cyberspace situational awareness, from all sources, which creates the theatre-wide cyberspace situational awareness, and integrate the cyberspace perspective into a single coherent dimension of the 360-degree approach.

The Cyberspace Situational Awareness (SA) Support Section receives, stores, and exploits big data from multiple sources as well as collates cyberspace vulnerability assessment and incident reports to inform defensive cyberspace operations planning.

Incumbent is one of three Situational Awareness Assistants in the SA Support Section.

Principal Duties

The incumbent’s duties are:

1. Review the available information regarding Alliance infrastructures (i.e. Technical Descriptions, Security Audits Reports, Vulnerability Assessment Reports, Penetration testing Reports, etc.) in order to develop a deep understanding of its exposure towards Cyberspace;
2. Contribute to the development and maintenance of the a Recognized Cyberspace Picture (RCP) by providing information about the exposure of Alliance Infrastructures towards Cyberspace;
3. Support the Cyberspace Incident handling for the operational assessment both as an Officer of Primary Responsibility (OPR) and/or Situational Awareness Subject Matter Expert (SA SME);
4. Disseminate information about the Recognized Cyberspace picture via the approved Cyberspace C3 Tools. Cyberspace C3 Tools may include, but are not limited to, Cyber Defence Situational Awareness (CDSA), Cyberspace Situational Awareness System (CySAS), TOPFAS, JChat, JOCWatch and IntelFS;
5. Provide Situational Awareness in support to the Operational Planning Team developing plans and orders for CIS or Cyberspace Operations, both as a team member or external Situational Awareness Subject Matter Expert (SA SME);
6. Provide Situational Awareness support to the teams monitoring the conduct of CIS or Cyberspace Operations, both as a team member or external Situational Awareness Subject Matter Expert (SA SME);
7. Contribute to the development and dissemination of periodic Situational Awareness products;
8. Support the development of CyOC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) both as a document owner and/or contributor;
1. Participate to workshops, meetings and working groups in order to provide Situational Awareness support in line with the Directions and Guidance provided by the CyOC SA Support Section Head.

Special Requirements and Additional Duties

The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within NATO at the same grade, without there being any change to the contract, in order to:

– undertake deployments in support of military operations, exercises or TDY assignments, both within and outside of NATO boundaries for up to 30 days;

– undertake operational assignment/secondment within Comprehensive Crisis Operations and Management Center (CCOMC) (may require shift work for the duration of the assignment);

– formally represent the Section Head at meetings.

The work is normally performed in a Normal NATO office working environment / Secure office environment with artificial light and air (e.g. Bunker).

Normal Working Conditions apply.

The risk of injury is categorised as: No risk / risk might increase when deployed.

Essential Qualifications

A.       Professional/Experience

1. Recent experience in Cyberspace Operations;
2. Recent knowledge and working experience related with cyber security Vulnerability and cyberspace Risk Assessments;
3. Minimum 2 years of experience with activities involved in providing cyberspace support to a large international, governmental or military organisation.
4. Minimum 2 year of experience within Cyber Operational Centre and/or Computer Incident Response centres within a large international, governmental or military organization.

B.       Education/Training

Higher Secondary education and intermediate vocational training in Information technology, computer science, computer networking and communications., criminology, police, public or business administration, administration of justice, criminal law, comparative general management, political theory, behavioural or social psychology or related discipline which might lead to a formal qualification with 2 years experience, or Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 4 years post related experience.

C.       Language

English – SLP 3333 (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

NOTE: The work both oral and written in this post and in this Headquarters as a whole is conducted mainly in English.

Desirable Qualifications

A.       Professional Experience

1. Recent knowledge and operational experience including experience in Operational Centres of higher formations;
2. Recent experience of planning and oversight of the delivery and employment of communications and information services, systems include their cyber defence;
3. Minimum 2 year of experience in managing the development and implementation of cybersecurity capabilities and related security processes within complex international/multinational organization;
4. Experience in high C2 level joint or tri-service HQs;
5. Knowledge/experience of CIS, cybersecurity, risk management, and incident management;
6. University degree, or equivalent, in relevant discipline;
7. Previous experience in serving at a NATO;
8. National CIS, Cyberspace or CNO Specialisation.

B.       Education/Training

1. NATO Open Source Intelligence Course (INT-AS-3859) provided by NATO – School Oberammergau (NSO);
2. NATO Cyber Defence Advisor (CCC-ET-32284) provided by NATO – Communications and Information Systems School (NCISS);
3. Cyber Defence at Operation Level Course (COP-CD-31954) provided by COE – Co-Operative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCD COE);
4. NATO Comprehensive Operations Planning Course (JPL-OP-3555) provided by NATO – School Oberammergau (NSO);
5. NATO CIS Operational Planning (CCC-ET-32208) provided by NATO – Communications and Information Systems School (NCISS);
6. Project Management: PRINCE II, or Project Management Professional (PMP) or internationally recognized equivalent certification;
7. Service Management: ITIL version 4 or internationally recognized equivalent certification;
8. CIS Security or Information Technology Governance Certification (CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CEH, COBIT5, etc).

C.       Language

None

Attributes/Competencies

A.       Personal Attributes

The incumbent of the post should be:

– Self-starter and analytical able to explain complex technical matters with clarity and accuracy;

– Team worker, team builder and leadership provider;

– Conceptual thinker who must adapt/ react to the realities of the rapidly changing nature of the cyber domain.

B. Managerial Responsibilities

None

C. Professional Contacts

This incumbent of the post must be able to collaborate with various technical cyber experts at different NATO entities, counterparts in National cyberspace operations centers, and industry. He/she maintains liaison with NATO HQ C3S, NCIA, other various Host Nations, as well as CIS Operating authorities.

D. Contribution To Objectives

Analyses technical cyber vulnerability assessments and instigates consequence mitigating activities to include liaises with industry partners. Works with NCIA Cyber Security Service Line cyber analysts and technical leads to synthesize, fuse and analyze cyber indicators of compromise and warning for cyber SA dashboards, reporting and future cyber requirements.

This post reports to

•         OSC COOA 0010 – Section Head (Cyberspace Situational Awareness Support)/Principal Analyst (Strategic Information Sharing) – A4/G20

E. Supervisory Responsibilities

There are no reporting responsibilities.

REMARKS:

Duration of contract: Serving staff members will be offered a contract according to the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (NCPR).  Newly recruited staff will be offered a definite duration contract of three years normally followed by an indefinite duration contract.   

HOW TO APPLY FOR A NATO CIVILIAN POST AT SHAPE:

Applications are to be submitted using NATO Talent Acquisition Platform (NTAP) (https://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang-en).  Applications submitted by other means (e.g. mail, e-mail, fax, etc) are not accepted. 

A copy of the qualification/certificate covering the highest level of education required by the job description must be provided as an attachment.

Essential information must be included in the application form.  Expressions such as “please see attached CV, please see annex / enclosed document” or invitations to follow links to personal webpages are not acceptable and will be disregarded. All answers should be in English.

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide original documentary evidence and a set of copies supporting statements in their applications. Appointment is subject to obtaining a NS security clearance and a medical certificate.

Remarks:

A)         Only nationals from the 31 NATO member states can apply for vacancies at SHAPE. 

B)         Applications are automatically acknowledged within one working day after submission. In the absence of an acknowledgement please make sure the submission process is completed, or, re-submit the application.  

C)         Qualified redundant staff of the same grade interested in this post should inform this office, via their HR/Personnel Office by not later than vacancy’s closing date.

D)         Candidates’ individual telephone, e-mail or telefax enquiries cannot be dealt with. All candidates will receive an answer indicating the outcome of their application.