IT Support Engineer (Virtual Desktops)

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 – 2025-0105

Role Background

NATO Digital Workplace Centre (NDWC), as part of NCI Agency, provides simple yet innovative solutions that underpin the Digital Transformation of NATO by providing feature-rich Digital Workplace, which enable NATO staff members to connect, communicate, and collaborate.

Personal Workspace service area delivers the following user-facing services to NATO Commands, NATO Force structure and Nations in all 32 Allied Nations:

• Windows-based and iOS/iPadOS-based end user device provisioning, management, operation, and lifecycle across multiple separate networks of different classifications and various form factors;
• Work stream collaboration including email and instant messaging server backend and client frontend provisioning, management, operation and lifecycle across multiple separate networks of different classifications.

The services integrate with other services such as print/scan/copy, voice, video-teleconference (VTC), collaboration portals and enable NATO-specific functional applications higher up the software stack.

Through several on-going streams of work in Q4/2024 and onwards, the services are rapidly evolving from using fully on-premise to a mixture of on-premise and public cloud technologies.

Role Duties and Responsibilities

Installation, configuration, administration and monitoring of VDI infrastructure based on Dell end user devices and Omnissa (former VMware) Horizon technologies:

• Perform daily administration, troubleshooting and monitoring of VDI infrastructure instances including underlying virtual, application delivery and profile infrastructure;
• Conduct installation, upgrade and configuration of existing and new VDI instances including associated virtual and application.
• Monitor the performance, troubleshoot and continuously optimize the existing VDI setup including so called master or “golden” images. Responsible for design, implementation and management of end-to-end VDI servers.
• Ensure VDI image, back-end and thin clients are kept updated with security fixes and maintenance updates.
• Continuously monitor the environment to ensure it is always available.
• Ensure all tasks are automated as much as possible so there is minimal overhead to the system.
• Ensure all applications not in the baseline are packaged correctly for the VDI environment.
• Ensure all components of the system have sufficient licenses.

Ensure healthy and functional end user computing environment:

• Review, troubleshoot and ensure compliance with security policies and functional requirements of the VDI setup and associated enabling technologies (Active Directory).
• Work on and resolve problem requests.

Enhance business continuity by improving the fault tolerance and disaster recovery:

• Propose design, implement, test and maintain fault tolerance and disaster recovery of the complete VDI stack including virtual infrastructure, VDI, application and user profile layers.

Improve the maturity of the IT Operations

• Develop, implement, improve and follow standard operating procedures and instructions on IT operation activities related to the VDI setup.
• Develop, disseminate and improve instructions for Level 1 and Level 2 technicians.
• Perform on the job trainings as needed to team members, Level 1 and Level 2 technicians.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• Knowledgeable and experienced in the nature of the tasks and activities of this role.
• Must be courteous and professional in dealing with NATO and Purchaser’s staff.
• Must have sufficient knowledge in English language to allow smooth verbal and written communication.
• Must strive to lower the rotation of personnel and maintain the same individuals working under this SoW.
• Must seek Purchaser’s approval prior to appointing new personnel to work under this Statement of Work.
• Support the Service provider’s personnel with access to the IT systems as required and shall submit requests for change of Service provider’s personnel at least 30 days in advance.
• Must handle the Purchaser’s furnished equipment (PFE) with due care.
• Must operate the equipment following the manufacturer’s requirements.
• The Service provider shall minimize the impact to the end users during the execution of the work.
• Must bring immediately to the attention of the Purchaser Point of Contact any issues preventing the execution of the work.
• Shall report to and receive guidance from Purchaser Point of Contact on-site, Service Owner and Service IT Operations Lead.
• They shall follow local site procedures to obtain physical unescorted access to the assigned work position and logical access to the networks in scope.
• Shall liaise with other Purchasers’ support teams as necessary.
• They shall use the Purchaser Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) ticketing system following the Purchaser’s procedures and observe relevant KPIs.

Working Location

• Braine L’Alleud, BEL
• OR The Hague, NLD
• OR Ramstein, DEU
• OR Bydgoszcz, POL
• OR Stavanger, NOR

Working Policy

• Onsite

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance