Enterprise GIS Synchronization Architect

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 – 2025-0175

Role Background

To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, the NCI Agency delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems in support of consultation, command & control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO. The Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Centre (JISRC), as part of the NCI Agency, follows the Vision to assure information superiority for NATO. Our Mission is to deliver, support and protect valued Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, expertise and services, to maximise operational effectiveness throughout NATO and its partners.

The Geospatial Meteorological & Oceanography (GeoMetOc) Services Branch within the JISRC is responsible for the full lifecycle support of the NATO Core GIS Application Service, which provides customers with a suite of data, services and products that ensure all phases of military operations are conducted on the same spatial reference. This Application Service makes use of several COTS SW products and is mainly based ArcGIS desktop and Server components.

With the increasing need for continuously available information services, architectures and hosting environments evolve rapidly. This also drives the demand for Geospatial Information services to adopt to new infrastructure conditions as well as the customer’s demand for resilience and fault tolerant application services

Role Duties and Responsibilities

WP1 – Identify and document the synchronization needs

Based on the Agency provided information on the NATO Core GIS Design/Architecture as well as the underlying IaaS and PaaS the Contractor shall identify and define all synchronization needs for the objective described before, incl.

• CoreGIS data, services, configurations,
• Account information
• Underlying PaaS service configurations like Load Balancer, Anti-Virus, firewall…

Within this work package the contractor shall also

• Conduct one workshop (up to one (1) day) in The Hague (NLD) at the Agency’s premises to kick off the project, demonstrated the understanding of the objective and clarify with SMEs from the Agency the use case as well as identifying any additional information required from The Agency to execute WP1.
• Hold a system requirements review meeting (SRR) (up to one (1) day) in The Hague (NLD) at the Agency’s premises to present the identified synchronization needs. Based on the review meeting with the Agency the Contractor will prepare the final requirements to close out this work package.

WP2 – Analyse propose and evaluate synchronization options

For the in WP 1 agreed synchronization needs the Contractor shall identify different solutions (procedural and technical) analyse them and compare them against each other according the following parameters

• Level of automation
• Technical complexity
• Manual/procedural effort
• Min synchronization time achievable
• Usage of underlying IaaS/PaaS synchronization options, including availability in the Purchaser’s CIS environment.

The Contractor shall review the parameters at the start of the work package and suggest additional or changes to them. The final set of parameters the synchronization options are evaluated against shall be agreed with the Purchaser. The Contractor shall hold two (2) preliminary design review (PDR) meetings:

• PDR 1 shall be a one (1) day meeting in The Hague (NLD) at the Purchaser’s facility, where the Contractor will present all synchronization options identified for all synchronisation needs and present for at least 50% of the synchronization needs the comparison against the parameters. The Contractor shall incorporate all changes required as identified in PDR 1 not later than in the deliverables for PDR 2.
• PDR 2 shall be held as an online meeting. The Contractor will present all synchronization options identified for all synchronisation needs including the complete comparison against the parameters. At the end of the meeting for each synchronization need the option to go forward into the final design (WP 3) will be agreed by the Purchaser.

WP3 – Final design and proof of concept demonstrator

The Contractor shall document the final design of the selected options from WP2 including procedural and technical process required for implementation. The final design documentation shall include as a minimum

• Design and implementation solution for all synchronization options
• Assumptions, constraints and requirements
• Software tools, IaaS and PaaS required
• Step by step process description (where required)

The Contractor shall conduct a one (1) Critical Design Review (CDR) meeting in The Hague (NLD) at the Purchaser’s facility. The purpose of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the design is appropriate to support proceeding with full scale software and hardware implementation, integration and operation. The Contractor shall incorporate and update the design to the FSD based on the findings of the CDR.

WP4 - Feasibility demonstrator

The Contractor shall setup a technical demonstrator to proof feasibility of selected synchronization aspects of the final design. The demonstrator shall cover the following synchronization scenarios:

• Synchronization of two (2) ArcGIS Enterprise published services from location to another including underlying data.
• ArcGIS Portal content and applications synchronization.
• Synchronization Core GIS geoinformation holdings across sites.

After setup the Contractor shall demonstrate to NCIA SMEs the implementation of the scenarios based on the under WP 3 developed final design. The demonstration should be held at the Contractor’s facilities and cover

• Proof of correct setup of the feasibility demonstrator according the final design developed under WP3
• Execution of the synchronization scenarios as defined above

Essential Skills and Experience

• A deep understanding of the complexity and challenges of application synchronization across data centres in different geographic locations. (at least one project as reference in the CV in the role of technical lead or responsible architect in the last 3 years)
• Prior experience and successful implementation of tasks substantially similar (including ArcGIS Enterprise) to those specified in this SOW. (at least one reference project in the CV in the role of technical lead or responsible architect in the last 3 years)
• Thorough expertise of ArcGIS Enterprise architecture and best practices in an Enterprise Environment with synchronization business scenarios. (at least one reference project in the CV in the role of technical lead or responsible architect in the last 3 years)

Language Proficiency

• Business English

Working Location

• Remote

Working Policy

• Off-Site

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• No Clearance required