Senior Cyber Security Specialist

Under the direction of the Section Head of Cyber Enablement Service (CES) the contractor shall:

• Installation, configuration and testing of firewalls, routers, switches, network proxies and VPN concentrators to maximise network efficiency and security in accordance with NCSC operational requirements.
• Installation, configuration and testing of vulnerability assessment tools, including Tenable Nessus.
• Installation, configuration and testing of computer forensic tools, including AccessData.
• Installation, configuration and testing of monitoring, detection and incident response tools and appliances, including RSA NetWitness and Splunk.
• Installation, configuration and testing of virtualisation and software-defined networking technologies.
• Implementation and validation of security settings across Cisco, Juniper, Linux, Unix and Microsoft operating system environments.
• Assessment of network performance, security and availability through continuous monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting using appropriate network management and security monitoring tools.
• Investigation of network faults, security incidents and performance issues, including the development and implementation of proposed improvements.
• Support to the integration of cyber security tools into existing and future NATO CIS environments.
• Conducting testing, validation and acceptance activities for deployed cyber security capabilities.
• Support to the development of technical documentation, including installation guides, configuration baselines, test plans, test reports, standard operating procedures and security hardening guides.
• Provision of technical advice and recommendations on cyber security architecture, tool configuration, system integration and operational improvements.
• Support to vulnerability management activities, including scanning, analysis, reporting and remediation tracking.
• Support to incident response activities, including evidence collection, log analysis, forensic investigation and reporting.
• Coordination with project managers, system engineers, network engineers, security architects and operational stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of cyber security capabilities.
• Ensuring that implemented solutions comply with applicable NATO security policies, operational requirements and agreed technical standards.
• Support to handover to operations, including knowledge transfer, training support and preparation of operational documentation.
• Participation in technical meetings, reviews, workshops and coordination activities with NATO, national and industry stakeholders.

At least 5 years practical experience in cyber security or related field, such as developing and maintaining cyber security solution architecture, developing or delivering capabilities and services in the area of Cyber security, or complex and demanding technical environments;

• The contracted individual shall have extensive knowledge and experience, preferably more than five years, in cyber security principles, best practices, concepts, technologies and operational procedures. The individual shall possess a broad understanding of cyber security tools and their configuration, including the configuration and integration of boundary protection components such as firewalls, Network Intrusion Prevention Systems, Host Intrusion Prevention Systems and data diodes. The individual shall also have experience with encryption technologies, identity and access management, monitoring and detection solutions, incident response, vulnerability assessment, computer forensics and risk management.
• The contracted individual shall have recent and relevant experience with technologies and tools including Juniper, Palo Alto, web application proxy solutions, RSA NetWitness, Splunk, Tenable Nessus and AccessData. The individual shall also have experience in the design and configuration of IT infrastructure elements within projects, including routing, switching and virtualisation technologies such as VMware.
• The individual shall have a proven ability to deliver technologies, systems, solutions and capabilities for industry, government or military organisations, including deployment to operational military areas. Experience with implementation projects within NATO and/or national military organisations is desirable. The individual shall be capable of working independently and as part of a team to achieve agreed objectives, including the ability to monitor, coordinate and support industry teams. Excellent communication and technical writing skills in English are required.

Skills:

• Very good communication and analytical skills.
• Language proficiency in English: meet or exceed the NATO STANAG 6001 Level 3 "Professional Proficiency".
• Proficient at using the ArchiMate modelling language.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in working for or supporting a military or governmental organization.

Education:

• A minimum requirement of a Bachelor's degree at a nationally recognised/certified University in a related discipline and 3 years post-related experience;
• Or exceptionally, the lack of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of a candidate's particular abilities or experience that is/are of interest to NCIA, that is, at least 10 years extensive and progressive expertise in duties related to those in this Statement of Work.

Normal office environment:

• NCIA IT equipment will be provided for the processing of restricted information.
• If working from a remote location, the contractor shall provide IT equipment for the processing of public and unclassified information in support of their duties, including the capability to participate in video meetings using Microsoft based collaboration tools.
• The contractor may be permitted to perform work remotely, from a different NATO nation than the duty location, for up to a maximum of twenty percent (20%) of their total working time, subject to prior approval by their Resource Manager (to which they will be assigned upon contract start) and the Section Head of CES.
• The contractor may work from their home in the duty location subject to the NCIA teleworking policy and in coordination with the Section Head of CES.

Travel required:

• The contractor may be required to travel to NCIA locations in Belgium for in-person or department meetings. In such cases the contractor will be reimbursed for travel costs according to NATO regulations for traveling on NATO duty.
• Travel will be required to other NATO and mission-led locations
• Contractors traveling for work purposes shall initiate travel requests from their designated duty station only.