1. SUMMARY
Within the Executive Management Division, the Interpretation and Conference Services (ICS) provide direct support to NATO’s core business - the daily consultation among nations. It includes all the components found in established International Organisations for the provision of modern conference services, including bookings, planning and coordination, and the provision of technical Audio-Visual (AV) support, room preparation and interpretation for all official NATO languages and others on request.
The NATO Headquarters (NHQ) is a cutting edge building presenting 21st century challenges. All NATO conference and meeting facilities are under the purview of the AV Services to a greater or lesser extent in terms of operations, maintenance and user support. These facilities include conference rooms in the secure and the unclassified areas, 30 meeting rooms throughout the building, Virtual Meeting rooms, Video Teleconference (VTC) rooms, training rooms, and the AV installations in other premises.
The NHQ Conference VTC Operations (NHQ C-VTC Ops) comprise secure and non-secure video conference platforms which are used by all levels of the Organisation at the NATO HQ. As part of the team, the incumbent is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of all activities required to effectively deliver day-to-day operations and availability of all related systems and services and their integration in the AV infrastructure.
The incumbent will ensure that requests for NHQ C–VTC Ops and new business requirements are validated and delivered according to agreed standards and requirements set in projects. S/he will serve as the liaison between business and VTC capability suppliers and provide the Head, Audio-visual Services, with recommendations on Conference VTC developments.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
• possess a university degree, or an equivalent level of qualification, in the area of Computer Science/Telecommunication IT/Electronics or an equivalent qualification acquired through professional experience;
• have at least 3 years of recent experience in the field of Network and System Engineering;
• have a good understanding of VTC and network related technology and be able to conduct technology watch activities;
• have extensive knowledge of Cisco Unified Communications infrastructure systems and services;
• possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and experience working with diverse stakeholders;
• be flexible to work outside of regular office hours in response to crises and urgent requirements.
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
• certification from a recognised body on related IT industry best practices for Service Management (such as ITIL);
• CISCO professional training leading to a CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA) qualification or equivalent;
• experience in complex Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) / Video Teleconference (VTC) environments using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) including security aspects of implementing that capability;
• knowledge of NATO IT security policies and experience in the installation, configuration and maintenance of network based systems in accordance with NATO and/or Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems (BICES) security regulations.
3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Expertise Development
Analyse equipment conditions and end-user feedback and prepare reports putting forward progress, adverse trends and appropriate recommendations for the sound management and improvements of the NHQ C-VTC Ops facilities at NHQ.
Identify business organisation strengths and weaknesses and recommend areas of improvement. In close coordination with VTC capability suppliers, in particular BICES and the AV Innovation and Transformation team, recommend and facilitate the business change process to meet business needs by identifying, assessing and documenting business requirements, recommending business priorities and advising business on options, risk and costs vs. benefits of various solutions. Understand and be familiar with industry best practices in terms of technology solutions. Develop Standard Operating Procedures related to the service whilst ensuring accuracy and standardization of implemented procedures. Ensure the development of staff within the team as well as the AV Operations colleagues.
Stakeholder Management
Develop strong working relationship with the business and with VTC capability suppliers to ensure that future business needs are understood and translated into technical solutions. Conduct frequent and formal meetings with key business partners to review/discuss overall technology performance for the specific functional areas under responsibility. Take ownership of business related issues and serve as a liaison between technology, functional counterparts, vendors and the business. Manage business end-user expectations effectively and establish a strong cooperation with the Lead, AV Operations, in order to run projects in line with operational requirements as well as to resource project teams.
Information Management
Ensure that deadlines are met and that changes in priorities are communicated and understood by the Audio-visual Section. Work in close collaboration with BICES and Joint Intelligence and Security Division to ensure that the specific associated infrastructure in the NHQ is up to date and compliant with standards. Participate in the planning, architecture and design of said infrastructure. Facilitate implementation of change (technology and/or business) through training sessions, demos, and the development of appropriate documentation. Log and report any incident or significant technical event on the dedicated platform. Coordinate the storage and inventory of relevant equipment. Communicate with users and the team to give information about system incidents, analyse issue registration, trends and implement change to improve the overall availability and quality. Lead the implementation of new procedures, tools and improvements.
Knowledge Management
Conduct research to determine if solutions to business requirements currently exist within or outside the business, and if not, whether new solutions are feasible. Leverage successful products, processes and best practices across technology. Refine and enhance technology methodologies and/or standards.
Project Management
Facilitate a one-stop-shop process, allowing clients to register their needs for any VTC related meeting. Act as the principal coordinator for the organisation of High Level virtual or hybrid events taking place at NHQ, acting as the main point of contact between the business, external clients, Agencies and the NATO HQ solution provider. Take part in analysing the Headquarters’ long-term requirements and contribute to projects aimed at improving and modernising existing VTC systems and services. Take responsibility for the overall technical delivery of related projects, including planning and execution of the design, installation, configuration and testing of equipment. Monitor the infrastructure, services and performance to ensure continued, uninterrupted operations of its systems and applications. Coordinate the asset lifecycle management with the Lead, AV Infrastructure, to ensure long-term availability. Ensure events are coordinated between the NHQ C-VTC Ops and AV Operations team. Provide high-level operational support and receive escalations from support staff in order to ensure final resolution on incidents. Provide the design, documentation, testing and implementation of assigned projects and work orders. Design and organise the periodic testing of business continuity plans and report findings with recommendations on improvements for further development.
People Management
Lead, plan and supervise the execution of daily operation activities needed to manage the NHQ C-VTC Ops common services. Ensure that the service desk has in place process and support tools to avoid failures to service quality; this includes incident management and request fulfilment activities. Act as operational escalating point for any issues arising during day-to-day service desk activities. Ensure that each staff under her/his responsibility is clear on organizational, divisional and section objectives. Provide regular and fair feedback on performance via the HQ Performance Review and Development system. Identify possible development for individuals. In this context, apply sound and inclusive management principles.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head, Audio-visual Services and collaborates closely with
the Lead, AV Operations. He/she will maintain regular contact with VTC capability suppliers and end-users (International Staff (IS), International Military Staff (IMS), Delegations, Agencies and other NATO Bodies). The incumbent must work effectively within the Audio-visual Services team, build and maintain a good working relationship with people from a variety of backgrounds, nationalities and cultures and interact in a discreet and effective manner with the most senior officials.
Direct reports: 1
Indirect reports: N/A.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
• Achievement: Works to meet standards;
• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
• Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
• Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibilities for correcting problems;
• Empathy: Is open to others' perspectives;
• Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;
• Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
• Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others. 6. CONTRACT Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years; possibility of renewal for up to three years, during which the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite duration contract. Contract clause applicable: In accordance with the contract policy, this is a post in which turnover is desirable for political reasons in order to be able to accommodate the Organisation's need to carry out its tasks as mandated by the Nations in a changing environment, for example by maintaining the flexibility necessary to shape the Organisation's skills profile, and to ensure appropriate international diversity. The maximum period of service foreseen in this post is 6 years. The successful applicant will be offered a 3-year definite duration contract, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years. However, according to the procedure described in the contract policy the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite contract during the period of renewal and no later than one year before the end of contract. If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject also to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years. Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations. NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post. Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts. 7. RECRUITMENT PROCESS Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:
This vacancy is archived.