3343 SATCOM Engineer

Required Security Clearance:
NATO SECRET

INTRODUCTION
Background

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has been established with a view to meeting the collective requirements of some or all NATO nations in the fields of capability delivery and service provision related to Consultation, Command & Control as well as Communications, Information and Cyber Defense functions, thereby also facilitating the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition functions and their associated information exchange.

NCIA is dedicated to acquiring, deploying, and defending communication systems for NATO's political decision-makers and Commands. It operates on the frontlines against cyber-attacks, collaborating closely with governments and industry to prevent future debilitating attacks. The NCIA plays a crucial role in maintaining NATO's technological edge and ensuring the collective defense and crisis management capabilities of the Alliance. In pursuit of our mission, we require specialized advisory services to enhance our interim workforce capacity.

Introduction

NCIA seeks for delivery in Local SATCOM Static Ground Station Engineering Support Services for the SATCOM Station in Den Haag (The Hague) - Netherlands. The Contractor shall provide on-site engineering services, to support both day-to-day operations of the station infrastructure and the main Site Engineer in planning, lifecycle management, upgrades, obsolescence mitigation, documentation, and compliance. These services will be delivered at the SATCOM Station in Den Haag (The Hague) - Netherlands, with services provided on-site in a secure operational environment.

Problem Statement

• Current State: The engineering complexity of ground station infrastructure is large and multi-disciplinary. Without local engineering support at each station, NATO faces operational risks: increased downtime, delayed maintenance or upgrades, inadequate environmental control, certifications non-compliance, safety hazards, and inability to respond swiftly to emergent technical issues or infrastructure failures.
• Impact: A lack of technical continuity may result in configuration drift, missed updates, or audit non-compliance, ultimately affecting mission-critical service availability and NATO cyber defense posture.
• End State: For each station a dedicated local engineering support service that ensures all SATCOM and station infrastructure (antenna systems, RF signal chain, environmental systems, power, civil/structural, safety, etc.) are maintained, upgraded, documented, and ready to meet operational and technical readiness requirements, aligned with NATO standards and local host nation regulation.

OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to provide SATCOM support services to keep satellites anchor stations systems fully functional and operational.

SCOPE OF WORK
The Contractor shall deliver Local SATCOM Static Ground Station Engineering Support Services, including but not limited to:

Antenna and RF Signal-Chain Engineering

• Maintaining antenna pointing, tracking, alignment, calibration of mechanical and control systems.
• Overseeing RF front-end/back-end maintenance: modems, up/down-converters, LNA/TWTA/SSPA, filters, waveguides, and associated hardware.
• Supporting link budget verification, signal quality monitoring, noise figure control, interference mitigation.
• Assisting with weather, environmental, and surface reflections effects impacting signal path (radome maintenance, protective surfaces).

Structural, Anchoring & Civil/Mechanical Systems

• Inspecting and maintain antenna foundations, pedestals, radome structural integrity, anchoring systems.
• Supporting civil/structural works associated with site, including radomes, support towers, site drainage, buildings, shelters.
• Overseeing mechanical equipment: radome motors/hydraulic or pneumatic systems, radome seals.

Power, Environmental & Facility Systems

• Managing prime power (diesel generators, fuel systems), backup power, UPS, battery systems.
• Maintaining HVAC, air handling, climate control, dehumidification, ventilation, fire suppression systems.
• Monitoring environmental conditions inside RF shelters/rooms (temperature, humidity) critical to RF performance.

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory

• Ensuring site compliance with host nation electrical codes, HSE standards, safety policies (electrical, fire, hazardous substances).
• Maintaining grounding, lightning protection, bonding per standards.
• Supporting audits, certifications, inspections, and ensure documentation is up to date.

Lifecycle, Obsolescence & Upgrade Support

• Tracking equipment lifecycles and obsolescence risk (spare parts availability, vendor support).
• Assisting in preparing upgrade / replacement plans for aging or failing components.
• Supporting integration of new equipment or enhancements (e.g. filter upgrades, RF path improvements, mechanical improvements).

Operational Support & Incident Response

• Providing fault diagnosis and corrective maintenance for station infrastructure and RF/SATCOM systems.
• Supporting 24/7 or emergency response as required (depending on severity).
• Liaising with operations, remote support, or central engineering for resolving issues beyond local scope.

Documentation, Reporting & Interface

• Maintaining configuration control: keep technical baselines, drawings, as-built documentation up to date.
• Maintaining local logbooks, ITSM/Ticketing system entries, TT-Comms (or equivalent).
• Producing monthly engineering support reports with activities, faults, corrective and preventive maintenance, recommendations, risk assessments.
• Supporting the Principal Engineer with technical justifications, decision support, acceptance of delivered works, and briefing material.

SKILL, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
The Contractor Shall Fulfill The Following Requirements

• Security Clearance: The Contractor shall possess valid NATO-CTS Personal Security Clearances for the duration of the Contract performance.
• Language Proficiency: English: C1.

Qualifications

• Education: University Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics, or a related field, with at least two years of post-related experience; or Higher Vocational Training with a minimum of five years of post-related experience.
• SATCOM Expertise: Minimum of three years of practical experience in SATCOM systems, including UHF, SHF, HF and EHF systems.
• Technical Expertise: Familiarity with modern military communication networks, including interfaces, protocols, and experience with SATCOM Operations.
• Customer Service and Incident Management: Familiarity in service management (incident, problem management, etc.) and a customer-focused approach in a control center environment.
• Experience in test equipment usage (e.g. spectrum analyzer, vector network analyzer, oscilloscope, power meter) and ability to automatize measurements using different programs/programming languages (e.g. LabView, Matlab, Python, C).
• NATO Environment: prior experience working in a NATO or multinational military setting, with a solid understanding of NATO operational standards and protocols.

This is a deliverable-based contract.
This is a condensed version of the job description. A full, detailed job description will be provided during the application process.