System Administrator

Who we are:

For 75 years, NATO’s mission has been to preserve peace and security in the Alliance for nearly one billion citizens. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and its predecessors have worked tirelessly in providing the means that enable the connectedness and togetherness that keep our Alliance strong. We are the NCI Agency, a team of 3000 civilian and military staff in 29 locations throughout Europe, North America and Asia. 

Our technology and cyber experts allow NATO to conduct critical operations, protect NATO’s airspace, make data-driven decisions, defend against cyber-attacks, secure NATO networks and maintain superiority in space. This is all possible because of our greatest force, our people. In order to keep this edge we aim to hire, train and retain the very best staff. 

Our staff members represent both the diversity and unity of our Alliance. When you join the NCIA, you will be part of an organization where you can contribute authentically to the mission and purpose of NATO and help us keep our technological edge.

About the job:

Based in Norfolk, VA, USA you will join the Agency as we embark on a journey to transform our IT services to support NATO’s Digital Endeavour. You will join CSU Norfolk, which is the leading provider of Communications and Information System (CIS) products and services to locally based NATO entities such as the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) – HQ SACT – and Joint Force Command (JFC) Norfolk. CSU Norfolk enables end-to-end CIS services and manages critical technological capabilities during peacetime, crisis and war.

We are looking for a driven and enthusiastic System Administrator who will take on the following roles and responsibilities:

•    Responsible for the system administration of assigned systems.
•    Analysis and implementation of user requirements ranging from creation of user accounts and customization of user profiles to system optimization to meet user or operation requirements.
•    Administration of software and user data backup and restore functions.
•    Server and Client Hardware and Software troubleshooting.
•    Providing assistance in installation, setup and debugging of network devices.
•    Developing and maintaining Standard Operating Procedures for routine system administration tasks.
•    Developing, maintaining and optimizing the hardware and software configuration for the assigned systems.

For a full list of duties, please review the job description on the NCIA career site.

Please note that the internal job title for this role is Senior Technician (Digital Infrastructure). 

About you:

The valuable knowledge and experience that you bring to this role are:

•    Higher vocational training in a relevant discipline with 2 years post-related experience. Or a secondary educational qualification with 4 years post-related experience.
•    Experience in information systems engineering and maintenance, system management, and system administration.
•    At least 2 years' experience in the implementing, and managing the underlying technology, software and hardware components that ensure the smooth functioning of servers, storage systems, data centers, and cloud services:
       o    System Administration on a large computer network;
       o    Windows & Linux Operating Systems; 
       o    Active Directory & Group Policy Management; 
       o    Virtualization of servers and desktops; 
       o    Storage Area Networks (SANs); 
       o    Data Backup systems; 
       o    Use of scripting to automate tasks; 
       o    Large scale system management tools, such as MCM (Microsoft Configuration Manager); 
       o    ITIL Problem Management.
•    Experience as a network administrator. 
•    Experience in the operation and administration of a large computer network either client server or mainframe.
•    Practical experience in diagnosing deficiencies in networks and associated equipment.
•    Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

What we offer:

•    Genuinely meaningful work as part of the most successful alliance in history;
•    3 year contract with competitive tax-free salary and household and children’s allowances;
•    Privileges for expatriate staff including expatriation and education allowances (where appropriate) and additional home leave;
•    Excellent private health insurance scheme;
•    Generous annual leave of 30 days plus official holidays;
•    NATO Pension Scheme;
•    Development programs such as professional training, wellbeing, and more

To learn more about the NCIA and our work, please visit our website.  

The NCIA prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment of mutual respect and value uniqueness and differences in gender, gender identity, race, ethnic or cultural origin, age, religion, sexual orientation and physical or neurocognitive ability.  

Additional details on the conditions of application can be found via the NCIA career site.