1. POST CONTEXT

This is a position within the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
CMRE is an established, world-class scientific research and experimentation facility that organizes and conducts scientific research and technology development, centred on the maritime domain, delivering innovative and field tested Science & Technology (S&T) solutions to address defence and security needs of the Alliance.
This position is within The Engineering and Information Technology Division (EITD), which supports the execution of the Programme of Work.
EITD consists of the Engineering Branch and the Information Technology Branch:
• The Engineering Branch addresses the engineering and technological requirements of the Centre’s research activity, by designing, developing, constructing, testing at-sea and maintaining, repairing and calibrating electronic, oceanographic, mechanical, acoustical assemblies and unmanned systems, especially prototypes, or combinations of such units as required. The branch has the following sections:
– Sonar & Marine Sensors Section
– Ocean Engineering Section
– Embedded Systems Section
• The Information Technology Branch supports the conception, design, development and construction of state-of-the-art technologies in computing, networking and data infrastructure as well as developing, integrating, and validating software applications, services and products. All this is done while ensuring interoperability, security and compliance with relevant NATO policies and regulations. The branch has the following sections:
– Software Development and Data Management Section
– Scientific CIS Section
The position is within the Information Technology Branch, Software Development and Data Management Section.

2. PRINCIPAL DUTIES

• Manage and maintain on-premise and cloud data storage systems to ensure reliability, scalability, and security.
• Implement and monitor data transfer processes, ensuring efficient data flow between systems.
• Maintain and enforce access control policies, ensuring proper data governance and security compliance.
• Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of data systems, addressing any issues related to storage, transfer, and accessibility.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure data integration, automation, and deployment processes are aligned with business objectives.
• Monitor and optimize data flows to ensure high availability, reliability, and performance.
• Implement data quality checks, performance tuning, and troubleshoot any pipeline issues.
• Perform other related/similar duties as directed in order for the Organization to deal with emergent requirements (in particular, working as a member of Working Groups or Project Teams) for defined periods

3. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND ADDITIONAL DUTIES

a. Flexibility Clause
The incumbent may be required to perform other related duties even in other parts of the organization as directed.
All other related duties should correspond with the required competencies for the job.
b. Deployment/Travel
The incumbent may be required to perform his/her duties onboard Centre or chartered vessels. The incumbent may be required to undertake TDY assignments within and outside NATO boundaries.

4. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

a. Professional/Experience

• 3+ years of professional experience in software development and data engineering
• Experience in managing on-premises, especially from major vendors, and cloud data storage systems, especially Azure.
• Experience with backup storage solution from major vendors
• Strong understanding of data transfer protocols, storage optimization, and access control mechanisms.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (Azure) and relevant data services.
• Knowledge of data governance, security best practices, and access control management.
• Professional experience in relational databases (e.g. Postgres) and a NoSQL database
• Working experience with Linux (POSIX) systems
• Working experience with PowerShell
• Experience with Agile project management as member of a SCRUM team

b. Education/Training

• A minimum requirement of a Bachelor’s degree at a nationally recognized/certified University in software engineering, computer science or a related discipline and 1 years post-related experience.
or
• Exceptionally, the lack of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of a candidate’s higher secondary education combined with particular abilities or experience that is/are of interest to CMRE, that is, at least 3 years extensive and progressive expertise in duties related to the function of the post.

c. Language Requirements

A thorough knowledge of one of the two NATO languages, both written and spoken, is essential and some knowledge of the other is desirable.
English SLP 3333
NOTE: Most of the work of CMRE is conducted in the English language.

5. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in software engineering, computer science or related discipline
• Experience with distributed data processing systems (e.g. Apache Spark, Flink, Kafka)
• Experience with cloud distributed data processing systems (e.g. Databricks, Azure Synapse)
• Experience working in a multi-national environment and/or experience working in the security domain
• Experience with automation and orchestration tools (e.g., Azure Data Factory, Apache Airflow)
• Certifications in Azure or related cloud technologies
• Experience in hybrid data environments (on-prem and cloud integration).
• Certifications in DevOps and Agile SCRUM (e.g. PSM)
• Certifications in cloud services and cloud data service, e.g. AZ-series, AWS certified
• Experience of working with containerization and orchestration systems (e.g. docker, k8s)

6. ATTRIBUTES/COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate possesses the following competencies / personal attributes:
• Achievement: Works to meet standards;
• Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
• Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
• Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written – able to communicate at all levels;
• Innovative and driven. Always displaying sound judgement;
• Excellent time management and organizational skills;
• Very good interpersonal skills. Solicits inputs and encourages others.

All CMRE personnel are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the current NATO Code of Conduct agreed by the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and thus display the core values of integrity, impartiality, loyalty, accountability, and professionalism.

7. REMARKS
The duties are performed in an office, laboratory, workshop environment or on-board Centre ships. Slightly undesirable working conditions may apply.
The nature of this position may require the staff members to be called at times, to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.
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About Us:

The Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) is part of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO). The mission of the STO is to help position both national and NATO science and technology investments as a strategic enabler and technology advantage for the defence and security posture of NATO Allies and partners. The Centre conducts scientific research and technology development and delivers innovative field-tested S&T solutions to address the defence and security needs of the Alliance. CMRE has more than 60 years of experience and has produced a cadre of leaders in ocean science, modelling and simulation, acoustics and other disciplines, as well as producing critical results and understanding that have been built into the operational concepts of NATO and the Nations.

What we offer:
• Salary (Pay Basis): 3,586.64 (EUR) Monthly*.
*Salary value as per 2025. Subject to future adjustments in accordance with North Atlantic Council decisions.
• Grade ABCL grade B3-B4 / NATO grade G8-G10
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.
• A world class research facility located in the sea port of La Spezia, Italy supported by two specialised research vessels.
• An exciting place in which to work situated at an ideal location, the port of La Spezia, Italy, enabling synergy with regional and global academic institutes and industry.
• Salary and conditions of employment will be in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (NCPR), which includes a rewarding salary and a comprehensive system of allowances, supplements and insurances to support families and, in case of expatriated staff, offers an interesting “expatriate” package.
• A generous annual leave and, (where eligible) home leave.
• The successful candidate will be offered a three years’ definite duration contract which may be renewed for subsequent periods subject to business needs, satisfactory performance and the need to rotate skills and talent within the Organization.
• Applicants who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature, which might become vacant in the near future, albeit at the same or a lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.

Our recruitment process:
• Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries.
• Applications (including the most relevant publications, the diplomas – stating the highest level of education – and a CV) for this vacancy are to be submitted using the E-recruitment system;
• Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the CMRE Medical Adviser.

Additional information:
• CMRE values diverse backgrounds and perspectives and is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce. We welcome applications of nationals from all Member States and strongly encourage women to apply.
• Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity, and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.

For more information on how to apply:
How to apply for posts within NATO

6 tips to apply for posts within NATO

NOTE:
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.