2025-0148 L3 Application Support (NS) BELGIUM - 13 Jun RELAUNCH

Deadline Date:  Friday 13 June 2025
 
Requirement:  L3 Application Support (COTS & Cloud Technologies)
 
Location:  Braine-l'Alleud, BELGIUM
 
Full Time On-Site:  Yes
 
Time On-Site:  100%
 
Not to Exceed:  2025 Base: 7,695 EUR NTE/sprint (15 sprints, total NTE 115,425 EUR), 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 OPTIONS
 
Period of Performance:  2025 BASE: 14 July 2025
 
Required Security Clearance:  NATO SECRET
 
Introduction:
The NCI Agency (hereafter referred to as the “Purchaser”) is seeking an L3 Application Support Engineer (COTS & Cloud Technologies) to provide ongoing support for the NBAC Business Area during the migration of on-premise applications to the cloud. This role will focus on ensuring continued L3 support for existing COTS applications while also offering expert guidance and consultation on cloud migration efforts when required.
 
Objectives:
This Statement of Work aims to enhance the support model for NBAC-delivered services, focusing on maintaining existing on-premise COTS applications while providing support during the assessment and migration to cloud infrastructure.
The ideal candidate should have:

• Expertise in COTS application deployment and support
• Strong background in cloud technologies (Azure/AWS)
• Proven experience in configuring and supporting Atlassian Jira Service Management, with a solid understanding of other Atlassian products
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills
• The ability to document processes and provide training on tools and best practices.

• Design, implement, and manage Atlassian products on Azure private cloud as well as on-prem. Jira Service Management (JSM) and Jira Software (JS) are the main products.
• Ensure seamless integration with internal and external applications and systems.

• Design, implement, and manage Kubernetes environment that run in private cloud environments

• Configure CI/CD Pipelines
• Manage EntraID Groups and Roles
• Manage and configure different Cloud components

• Provide third-level support for end-user queries.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software issues, ensuring minimal disruption to users.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software problems, ensuring efficient use of resources and problem resolution.

• Log and track support incidents using the helpdesk ticketing system.
• Ensure all tickets are updated with accurate and detailed information and resolved within the agreed service levels.

• Escalate complex issues to vendor support or appropriate teams when necessary.
• Follow up on escalated issues to ensure timely resolution and user satisfaction.

• Contribute to the creation and maintenance of a knowledge base, documenting common issues and solutions.
• Share knowledge and best practices with team members to improve overall service quality.

• Controlling, managing and providing access to the restricted areas managed by the business area.
• Ensuring the proper functionality and security of software and hardware managed by the NBAC.
• Monitoring COTS Applications and other software managed by NBAC by identifying and reporting any problems with the infrastructure, hardware and software applications.
• Providing support to NBAC team for security approval and accreditation of software applications and CIS.
• Controlling and checking compliance with security regulations laid down by NCIA and NATO on the use of software and hardware which is part of the NBAC services.

• Communicate effectively with users to understand their issues and provide clear instructions.
• Collaborate with IT teams to resolve issues and improve service delivery.

• The contractor shall participate in daily status update meetings, activity planning and other meetings as instructed, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the Service Delivery Manager / Team Leaders instructions.
• For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of his/her work during the sprint, first verbally during the retrospective meeting and then in written within three (3) days after the sprint’s end date. The format of this report shall be a short email to the NCIA Point of Contact mentioning briefly the work held and the development achievements during the sprint.

• All the deliverables provided under this statement of work will be based on NCI Agency templates or agreed with the project point of contact.
• All code, scripts, documentation, etc. will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCI Agency tools.

• Delivering services under this SoW requires a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.
• Any resource proposed for this SOW requires valid NATO SECRET security clearance prior to the start of the engagement.
• All the deliverables of this project will be considered NATO UNCLASSIFIED, while access to networks exceeding this classification level is required.
• With this role being of technical nature providing administrative support, a security clearance at the NATO Secret level is required prior to the start of the engagement.

• The contractor will be required to provide services 100% on-site at Braine l’Alleud, Belgium.
• Teleworking (working from own location in the country of the duty station) to support service delivery can also be arranged with the line manager’s coordination and approval.
• The work will be conducted during normal office hours following the Braine l’Alleud calendar, as well as outside office hours and on weekends, if necessary.
• NCI Agency in Braine l’Alleud Recognized Business hours/Holidays: NCI Agency in Braine l’Alleud official holiday schedule applies and will be provided to the contractor.
• NCI Agency in The Hague Operations: Monday to Thursday 0830 – 1730 and Friday 0830 – 1530 (CET)
• Contractor Furnished Services: Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform the contract except for the items specified and covered under NCIA Furnished Property and Services below.
• NCIA Furnished Property and Services: Access to relevant networks and environments will be provided by NCIA
• The work depicted in this SOW is expected to be carried by a SINGLE RESOURCE.
• Work is to be performed on the NCI Agency network(s) and appropriate hardware and connectivity will be provided by the NCI Agency, for the duration of this contract, and is to be returned upon completion of the contract.

• There may be requirements to travel to other sites within NATO for completing these tasks for periods not exceeding 2 weeks.
• Travel expenses are out of scope and will be borne by the NCI Agency separately in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.

• Expert knowledge of Linux server infrastructure and Windows server infrastructure.
• Expert knowledge in designing, implementing, and optimizing Jira Service Management projects, including request types, workflows, screens, fields, security, SLA’s and automation rules.
• Expert knowledge in configuring and managing JSM portals.
• Strong experience with Advanced JQL (JIRA Query Language) for reporting, filtering and dashboard creation.
• Understanding of JSM security best practices including project and global permissions.
• Deep knowledge of Software Programming Principles.
• Good knowledge of JAVA or Groovy Programming Language
• Good knowledge of Version Control Systems such as GIT.
• Good understanding of Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID.
• Good knowledge of REST APIs for custom integrations.
• Good knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes technologies.
• Good knowledge of configuration of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) in Azure DevOps.
• Good knowledge of implementing monitoring and logging solutions such as Prometheus, Grafana.
• Expert Knowledge of web servers such as IIS and Apache Web Server.
• Strong understanding of ITIL principles (Incident, Problem, Change, Request Fulfilment, Service Level Management) and their application in JSM projects.
• Good experience of the Agile Methodology.
• Expert knowledge of networking infrastructure.
• Expert knowledge of PKI.
• Deep understanding of security constraints and requirements in CIS.
• Deep understanding of NCIA and NATO security directives and regulations, along with understanding of industry best practices and standards.
• Familiarity with Microsoft services and tools, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint.
• Experience in human resource (HR) IT applications related to personnel, posts, organisations, identity management and badges;
• Experience (at least two years) in various areas of Software Engineering including some of the following: Requirements elicitation and management (including non-functional requirements for Operations & Maintenance); SW change management and testing; Application release and deployment management; Configuration management practices and tools; Application Lifecycle Management concept and tools.
• Knowledge of NATO HR processes;
• Knowledge and experience in state-of-the-art technologies, relevant to software engineering: Technologies and standards (at least 4 of them): HTML5, REST Services, Web
• Services, XML, SQL, Visual Basic for Applications; Application server technologies and Relational data base management systems; programming languages and platforms like .NET, C#, JAVA, Groovy, JavaScript;

• Strong troubleshooting skills to diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and network issues.
• Ability to guide users through problem-solving steps effectively.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Full proficiency in English. French language proficiency is of advantage.
• Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical users in a clear and concise manner.

• Strong customer service focus with a commitment to user satisfaction.
• Patience and empathy when dealing with user issues and concerns.

• Ability to manage multiple support tickets and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Attention to detail in documenting support activities and maintaining accurate records.

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and share knowledge and resources.
• Willingness to collaborate with colleagues to solve complex issues.

• The candidate has strong customer relationship skills, including negotiating complex and sensitive situations under pressure.
• The candidate must have the nationality of one of the NATO nations.
• The candidate must possess a NATO Secret Security Clearance or national equivalent.
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements;