Requirement: SATCOM Engineering Support Services
Location: The Hague, NETHERLANDS
Full Time On-Site: Yes
Time On-Site: 100%
Not to Exceed: 2026 base: 108,990 EUR
2027 Option: 122,085 EUR
2028 Option : 125,190 EUR
Period of Performance: 2026 Base: 02 February 2026
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
Please do NOT apply for any NATO contract positions unless you meet ALL the following criteria:
- Current National or NATO SECRET clearance
- Nationality of one of the NATO member countries
- Current work visa for the specific location if applying for an in-country position
Project Specifics:
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 Defence 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 defence and crisis management capabilities of the Alliance. In pursuit of our mission, we require specialized advisory services to enhance our interim workforce capacity.
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 - 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 defence 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.
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.
Practical Arrangements:
Place of Performance: Work will be conducted primarily on-site in Den Haag - Netherlands in designated as Class I and II Security Area.
Travel Requirement: Travel may be required to other Purchasers' locations on exceptional basis. Travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the contractor and the expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.
Hours of Operation: T he Contractor is expected to follow the Purchaser's working hours—Monday to Thursday from 08h30 until 17h30 and Friday from 08h30 until 15h30.
Reporting: The Contractor shall produce Monthly Service Performance Report completion reports (format: e-mail update), which include details of activities performed, the list of the KPI completion and penalties if it is applicable.
Safety and Compliance and other arrangements:
- Follow all safety protocols to prevent accidents and injuries.
- Ensure compliance with agency, industry standards and regulations.
- The Contractor shall manage and be responsible for all activities mentioned in the Section 2.
- Install and operate the equipment following the manufacturer's requirements.
- Minimize the impact to the service during the execution of the work.
- Bring immediately to the attention of the Purchaser Point of Contact on-site any issues preventing the execution of the work.
- The Contractor shall: Strive to lower the rotation of Contractor's personnel and maintain the same staff Contractor working under this SoW.
- The Purchaser will support the Contractor with access to the IT systems as required.
- It is mandatory for the Contractor to be in possession of a valid NATO Secret security clearance for the duration Period of Performance. Only a valid NATO security clearance is acceptable- no equivalents will be accepted.
- Security requirements from NS Projects are in compliance with Security Requirements for NATO Secret (NS) Projects (Classified Projects).
- It is mandatory for the Contractor to be in possession of a valid NATO Secret security clearance for the duration Period of Performance. Only a valid NATO security clearance is acceptable- no equivalents will be accepted.
The Contractor shall fulfil the following requirements:
- Language Proficiency: English: C1
- 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 centre environment.
- Experience in test equipment usage (e.g. spectrum analyser, vector network analyser, oscilloscope, power meter) and ability to automatize measurements using different programs/programming languages (e.g. LabView, Matlab, Pyhton, C).
- NATO Environment: prior experience working in a NATO or multinational military setting, with a solid understanding of NATO operational standards and protocols.