Requirement: Technical Lead Architect Support Services for the ITM Recovery Project
Location: The Hague NETHERLANDS
Cost Not to Exceed: Base 2026: 13,950 EUR
Period of Performance: As soon as possible but not later than 27 August 2026 until 31 December 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
Introduction
The ITM Recovery Increment 1 (ITM RC1) project will replace the legacy Automated Information Systems (AIS) NS classification network with a modernized ITM Operational Network (ON) at NS in a private cloud across the NATO Command Structure (NCS). The project structure includes 14 Work Packages, organized in 4 pillar teams with about 30 people interacting daily with each other and externally too. This task falls under WP07 System Integration scope.
Objectives
NCI Agency seeks an experienced Solution Architect to provide expert guidance and hands-on coordination across the design, validation, and implementation of a large-scale enterprise private cloud. The engagement spans two closely related tracks:
- Architecture & governance: Validate and steer the enterprise solution architecture for a private, air-gapped cloud environment serving 20,000-50,000 users across 20+ locations, built on VMware Cloud Foundation (vCF) 9, NSX-T, Cisco ACI, Palo Alto, HP, and Rubrik systems.
- Automation & IaC adoption: Validate, specify, and coordinate the implementation of cloud infrastructure through automation and Infrastructure as Code, and enable the IT organisation to adopt these as its standard operating model.
Scope of Work
Architecture Validation & Guidance
- Review and validate the design documents for the private air-gapped cloud (vCF 9, NSX-T, Cisco ACI), identifying gaps, risks, and non-conformances against best practices, dependencies and overarching NATO architecture and directives documents.
- Provide design guidance to infrastructure and platform teams throughout the implementation lifecycle.
- Define and maintain architecture decision records (ADRs) and ensure traceability from requirements to design.
- Define and specify Interface Control Documents (ICDs) between the private cloud infrastructure and all producer/consumer services.
- Ensure interfaces are designed with security, observability, and automation in mind.
- Maintain an interface register and track ICD sign-off across workstream owners.
- Coordinate design and implementation efforts between the cyber security team and the infrastructure team, specifically covering: Privileged Access Management (PAM) implementation via CyberArk; PKI design and certificate lifecycle management; and Cyber Security Monitoring capability integration with the private cloud.
- Chair or co-chair joint design sessions and resolve cross-team technical dependencies.
- Validate and guide implementation of infrastructure automation using Ansible / AAP, Terraform, Jenkins, and vCF Automation.
- Define the automation and IaC target operating model for the cloud platform team.
- Advise on and document the transition from traditional infrastructure support to an automation-first operating model.
- Support upskilling of cloud operating teams in automation principles and tooling.
Requirements
Security:
- Delivering services under this SoW requires a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.
Candidates must demonstrate the following:
Platform & Infrastructure:
- Hands-on experience with VMware vCF 5; working knowledge of vCF 9 (direct vCF 9 experience strongly preferred).
- Experience designing or validating NSX-T software-defined networking at enterprise scale.
- Familiarity with Cisco ACI in a multi-site or data centre context.
- Demonstrable experience applying Security by Design principles (e.g. Zero Trust Approaches) to private cloud or data centre environments.
- Direct experience with CyberArk PAM implementation and integration.
- Understanding of PKI design and certificate management in enterprise environments.
- Hands-on experience with two or more of: Ansible / AAP, Terraform, Jenkins, vCF Automation.
- Experience leading or supporting the adoption of IaC practices within an infrastructure or cloud operating team.
- Ability to produce and maintain ADRs, ICDs, and architecture review reports to a professional standard.
- Experience coordinating across security, infrastructure, and application teams in a complex enterprise programme.
