AI Technologist

Spektrum supports apex purchasers (NATO, UN, EU, and National Government and Defence) and their Tier 1 supplier ecosystem with a wide range of specialist services. We provide our clients with professional services, specialised aerospace and defence sales, delivery, and operational subject matter expertise. We are looking for personnel to join our team and support key client projects.

Who we are supporting 

The NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) is responsible for providing secure and effective communications and information technology (IT) services to NATO's member countries and its partners. The agency was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

The NCIA provides a wide range of services, including:

• Cyber Security: The NCIA provides advanced cybersecurity solutions to protect NATO's communication networks and information systems against cyber threats.
• Command and Control Systems: The NCIA develops and maintains the systems used by NATO's military commanders to plan and execute operations.
• Satellite Communications: The NCIA provides satellite communications services to enable secure and reliable communications between NATO forces.
• Electronic Warfare: The NCIA provides electronic warfare services to support NATO's mission to detect, deny, and defeat threats to its communication networks.
• Information Management: The NCIA manages NATO's information technology infrastructure, including its databases, applications, and servers.

Overall, the NCIA plays a critical role in ensuring the security and effectiveness of NATO's communication and information technology capabilities.

The program

Assistance and Advisory Service (AAS)

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is NATO’s principal C3 capability deliverer and CIS service provider. It provides, maintains and defends the NATO enterprise-wide information technology infrastructure to enable Allies to consult together under Article IV, and, when required, stand together in the face of attack under Article V.

To provide these critical services, in the modern evolving dynamic environment the NCI Agency needs to build and maintain high performance-engaged workforce. The NCI Agency workforce strategically consists of three major categorise's: NATO International Civilians (NIC)'s, Military (Mil), and Interim Workforce Consultants (IWC)'s. The IWCs are a critical part of the overall NCI Agency workforce and make up approximately 15 percent of the total workforce.

Role ID – 2026-0061

Role Background

• To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems in support of consultation, command and control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO, where and when required.
• The Ballistic Missile Defence Programme Office (BMD PO), as part of the NCIA, ensures the harmonised planning, implementation, deployment, evolution and support of the BMD capability, in a way that satisfies the operational requirements and minimises the military risk, taking into account the NATO political, economic and schedule requirements and using the most suitable industrial and technological solutions.
• ACT has completed a comprehensive series of IAMD studies and is now transitioning into the benefit-realisation phase. Building on these foundations, ACT intends to initiate a two-year Feasibility Study to expand the ambition of the Emerging Concepts and Technologies work package already defined in the BMD PRD 2026. The first year will focus on (T)BMD use cases and operational challenges, examining innovative concepts and emerging technological approaches from leading industry and academic institutions.
• The team of contractors will be producing deliverables as part of the NCIA project team that executes the Allied Command for Transformation (ACT) Programme of Work (PoW) 2026 for BMD. The academic partner will contribute to deliverables with his/her AI research expertise and scientific rigour to the feasibility study, ensuring state-of-the-art approaches are considered and responsibly evaluated.

Role Duties and Responsibilities

• Leading the identification and scoping of AI/ML use cases applicable to (T)BMD fire- control coordination and IAMD operational challenges.
• Reviewing existing NIAG SG300 reports and TBMD simulation data to establish baseline knowledge and identify relevant datasets.
• Designing a baseline data architecture and methodological framework for the responsible use of advanced AI technologies within the BMD domain, informed by NATO’s current AI architecture and near-term plans.
• Conducting feasibility studies on emerging AI/ML computational techniques (such as machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and large language models) and assessing their potential operational benefit for identified use cases.
• Developing and evaluating AI/ML software prototypes and demonstrators for selected BMD use cases at NATO UNCLASSIFIED level in the NATO Software Factory (NSF). All development to take place in NSF and to use existing LLMs where needed (to make it easier to migrate to NS).
• Preparing and providing subject matter (BMD AI) briefings, expert reports, and feasibility study documentation related to the project work.
• Developing and documenting a responsible AI framework aligned to the NATO Principles of Responsible AI Use (PRU), as outlined in the NATO AI Strategy, but specifically tailored to the BMD context. This work should follow NATO ambition and align with existing work on the topic as required.
• Planning and delivering subject matter (BMD AI) training and knowledge transfer sessions to the NCIA project team and a wider NCIA community, focusing on the BMD case. NCIA will share currently available AI training material with the contractor team.

Deliverables base period:

• D1- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products for the BMD AI feasibility study (Year 1 – Feasibility and Architecture Definition phase):
  • Review of existing SG300 reports and TBMD simulation data, and identification of relevant datasets.
  • Scenario and use-case definitions (e.g. target characterisation, trajectory estimation, engagement coordination).
  • Feasibility Study Report v1 – documenting assessed AI/ML approaches and their applicability.
  • Kick-off and Review Meeting Minutes.
  • System Architecture Document – defining a baseline data architecture and methodological framework for responsible use of advanced AI technologies.
  • AI/ML algorithm evaluation and benchmarking report for identified use cases.
  • Software prototype – alpha release for at least one identified use case.
  • Progress briefing to NCIA project team.

• D2- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products (prototype validation, knowledge transfer and roadmap phase):
  • Updated Feasibility Study Report v2 – incorporating findings from prototype testing.
  • Software prototype – beta release with demonstrated performance against identified scenarios.
  • Technical expert report documenting evaluation results and recommendations.
  • Supporting and participating in product demonstrations at relevant meetings and conferences.
  • Final Feasibility Study Report – with conclusions and recommendations for implementation at NATO CLASSIFIED level.
  • Technology Roadmap document for further development and integration of AI solutions in BMD capability.
  • Aligning to NCIA’s Principles of Responsible AI Use framework documentation, covering ethics, explainability, and governance considerations.

Deliverables option period 2027:

• D1- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Refined scenario and use-case specifications based on Year 1 findings.
  • Advanced software prototype – alpha release for expanded set of AI/ML use cases.
  • Review and update of data architecture framework.
  • Kick-off and review meeting minutes.
• D2- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Advanced software prototype – beta release with extended functionality.
  • Integration study report – assessing integration pathways into existing BMD BMC3I systems.
  • Validation and verification report for AI/ML models against operational scenarios.
• D3- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Updated software prototype with operator-in-the-loop testing results.
  • Operator feedback report and user acceptance assessment.
  • Participation in product demonstrations at relevant NATO meetings and conferences.
• D4- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Annual summary report on AI/ML prototype maturity and readiness for further NATO development.
  • Updated technology roadmap and recommendations for Year 3.
  • Training session on BMD AI developments and prototype demonstrations for NCIA project team.

Deliverables option period 2028:

• D1- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Final software demonstrator release – consolidated AI/ML solution package.
  • Comprehensive technical documentation for implementation teams.
  • Updated framework to show how responsible AI is addressed for these use cases, with lessons learned.
• D2- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Transition and integration support report for NCIA programme-level teams.
  • Final validation report against all identified operational use cases.
  • Publication-ready technical report for NATO scientific community.
• D3- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Transition and integration support report for NCIA programme-level teams.
  • Final validation report against all identified operational use cases.
  • Publication-ready technical report for NATO scientific community.
• D4- The team of contractors will deliver the following services and products:
  • Transition and integration support report for NCIA programme-level teams.
  • Final validation report against all identified operational use cases.
  • Publication-ready technical report for NATO scientific community.

Essential Skills, Experience and Certifications

• More than 10 years of professional experience in software engineering, AI/ML system development, or related technical disciplines, with demonstrated expertise in the full software development lifecycle.
• Hands-on expertise in AI/ML frameworks and tools, including but not limited to: PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, or equivalent. Demonstrable experience implementing and evaluating ML models in production or research environments.
• Strong proficiency in software development using one or more of the following languages and frameworks: Python, Java, C#/.NET, JavaScript/TypeScript. Experience with backend frameworks such as Spring Boot, or equivalent enterprise-grade platforms.
• Experience in the design and development of distributed software architectures, including microservices, RESTful APIs, cloud-native components (AWS, Azure, or equivalent), and containerised deployment using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience in research project management, including contribution to research proposals, scientific studies, project planning, and reporting in a technical or academic context.
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and evaluate AI/ML software prototypes and demonstrators, including documentation of technical results in reports and specifications.
• Experience working in project teams with international composition, including both military and civilian stakeholders, and adapting to different organisational environments.
• Experience contributing to NIAG (NATO Industrial Advisory Group) studies or equivalent NATO science and technology activities.
• Candidate must have the nationality of one of the NATO nations.

Education

• University degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related field. A PhD in a relevant discipline is preferred.

Language

• Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Desired Skills, Experience and Certifications

• Experience with NATO C4ISR systems or defence-related software development, including familiarity with relevant standards and mission application architectures (e.g. BMC3I systems, JCHAT, XMPP, Link16, NVG).
• Experience with AI/ML use cases relevant to the defence domain, such as signal classification, anomaly detection, trajectory prediction, or multi-sensor data fusion.
• Experience with knowledge graph technologies, vector databases, semantic search, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, particularly for large-scale data analysis applications.
• Familiarity with responsible AI principles, including model explainability techniques (SHAP, LIME, attention visualisation), fairness metrics, and AI governance frameworks.
• Experience with agile development methodologies and collaborative software development practices (e.g. Git, CI/CD pipelines, code review).
• Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organisation, including ACT and ACO.
• Prior working experience in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements.

Working Location

• Remote

Working Policy

• Offsite

Travel

• Some travel to other NATO sites may be required

Security Clearance

• Not required