Cyberspace Concept Developer & Validator

Cyberspace Concept Developer & Validator
Location: Norfolk, VA (On-site at NATO HQ SACT)
Employment Type: Full-time, contractor support (contingent upon contract award & customer approval)
Security Clearance: Active/eligible for NATO or National SECRET (or higher)
Openings: 1 opening
Target Base Salary Range: $128,000 - $155,000
Travel: Up to 20 days/year (generally within NATO boundaries).
Role Overview
Support NATO Cyberspace capability development by identifying, developing, and validating cyberspace operations concepts aligned to NATO operational needs and ACT guidance. You will lead hands-on concept engineering and work with multinational stakeholders to mature concepts through experimentation and implementation planning.
Key Responsibilities

• Identify cyberspace operations capability concepts based on NATO needs and ACT direction.
• Conduct research, collect inputs, draft concepts, and manage reviews/approvals.
• Build and maintain Communities of Interest across NATO, Nations, industry, and academia.
• Contribute to experimentation and validation (feasibility analysis, experiment design, assessments).
• Produce engineering artifacts across the capability lifecycle (requirements, architectures, IERs, interoperability).
• Support additional warfare development activities (studies, foresight, technical and operational analyses).
• Plan and participate in workshops and conferences (travel as required).

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering/systems engineering/computer science (or bachelor’s + 5 years recent hands-on systems engineering in a military context).
• Recent hands-on authorship of cyberspace concepts/specifications/architectures/designs (3+ within the last 5 years).
• Post-degree CIS security and cyber defence credentialing (e.g., CISSP, GIAC, ISACA CISM).
• Hands-on architecture drafting experience (NAF, TOGAF, or equivalent).
• Experience planning and executing stakeholder workshops with government/industry/academia.
• Valid NATO nation passport with no travel restrictions to NATO nations.
• Citizen of a NATO member nation; active NATO or National SECRET (or higher) clearance; English proficiency.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience with Cyberspace Situational Awareness (CySA), decision support, or Cyberspace C2 (CyC2) concepts.
• Experience with Analyses of Alternatives and capability requirements across DOTMLPFI.
• Prior NATO or multinational defence environment experience.

How to Apply
Email your resume to [email protected] with the subject line: "RFP-ACT-SACT-26-02 – LC32 – Cyberspace Concept Developer & Validator" or respond to this job posting via the included web application.

Ironclad Defense Works is an Equal Opportunity Employer.