Operational Research and Analysis Expert

Spektrum; Norfolk (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Spektrum is seeking qualified personnel to join our team supporting NATO and allied client projects in Norfolk, VA. The role focuses on Operations Research and performance analysis to guide capability development and decision-making within ACT and the NCI Agency frameworks.

Responsibilities include COA analysis, cost and risk assessments, and delivering written reports and briefings to senior stakeholders. Travel may be required up to 35 days annually, with an onsite working arrangement in

Qualifications

• Two examples in the last 10 years (minimum 3 years duration) in military Operations Research / Operational Analysis / Systems Analysis, supporting policy development or capability development.
• Experience designing, leading and facilitating workshops involving technical and non-technical stakeholders across multiple levels of seniority.
• Experience in risk identification, assessment, analysis, and management in project or programme planning.
• Experience with cost-estimating methodologies and producing cost estimates for defense-related programs.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to COA analysis using Operations Research and Analysis techniques to mature capability requirements.
• Research and assess qualitative and quantitative measures of operational effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and risk-benefit.
• Interact with NATO and national entities to understand impact of alternatives on operational effectiveness.
• Produce decision briefs and written reports describing analytical outcomes for senior decision-makers.
• Travel to meetings and conferences up to 35 days per year if required.

Skills

Operations Research

Workshop Facilitation

Cost Estimation

Risk Management

Analytical Methods

Policy Development

Education

Bachelor's in quantitative field

Job description

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.

Background Information

Following the NATO Madrid Summit in June 2022, the NATO Heads of State have agreed on a substantial increase in the level of funding available to deliver NATO Alliance-level capability change programmes. This funding increase ramps up from 2023-2030 and necessitates changes to NATO’s capability delivery model to achieve the ambition set out by the Nations.

NATO capability delivery programmes cover a variety of areas, such as Communications and Information Systems (CIS, e.g. operational Command and Control (C2) information systems), infrastructure investment to support military readiness and alliance-funded platform acquisition.

ACT and ACO are working with NATO Headquarters and delivery Agencies to improve the efficiency of NATO’s capability delivery model, and are preparing to increase the speed and volume of capability delivery. ACT will increase the number and variety of supporting analysis studies (including Course of Action (COA) analysis and Analysis of Alternatives (AoA)) carried out to match the increased scope of capability delivery.

The Operational Analysis Branch provides analysts to programme teams to drive and support evidence-based decision-making in requirements derivation and programmatic planning. In this SOW, “Operational Analysis” (predominantly military term) is used interchangeably with “Operations Research” (US term) and “Operational Research” (UK term).

COA analysis supports capability development programme teams to determine appropriate DOTMLPFI methods and capability architectures for meeting the military user’s operational requirements and defining programmatic structures. AoA supports programme teams in determining appropriate acquisition strategies and demonstrates to NATO’s governance bodies that programme plans are structured to deliver value for money.

COA analysis typically involves engaging with the programme team to understand programmatic areas of uncertainty, designing and facilitating workshops to gather stakeholder views (including within the military NATO Command Structure, delivery Agencies and Centres of Excellence, and/or the NATO Force Structure), gathering or generating (if appropriate) cost, risk, schedule, and effectiveness evidence, and comparative options assessment. This may include the development or elicitation of Measures of Performance (MoPs) and Measures of Effectiveness (MoEs); assessment of absolute and comparative risks; elicitation of schedule estimates; and review of cost estimates for appropriateness to support this assessment.

Analysis of Alternatives similarly involves the comparative assessment of options in terms of costs, risks, schedules, and operational effectiveness. The AoA tests the commercial marketplace and NATO’s ability to re-use capabilities that are in service in member Nations' militaries. It establishes whether NATO should procure a managed service, adopt National capability solutions, acquire products from industry, or develop bespoke solutions. For complex programmes, the AoA can inform programmatic structures by showing how value for money is most likely to be achieved.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to COA analysis using Operations Research and Analysis techniques, in support of Capability Development within ACT to mature NATO capability requirements and set programmatic direction.
• Research to study and establish qualitative and quantitative assessments of operational effectiveness, undertake cost-effectiveness and risk-benefit studies and analyses.
• Where appropriate, interact with appropriate NATO and National research entities and industries to establish the impact of alternatives on operational effectiveness.
• Where appropriate, attend engagements with NATO, National organizations, and/or industry to ensure cost estimation activities are likely to provide outputs of appropriate quality to support analysis.
• Support the creation of Requests for Information to NATO Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and
• Analyse the potential impact of identified individual and aggregated risks, and propose possible risk management
• Elicit, and/or review and assess schedule estimates, to ensure appropriate quality and supporting evidence for decisions being supported by analysis.
• Review and assess cost estimates provided by others, to ensure appropriate quality and supporting evidence for decisions being supported by analysis.
• Analyse and document comparative assessments of cost, risk, schedule, and operational effectiveness to inform programmatic decision-making.
• Produce decision briefs/presentations describing the underlying rationale/justification for analytical outcomes. If appropriate, brief decision-makers on the context, process, and outcomes.
• Produce written reports of analysis conducted as part of the CPP evidence package, for review with the International Military Staff and International Staff in NATO Headquarters.
• Produce summary briefs of lessons identified / lessons learned to support continuous improvement of NATO capability development and OA Branch skills and competencies.
• May be required to travel to meetings and conferences both within and outside NATO’s boundaries for up to 35 days per
• Perform additional tasks as required by the COTR related to the LABOR

Essential Qualifications

• Minimum two examples in the last 10 years (minimum 3 years duration) in the field of military Operations Research / Operational Analysis / Systems Analysis, supporting policy development, capability development, or With a relevant Bachelor’s degree (listed below), only 2 years in the last 5 must be in the fields/areas listed above.
• Experience in designing, leading and facilitating workshops involving technical and non-technical stakeholders and across multiple levels of seniority.
• Experience, within the last 5 years, of determining Operational Analysis requirements, scoping problems for study, developing analysis plans, and delivering high-quality outputs that influence senior decision-makers.
• Experience with assessment frameworks, including setting MoPs and MoEs, setting service delivery KPIs, or analysis supporting programmatic benefits management and planning.
• Experience in gathering evidence and scoring effectiveness through the use of analytical methods to defence domain issues. Methods may include soft systems methods and elicitation of subjective evidence, war gaming, computer modelling and simulation, mathematical modelling, optimization techniques, and process mapping.
• Experience in risk identification, assessment, analysis, and management in a project and /or programme planning
• Experience in producing or working with cost estimates, including cost-estimating methodologies, methods, and
• Experience within the last 10 years working in a strategic or operational military command or multinational

Education

• A University or equivalent Bachelor’s degree in Operations Research, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering or equivalent quantitative degree, or a subject with focus on organizational or group decision-making. Alternatively, 5+ years of Operational Analysis / Operations Research experience conducting and leading analytical studies in a relevant military, strategic, political or international environment.

Working Location

• Norfolk, VA, USA

Working Policy

• Onsite

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO personal security clearance

Language

• Professional English