Deadline Date: Friday 10 July 2026

Requirement: Transformation Area Lead

Location: Brussels, BE

Full Time On-Site: Yes

Time On-Site: 100%

Total Scope of the request (hours): 890 (estimate)

Required Start Date: 17 August 2026

End Contract Date: 31 December 2026

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Note: For all Level-of-Effort and Completion-Type requests processed outside of the IWC Value Stream, and for which the contractor will not be reimbursed directly by NHQC3S for travel  expenses, additional travel funding shall be allocated on a Not-to-exceed basis when the yearly Option is exercised.

Special Terms and Conditions: The contractor will be responsible for complying with the respective national requirements for working permits, visas, taxes, social security etc. whilst working on site at NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium. No special status is either conferred or implied by the host organization, NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium to the contractor whilst working on site.

1. INTRODUCTION

The NATO Cyber and Digital Transformation (CDT) Division, led by the Assistant Secretary General (ASG), ensures ICT coherence across NATO’s 50+ civil and military bodies, serving over 25,000 users. Reporting to the Secretary General, the ASG oversees enterprise directives and advises on IT acquisition and services.

The ASG has designated 2026 as “the Year of the Cloud,” emphasizing adoption and acceleration to modernize NATO’s ICT, maintain strategic advantage, and advance multi-domain operations. In parallel, NATO is accelerating transformation across Cloud, Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimize operational effects, ensure C2 superiority, and drive enterprise and mission transformation.

Cloud, data and AI are vital for enhancing operational efficiency, reinforcing security, fostering rapid innovation, and enabling interoperability. By leveraging these capabilities, NATO and Allies seek to strengthen warfighting capabilities, support data-driven decision-making, and align technology investments with strategic objectives.

To achieve this, CDT seeks expert support to lead a transformation area covering cloud, data, and AI topics at Enterprise and (where applicable) Alliance level. The contractor will act as a Transformation Area Lead, accountable for driving outcomes across a portfolio of initiatives, ensuring delivery discipline, stakeholder alignment, and architectural coherence. The awardee will also contribute to improved governance, decision preparation, and executive-level communication to accelerate adoption.

2. TASKS

The Transformation Area Lead will contribute to the success of NATO’s digital transformation agenda by leading and coordinating a portfolio of initiatives across cloud adoption, data integration & enablement, and AI enablement. Embedded within the CDT Capability Coherence Section, this role ensures coherence and acceleration across roadmaps, architecture, governance, delivery, and stakeholder communities.

The scope of work includes three tasks:

Task 1: Transformation Leadership & Project Management

The contractor shall lead the coordination, steering and delivery oversight of priority transformation initiatives across cloud, data and AI, ensuring strategic and technical alignment across the NATO Enterprise and relevant stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Transformation planning and execution: Define and maintain transformation roadmaps and delivery plans aligned to agreed mandates, outcomes, and value realization.
• Project management: Direct and coordinate multiple projects/workstreams, managing dependencies, timelines, budgets, resourcing assumptions, and delivery risks.
• Risk, compliance and assurance: Identify and manage risks; ensure required compliance activities are planned and executed, including security and accreditation activities (e.g., Security Accreditation of CIS) as applicable.

Task 2: Roadmap Development

The contractor shall ensure a coherent, integrated transformation roadmap across cloud, data and AI initiatives, aligning priorities, dependencies, delivery sequencing, and outcomes across the NATO Enterprise and relevant stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Integrated roadmap development and maintenance: Build, baseline and continuously maintain a consolidated transformation roadmap covering cloud, data and AI initiatives, including milestones, releases, dependencies, and decision points.
• Dependency and sequencing management: Identify cross-program dependencies (technical, operational, security/accreditation, procurement, resourcing) and drive appropriate sequencing to reduce delivery risk and accelerate adoption.
• Coherence across stakeholders: Coordinate with program/project leads, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity/accreditation, service management, and business owners to ensure a single, consistent plan and shared understanding of scope, timing and responsibilities.

Task 3: Stakeholder Management, Governance Support, and Communication

The contractor shall act as a focal point for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring shared understanding, alignment, and timely decisions to move transformation forward.

Key Responsibilities:

• Senior stakeholder engagement: Manage relationships with senior leaders, business owners, program teams, security/accreditation bodies, and service providers to ensure alignment and momentum.
• Board and committee support: Lead and/or support coordination of NATO boards/committees relevant to transformation topics (e.g., Cloud Strategy Group and other governance fora); represent CDT when tasked.
• Workshops and problem-solving: Organize and facilitate working sessions to address complex programmatic and cross-organizational issues; drive actionable outcomes and follow-through.
• Strategic briefings and communications: Develop and deliver concise, executive-ready briefings, papers, and decision support materials for diverse stakeholders.

3. PROFILE

[See Requirements]

4. LOCATION OF DUTY

The service will be executed on-site at the NATO HQ offices in Brussels, Belgium. Limited travels to NATO bodies and Committee meetings in NATO Countries may be required. Teleworking is possible on a case-by-case basis upon an agreement with management.

5. TIMELINES

The services of the contractor are required for the period starting 17th August until 31 December 2026.

Possible extension of the contract in 2027. Contract extensions are subject to performance of the contractor, budget availability and related NATO regulations.

6. REPORTING

The contractor reports to the assigned CDT Team Lead. Status reporting will be conducted either on-site at NATO HQ Brussels or through a scheduled conference call, based on what is most effective and feasible. The preference and availability of the CDT assigned Team Lead should be considered in determining the mode of communication.

The contractor shall comply with all general rules, terms, and conditions applicable to working within the CDT at NATO HQ Brussels. This includes security protocols, data protection guidelines, and any specific operational procedures.

7. TRAVEL

Occasional business travel may be required. Travel expenses will be reimbursed to the individual directly (in addition to the hourly rate) under NATO rules. Travel to Shape will not be reimbursed.

8. SECURITY AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

The contractor must be in possession of a NATO SECRET security clearance.

A signed Non-Disclosure Agreement will be required.

Requirements

3. PROFILE

Mandatory qualifications

The applicant must be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience on the following set of skills.

• Senior experience (8+ years) leading digital transformation initiatives (portfolio/program leadership) in NATO or similarly complex, high-security government/military/critical infrastructure environments.
• Demonstrated experience (8+ years) having held senior leadership/management positions with significant accountability for budgets, teams and outcomes.
• Proven ability to manage complex industry contracts and commercial delivery governance.
•  Strong business acumen with proven ability to translate strategy into executable roadmaps and measurable outcomes.
• Strong communication skills in English with the ability to produce executive- grade written deliverables and present complex topics clearly and succinctly.
• Proven ability to lead and influence senior stakeholders in multi-stakeholder environments (incl. without direct line authority).
• The awardee must hold a NATO SECRET Security Clearance.

Desired qualifications

The applicant should be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience on the following set of skills.

• Relevant knowledge of NATO Security Accreditation Policy and experience working with accreditation and security assurance processes.
• Certified project/program management professional (e.g., PMP/PMBOK, PRINCE2, MSP) with proven experience in IT governance (e.g., COBIT), ITIL-based service management, and organizational change management.
• Experience with on-premise datacenter operations and/or implementing air-gapped/on-premise cloud computing capabilities.
• Experience establishing or scaling data platforms (data governance, data products, metadata, data quality) and/or responsible AI practices in secure environments.
• Proven ability to navigate complex multi-national environments, building high-trust relationships across diverse organizational functions.