Requirements Quality Assurance Analyst

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

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is NATO’s leading agent for change: driving, facilitating, and advocating the continuous improvement of Alliance capabilities to maintain and enhance the military relevance and effectiveness of the Alliance. The main objectives of ACT are: providing appropriate support to NATO missions and operations; leading NATO military transformation; and improving relationships, interaction and practical cooperation with partners, nations and international organisations. ACT therefore leads Alliance concept development, capability development, training and lessons-learned initiatives and provides unfettered military support to policy development within NATO.

The program 

Capability Development & Management Support (CDMS)

  DCOS Capability Development (CAPDEV) acts as the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation's Director for guidance, direction and coordination of the activities and resources of the Capability Development Directorate.

The Requirements Division will execute all tasks and activities needed to support requirements management for NATO capabilities

The Capability Requirements (CR) Branch will develop the Capability Requirements Brief and recommended courses of action to resolve issues through the life cycle management of requirements using matrixed, cross-functional project-specific Requirements Management teams.

The Requirements Forward Branch (Mons) is responsible for conducting requirements development and management representation and engagement-related functions in Europe.

The Capability Division coordinates the development of capabilities from capability planning through acceptance and then disposal with management entities, NATO Headquarters staff and the NATO Governance Structure

The Capability Forward Branch (Mons) coordinates with ACO, NCIA, NSPA, NATO HQ, territorial Host Nations, and NATO Centres of Excellence (COEs) to support the development of capabilities.

Strategic Plans and Policy (SPP) supports Allied Command Transformation in formalizing military advice to shape future military strategy, political guidance, and other policy documents supporting NATO’s strategic objectives.

Role ID: ACT-CDMS-27-01-A-LC10

Role and Duties

DCOS Capability Development (CAPDEV) acts as the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation's Director for guidance, direction and co-ordination of the activities and resources of the Capability Development Directorate. CAPDEV is responsible to:

• dentify and prioritize Alliance capability shortfalls from short to long term, along a continuum of holistic capability development.
• Lead the determination of required capabilities and prioritization of shortfalls to inform the delivery of materiel and non-materiel solutions across the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, and Leadership, Personnel, Facilities and Interoperability (DOTMLPFI) lines of effort to enable a holistic approach to capability development, ensuring improved interoperability, deployability and sustainability of Alliance Forces.
• The PRE&E Division executes all tasks and activities needed to support requirements management for NATO capabilities. The PRE&E Division develops requirements, provides traceability and quality assurance of requirements, manages requirements configuration baselines, undertakes requirements repository data integration, and implements options across DOTMLPFI in order to satisfy capability needs.
• As part of this adapted organizational structure the Quality Management Office (QMO) will provide programme and project level engagement across the CAPDEV portfolios conducting independent Quality Assurance of process and Quality Control of products, management of corrective and preventative actions, analysis of lessons to inform continuous improvement and identification of requirements for digitization and automation of CAPDEV workflow process and tools.
• The outputs of the adapted structure are formed from requirements, portfolio, programme and project management principles and practices that enable the direction of capability programmes and a range of projects in a transparent through lifecycle capability approach. They include comprehensive and traceable capability requirements that have been assessed and analyzed for alternative solutions and quality assured to provide interoperability, across multi-domain and multi-functional capability focused programmes.           
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• Scope of Work

• This position, as QMO quality assurance analyst will conduct independent process assurance reviews for compliance with process and standards to identify gaps, risks, ambiguities, and potential delivery issues early in the development lifecycle. The analyst will require excellent communication skills to manage corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) identified during process assurance and quality reviews: facilitate adjudication of recommendations, workN closely with stakeholders to ensure timely resolution and maintain alignment between CAPA and program risk management and lessons learned processes. With excellent written communications they shall produce scheduled and ad-hoc independent quality assurance reports to inform program directors, IPT, core team members and other stakeholders including leadership. For assigned capabilities the QA analyst will independently assure data quality and traceability of capability life cycle management information and facilitate automation and digitization by identifying and documenting business requirements and supporting the implementation of approved change. As the QA specialist within a capability development team or integrated program team, the analyst will provide QA advice to team members to ensure compliance with standards and approved processes

Tasking

• Provide quality analysis and expertise in support of HQ SACT’s CAPDEV processes and outputs, and specifically in support of CAPDEV Common Funded Capability Delivery programmes, programme directors and requirements managers undertaking the Identification, elicitation, capture, analysis, evaluation, integration and maintenance of high-quality capability (business) requirements.

• Manage corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) identified during process assurance and quality reviews: facilitate adjudication of recommendations, work closely with stakeholders to ensure timely resolution and maintain alignment between CAPA and program risk management and lessons learned processes.
• Support data quality assurance including maintenance of requirements in the requirements repository, and program information in the program management tools ensuring correct version and configuration control, and the achievement and maintenance of the organization’s traceability and quality expectations.
• Support the development and maintenance of processes relating to requirements traceability, including traceability criteria, and requirements traceability quality reports related to the capability development and requirements management life cycle
• Produce scheduled and ad-hoc independent quality assurance reports to inform program directors, IPT, core team members and other stakeholders including leadership.
• Contribute to the development of directives and standard operating procedures that relate to quality, requirements traceability and the ACT Requirements Repository.
• Support requirements engineering and requirements management activities where appropriate across all life cycle stages to ensure continuing integrity of the traceability processes, and that capability requirements continue to satisfy stakeholder needs.
• Contributes to organizational continual process improvement activities.
• Participate in workshops, seminars, conferences and meetings in support of the activities above.
• Identify Lessons and contribute to their Learning within the organization.
• Support to change and configuration management of requirements across the lifecycle.
• Perform additional tasks as required by the COTR related to the labour category.

Essential Qualifications:

A University Degree in engineering, management, information systems, accounting, economics, finance, business administration, public administration, operations research, programme and project management or related disciplines. Five years’ experience in the last 10 in the field of requirements engineering and/or requirements management to include elicitation, capture, development, analysis and evaluation of requirements, including the management of requirements traceability, quality and change management. Experience in the evaluation of requirements traceability across comprehensive lines of development; i.e. doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and interoperability (DOTMLPFI). Experience in requirements development, either as a hands-on requirements author and/or facilitator of requirements development sessions.  Demonstrated minimum NATO or National SECRET clearance with the appropriate national authority for the duration of the contract. Nationality of one of the NATO Countries.

Demonstrated proficiency in English as defined in STANAG 6001 (Standardized Linguistic  Profile (SLP) 3333 - Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) or equivalent.

Demonstrable recent (i.e. in the last 5 years) experience in managing requirements in accordance with formal configuration and change management processes.

Demonstrable recent (i.e. in the last 5 years) experience working in support of processes that were formally certified in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard.

Experience with IBM Rational DOORS Next or equivalent.

Place of Performance/Travel

Primary place of performance is HQ SACT, 7857 Blandy Road, Suite 100, Norfolk, Virginia. In general, travel is not anticipated for this contract, but in the event of a requirement for contractor travel, ACT will pay travel and per diem costs in accordance with the base contract provisions.

Workspace within HQ SACT for the contractor from this SOW has not yet been identified and coordinated with Base Support. Contractors are expected to work a hybrid work plan managed by QMB leadership that involves work on-site at HQ SACT to facilitate access to NATO Secret workstations, and also remote work for NATO Unclassified tasking. QMB leadership is able to leverage existing workspaces assigned to the QMB in order to facilitate Contractor access to NATO Secret workstation when required.

Travel expenses to the location lie with the contractor.

There is a requirement for Contractors from this SOW to hold a NATO Secret clearance.

Contractor Supervision

The respective Branch Heads within the PR&E Division will provide supervision and direction in compliance to guidance from ACOS PR&E and DCOS CAPDEV. The contractor shall report to and receive technical guidance from the Branch Heads. The COTR (or designated representative) shall provide direction, guidance, and support information, as needed, for all technical and content areas of the SOW, especially the tasking and deliverables. The Contracting Officer has the final authority to amend, extend, or cancel this SOW/RFP for evolving requirements, new tasking, and/or technical non- performance. The COTR shall:

• Resolve outstanding disputes, problems, deficiencies, and/or questions on the technical aspects of the SOW.
• Review (and approve) all contractor tasking and deliverables for completeness and accuracy.
• The COTR shall have daily interaction with contractor personnel and can assess the quality, quantity, and timeliness of their work. The COTR’s written approval of work reported, and deliverables submitted is mandatory for contractor invoices to be successfully processed

  Language Proficiency

Demonstrated proficiency in English as defined in STANAG 6001 (Standardized Linguistic Profile (SLP) 3333 - Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) or equivalent.

Working Location

• Norfolk, VA

Working Policy

• On-Site

Contract Duration

• January 2027 - December 2031

Security Clearance

• Valid National or NATO Secret personal security clearance