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VACANCY NOTICE
NATO Body: Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE)
Schedule: Full-time
Application Deadline: 15 September 2025
Salary (Pay Basis): 5,725.22 EUR (Monthly)
Grade: NATO SSS Grade G15 (ABCL A2)
Clearance Level: NS
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a NATO SECRET security clearance
(provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the
candidate’s medical file by the CMRE Medical Adviser.
We are seeking a passionate and talented Interoperability Scientist to support
the program of work in developing and investigating innovative and cutting
edge scientific research.
1. POST CONTEXT
This is a position within the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation
(CMRE), an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
CMRE is an established, world-class scientific research and experimentation facility
that organizes and conducts scientific research and technology development, centred
on the maritime domain, delivering innovative and field tested Science & Technology
(S&T) solutions to address defence and security needs of the Alliance.
The position is within the Research Division (RD) which is responsible for identifying,
developing and delivering Science & Technology (S&T) solutions to the needs of the
Alliance in the maritime domain.
The Division leads the development of CMRE’s scientific strategy and through its
capability in ocean sensing, numerical modelling, big data analytics, artificial
intelligence and autonomy, delivers the Centre's S&T goals while maintaining CMRE’s
reputation within the scientific community.
The Research Division is comprised of the five following branches:
1. Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW)2. Autonomous Naval Mine Warfare (ANMW)3. Environmental Knowledge and Operational Effectiveness (EKOE) & Climate
Change (CC)
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4. Data Knowledge and Operational Effectiveness (DKOE)5. Maritime Unmanned Systems Enablers (MUSE)
The Scientist will be part of the Maritime Unmanned Systems Enablers (MUSE)
section, responsible to support the program of work in developing and investigating
innovative and cutting-edge scientific research.
The expected scientific focus is the area of interoperability for Maritime Unmanned
Systems, specifically targeting development and validation of research-informed
standards to support the deployment of Unmanned Systems throughout the Alliance.
The Scientist may be assigned as Team Leader and may also be involved within other
projects within the CMRE Program of Work. Under the guidance of the MUSE section
head the incumbent will be responsible to support CMRE’s research in
unmanned/autonomous vehicles and to work in close collaboration with other
researchers to support the overall execution of the Programme of Work.
2. PRINCIPAL DUTIES
The incumbent is responsible for the development of conceptual aspects for
command-and-control of Unmanned Systems, their translation into data model(s) and
their subsequent implementation and validation as message sets exchanged during
trials and exercises.
The scientist will work in close collaboration with other CMRE scientists and engineers
working with unmanned and autonomous systems with the goal to develop scalable
and flexible solutions to enable interoperable and secure operations with unmanned
and autonomous systems.
Such solutions will be integrated into NATO standards supporting the adoption of
networked robotic assets into military operations across the warfare areas.
Scientific duties include the following:
Be able to perform, decompose and coordinate the scientific work for more
junior staff and other function on the activities developed under these topics;
Propose (internally and to external sponsoring programs) and perform
specialist research and development on all these themes, receiving guidelines
from the Project Leader and Programme Manager;
Plan and execute simulated and field (at sea) trials and demonstrations;
Plan and conduct experimentation including theoretical and data analysis,
properly documenting and reporting all steps of the work;
Document the performed work in technical and scientific Centre reports, short
papers, refereed scientific journals and internal/external presentations;
Interact with national and international scientific establishments in order to
remain abreast of the latest technical and scientific principles and practices on
these matters;
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Management activities may include:
o Responsibility for small teams dedicated to theoretical and experimental
studies in the topics above, distributing workload and providing basic
problem solving;
o Coordinate teams carrying experimental work at sea, on board the
research vessels or through the Centre reach-back facilities;
o Delivery of results according to the CMRE Programme of Work rules and
quality control regarding scientific content work package deliverables
within these topic areas.
3. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND ADDITIONAL DUTIES
a. Flexibility Clause
The incumbent may be required to perform other related duties as directed.
All other related duties should correspond with the required competencies for the job.
b. Deployment/Travel
The incumbent may be required to perform their duties onboard Centre or chartered
vessels. The incumbent may be required to undertake TDY assignments within and
c. Certification
The incumbent needs to hold a fit for sea certificate in line with the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) standards
before taking up duty.
4. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
a. Professional Experience
Sound experience with Unmanned Systems and in particular autonomous
systems and their command-and-control requirements;
Experience in designing, developing or supporting command-and-control
architectures for Unmanned Systems;
Experience in the practical usage of data modelling software tools;
Programming: knowledge of, at least, one of the following programming
languages, the knowledge of more programming languages will be considered
o C++
o Python
o C#
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o Java
Solid knowledge and scientific experience in physics, mathematics,
engineering or related field, demonstrated by a record scientific or technical
publications in the fields of Unmanned Systems, software architectures,
communications engineering or related field(s);
Excellent documenting abilities;
Experience conducting scientific/technical project work within a multi-national
environment demonstrated through project participation.
b. Education/Professional experience
MSc degree in physics, mathematics, engineering or related field with a specific
focus on unmanned/autonomous vehicles or related field and at least 5 years of
relevant post related work experience.
Or
PhD in physics, mathematics, engineering or related field with a specific focus on
unmanned/autonomous vehicles and at least 2 years of relevant post related work
experience.
c. Language Requirements
A thorough knowledge of one of the two NATO languages, both written and spoken,
is essential and some knowledge of the other is desirable.
NOTE: Most of the work of CMRE is conducted in the English language.
5. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
A subset of the following experience requirements is desirable:
Experience with Enterprise Architect.
Deep knowledge of STANAG 4817 down to the different volumes.
Knowledge of data architectures to support unmanned systems operational
deployments.
Knowledge of the NATO Standardization Agreement processes.
Project management certification (e.g. PRINCE2).
Documented experience in managing scientific projects.
Demonstrated ability to obtain funding for new research activities.
Experience to work with Navy’s and/or Defence organizations.
Internationally recognised member of their technical community of interest
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Standard Language English 4444 (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing).
6. ATTRIBUTES/COMPETENCIES
The successful candidate possess the following competencies / personal attributes:
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written – able to communicate at
all levels;
Very good interpersonal skills. Adapts to the team, solicits inputs and
encourages others;
Innovative and driven. Always displaying sound judgement;
Excellent time management and organizational skills;
Clear analytical thinking. Learns rapidly and manages knowledge effectively.
All CMRE personnel are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the current NATO Code of Conduct agreed by the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and thus display the core values of integrity, impartiality, loyalty, accountability, and professionalism.
7. REMARKS
The duties are performed in an office, laboratory, workshop environment or on-board
Centre ships. Slightly undesirable working conditions may apply.
The nature of this position may require the staff members to be called at times, to
travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.
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About Us:
The Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) is part of the NATO
Science and Technology Organization (STO). The mission of the STO is to help
position both national and NATO science and technology investments as a strategic
enabler and technology advantage for the defence and security posture of NATO Allies
and partners. The Centre conducts scientific research and technology development
and delivers innovative field-tested S&T solutions to address the defence and security
needs of the Alliance. CMRE has more than 60 years of experience and has produced
a cadre of leaders in ocean science, modelling and simulation, acoustics and other
disciplines, as well as producing critical results and understanding that have been built
into the operational concepts of NATO and the Nations.
What we offer:
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Salary (Pay Basis): 5,725.22 (EUR) Monthly*
*Salary value as per 2025. Subject to future adjustments in accordance with
Grade ABCL grade A2/ NATO grade G15
A world class research facility located in the sea port of La Spezia, Italy
supported by two specialised research vessels.
An exciting place in which to work situated at an ideal location, the port of La
Spezia, Italy, enabling synergy with regional and global academic institutes and
Salary and conditions of employment will be in accordance with the NATO
Civilian Personnel Regulations (NCPR), which includes a rewarding salary and
a comprehensive system of allowances, supplements and insurances to
support families and, in case of expatriated staff, offers an interesting
A generous annual leave and, (where eligible) home leave.
The successful candidate will be offered a three years’ definite duration contract
which may be renewed for subsequent periods subject to business needs,
satisfactory performance and the need to rotate skills and talent within the
Organization.
Applicants who prove to be competent for the post but who are not successful
in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar
nature, which might become vacant in the near future, albeit at the same or a
lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.
Our recruitment process:
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO
member countries.
Applications (including the most relevant publications, the diplomas - stating the
highest level of education - and a CV) for this vacancy are to be submitted using
the E-recruitment system.
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the
national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s
medical file by the CMRE Medical Adviser.
Additional information:
CMRE values diverse backgrounds and perspectives and is committed to
recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce. We welcome
applications of nationals from all Member States and strongly encourage
women to apply.
Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity, and to promote
good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.
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For more information on how to apply:
How to apply for posts within NATO
6 tips to apply for posts within NATO
NOTE:
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in
whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools,
including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre
trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO
reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All
applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or
creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s
sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases
as appropriate.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications are to be submitted using the NATO Talent Acquisition Program (NTAP)
https://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=251324&lang=en
Applications submitted by other means are not accepted. NTAP allows adding
attachments. Essential information must be included in the application form. Particular
attention should be given to Education and Experience section. Each question should
be answered completely. Expressions such as “please see annex / enclosed
document” or invitations to follow links to personal webpages are not acceptable and
will be disregarded. All answers should be in English preferably, or French.
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