Job Description
Strategic Space Planner & Team Lead Location: Norfolk, VA (Hybrid with International Travel)
Clearance Required: Active U.S. Secret clearance
Employment Type: Full-Time, Contingent Upon Contract Award
Company Overview: Ironclad Defense Works is a trusted partner to NATO and allied defense organizations, delivering mission-critical technical, strategic, and operational solutions across the multi-domain battlespace. We are seeking a Strategic Space Planner & Team Lead to guide the execution of NATO’s effort to enhance its strategic posture in space. This position will lead Ironclad’s delivery on a multi-year Firm Fixed Price contract supporting HQ SACT in shaping the Alliance’s commercial space integration, threat preparedness, and capability planning.
Role Overview: As the Strategic Space Planner & Team Lead, you will serve as the primary interface between Ironclad and NATO stakeholders across HQ SACT, ACT SEE, and NATO HQ Brussels. You will lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for implementing NATO’s new Commercial Space Strategy, contributing to threat response planning (THOR), and aligning space capabilities with NATO’s Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) planning framework.
This is a high-visibility role requiring strategic fluency, program leadership, and policy expertise across both national and alliance-level defense planning.
Key Responsibilities: - Lead execution of contract deliverables and act as primary point of contact with the NATO Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR)
- Coordinate policy development, stakeholder engagement, and roadmap creation under NATO’s Commercial Space Strategy
- Shape and review key deliverables including the NATO Interface Model, Continuity of Commercial Services Framework, and DDA Integration Recommendations
- Facilitate cross-functional team integration across space policy, threat response, ISR/PNT planning, and C2 architecture
- Represent Ironclad in high-level working groups, workshops, and secure meetings at NATO facilities in the U.S. and Europe
- Ensure full compliance with NATO deliverable requirements, formatting standards, and security protocols
Required Qualifications: - Active U.S. Secret clearance
- Citizenship of a NATO member nation
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in defense policy, operational planning, or NATO capability development
- Demonstrated experience leading or advising on multi-domain operations, space policy, or joint planning efforts
- Familiarity with NATO’s CRP, NDPP, and DDA planning processes
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English (STANAG 6001 Level 3333 or equivalent)
Preferred Qualifications: - Past performance supporting NATO ACT, SHAPE, or allied national space or defense ministries
- Experience with commercial space integration, policy development, or SATCOM continuity planning
- Graduate degree in defense studies, space policy, political science, or a related technical field
- Experience briefing senior leadership and drafting NATO-quality deliverables
Why Join Ironclad?- Deep mission alignment with NATO’s transformation and innovation objectives
- A seasoned, agile team with a proven track record of delivery at HQ SACT
- Competitive compensation and travel allowances
- Opportunities to shape NATO’s next-generation space posture and defense architecture
To Apply: Submit your resume and a short cover letter outlining your NATO experience to
jobs@idw.inc with subject line:
Strategic Space Planner & Team Lead – IFIB 25-45
Job Tags
Full time, Contract work,