RFI-07509-LDP.pdf

NATO UNCLASSIFIED

NCIA/ACQ/2026/07509

NCIA Request for Information (RFI)

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

RFI-07509-LDP

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

NCIA Request for Information (RFI)

To: Industry Partners

1. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is conducting market research to identify qualified leadership development partners and gather input on innovative and practical solutions that strengthen leadership capability across all leadership levels and enable organisational transformation and culture change. To support this effort, we are issuing the attached Request for Information (RFI) 07509 to solicit feedback from capable and interested industry partners.

2. This RFI is issued for planning and market research purposes only and does not constitute a request for bids or proposals. It forms part of NCIA's efforts to better understand the marketplace, available leadership development capabilities, and potential acquisition approaches to inform any future procurement.

3. We value your insight and invite you to:

a. Share relevant corporate capabilities and experience;

b. Review and comment on our draft requirements (Annexes A, B, C, and Enclosure 2

‘NCI Agency The Competency Framework’) with a view in providing recommendations for improving performance outcomes, competition, and efficiency; and identifying any risks or concerns that should be considered during planning.

4. Submission instructions and additional details can be found in the enclosure to this RFI.

5. Only companies from a NATO member country can participate in or respond to this RFI

(https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/nato_countries.htm).

6. Should you have any questions, please submit them no later than 20 August 2026.

Answers will be provided no later than 27 August 2026

7. We thank you in advance for your time and input, and we look forward to engaging with you as we shape this potential acquisition.

For the Chief of Acquisition:

Irma Franulovic Principal Contracting Assistant https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/nato_countries.htm

Enclosures:

Enclosure 1: Request for Information with Annexes A, B, C Enclosure 2: NCI Agency The Competency Framework

Distribution List

1. NATO Delegation (Attn: Infrastructure Adviser)

1. Albania 12. Greece 23. Poland

2. Belgium 13. Hungary 24. Portugal

3. Bulgaria 14. Iceland 25. Romania

4. Canada 15. Italy 26. Slovakia

5. Croatia 16. Latvia 27. Slovenia

6. Czechia 17. Lithuania 28. Spain

7. Denmark 18. Luxembourg 29. Sweden

8. Estonia 19. Montenegro 30. Türkiye

9. Finland 20. Netherlands 31. United Kingdom

10. France 21. North Macedonia 32. United States

11. Germany 22. Norway

2. All NATEXs

Table of Contents

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

A. Introduction B. Purpose C. Background D. Submission Instructions E. Industry Engagement F. Disclaimer G. Use of Information Provided through Responses H. RFI Point of Contact Annex A – Requested Information Annex B – Draft Statement of Work Annex C – Agency Culture Principles

Enclosure 1 to

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

A. Introduction

The NCIA is conducting market research to identify potential strategic partners for leadership development. NCIA is interested in providers with the capability to review, enhance, deliver and evaluate leadership development solutions that support organisational transformation, culture change and improved leadership effectiveness across all levels of the NCIA.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation or create any obligation on the part of NCIA.

B. Purpose

The purpose of this RFI is to obtain industry input to help NCIA:

1. Understand available market capabilities and innovative approaches;

2. Refine its leadership development requirements;

3. Identify feasible delivery, evaluation and pricing models;

4. Assess risks, dependencies and opportunities;

5. Inform the strategy for any future solicitation.

C. Background

1. NCIA Background

The NCIA leads NATO’s Digital Endeavour. We are NATO’s technology and cyber hub.

We help NATO Nations communicate and work together in smarter ways. Our solutions help leaders and troops collaborate and make the right decisions at the right time on land, in the air and at sea.

We cooperate with industry and academia to provide resilient Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) technology that saves lives and safeguards peace for nearly 1 billion citizens. We acquire, deploy and defend communications systems for NATO’s political decision-makers and Commands; we are on the frontlines against cyber-attacks, working closely with governments and industry to prevent future debilitating attacks.

The NCIA comprises approximately 3250 civilian and military staff members, located in five campuses and 29 direct support locations throughout Europe and North America.

NCIA's central elements are split between Brussels, Mons, Brunssum, Oeiras and The Hague.

The Chief People Office supports the workforce conditions needed for NCIA to become a more agile, digitally enabled, customer-focused and outcome-driven NCIA.

2. Context – Organisational Transformation

NCIA is undertaking a significant organisational transformation to improve service delivery, operational effectiveness and responsiveness in a complex and changing environment. This transformation is focused on creating a simpler, more agile, customer-focused and outcome-driven operating model.

Leadership capability is a critical enabler of this transformation. NCIA seeks to strengthen leadership behaviours that promote accountability, collaboration, customer focus, innovation, speed of delivery and sustainable culture change.

3. Leadership Capability Priorities

NCIA is seeking leadership development solutions that help leaders:

• Build a common leadership culture across all levels;

• Strengthen accountability, ownership and performance management;

• Lead effectively in a matrix environment;

• Improve collaboration across organisational boundaries;

• Create clarity, trust and momentum in temporary and cross-functional teams;

• Challenge ineffective ways of working and drive change;

• Make better decisions aligned to mission, customer and stakeholder needs;

• Increase agility, responsiveness and delivery speed;

• Embed behaviours that support long-term organisational effectiveness.

4. Current Leadership Development Portfolio

Over the past several years, the NCIA has invested in building leadership capability through a blended leadership development portfolio delivered in partnership with an external provider.

The current portfolio supports staff at different stages of their leadership journey and includes practical behavioural tools intended to improve leadership effectiveness, collaboration, decision-making and team performance.

Programmes typically run between 3 and 6 months, with cohorts ranging from 30-150 participants, depending on the programme.

The current leadership development portfolio comprises:

• The Art of Catalytic Leadership

A residential, immersive learning journey designed for senior leaders.

• Catalytic Ways of Working

A virtual program designed for mid-level leaders, focused on leading change and unlocking team performance.

• Meeting Craft A blended programme for leaders and staff who lead projects, teams or meetings

• Catalytic Micro Skills A digital learning programme for all staff introducing practical behavioural micro-skills.

To date, more than 1,500 staff have participated in the NCIA’s leadership development programmes.

NCIA now seeks industry input on how best to review, modernise, scale and improve this portfolio to ensure it remains aligned with the NCIA’s transformation agenda, leadership expectations and future operating model

D. Submission Instructions

1. Interested parties are invited to respond in accordance with the instructions below:

a. Submit responses via the email address in section H no later than 12:00 hours Central

European Time (CET) on 15 September 2026.

b. Responses should be submitted in PDF or Word format and must not exceed 15 pages, including:

i. Responses to Annex A, and comments on Annex B and Enclosure 2 ‘NCI Agency

The Competency Framework’ ii.

excluding:

i. Cover page

ii. Company brochures or product literature (if included)

iii. Attachments such as past performance references

c. Use the following subject line for submission

i. “Response to RFI 07509 – [Company Name]”

d. All responses should address the items listed in Annex A – Requested Information.

e. Respondents are also encouraged to review and comment on the draft requirements in Annex B – Draft Statement of Work (SOW)/Performance Work Statement (PWS) and Enclosure 2 ‘NCI Agency The Competency Framework’.

E. Industry Engagement

1. N/A

F. Disclaimer

1. This RFI is for planning and informational purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or obligation on the part of the NCIA. The NCIA does not intend to award a contract based on responses to this RFI. Respondents are solely responsible for all costs incurred in responding to this RFI. The NCIA will consider and analyse all information received from this RFI and may use these findings to develop a future solicitation. The NCIA will consider all responses as confidential commercial information and will protect it as such.

2. NCIA reserves the right, at any time, to cancel this informal market survey, partially or in its entirety. No legal liability on the part of NCIA for payment of any sort shall arise and in no event will a cause of action lie with any prospective participant for the recovery of any costs incurred in connection with the preparation of documentation or participation in response hereto. All effort initiated or undertaken by prospective informal market survey participants shall be done considering and accepting this fact.

G. Use of Information Provided through Responses

1. Confidentiality of Responses

The NCIA may incorporate industry comments and responses, in part or in whole, into a future release of a solicitation. Should respondents include proprietary data in their responses that they do not wish to be disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by NCIA (except for internal evaluation purposes), they must:

a. Mark the title page with the following legend:

This document includes data that shall not be disclosed outside NATO and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed – in whole or in part – for any purpose other than for NCIA internal evaluation purposes, unless otherwise expressly authorised by [insert company name]. This restriction does not limit the NCIA’s right to use information contained in this data without restriction if it is obtained from another source. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]

b. Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend:

Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this document.

H. RFI Point of Contact

1. Irma Franulovic, Irma.Franulovic@ncia.nato.int

2. Fabrice Massart, Fabrice.Massart@ncia.nato.int

Annex A to Enclosure 1 to

Annex A – Requested Information

1. Respondents are encouraged to provide the following information in their response:

a. Company Information

i. Legal Business Name

ii. Address

iii. Website

iv. Primary Point of Contact

v. Email address

vi. Confirmation that the company is from a NATO member country

b. Relevant Experience

i. Please describe your experience in designing, delivering and evaluating leadership development solutions for complex organisations.

ii. Where possible, include examples involving:

- Technical or digital organisations;

- Defence, government, intergovernmental or highly regulated environments;

- Multinational or geographically dispersed workforces;

- Organisational transformation or culture change;

- Matrix structures and cross-functional teams.

c. Feedback and Recommendations

i. Comments on the draft Statement of Work (SOW)/ Performance Work Statement

(PWS)

ii. Responses to the following RFI Questions

1. Based on the information provided in this RFI, what recommendations would you make to help NCIA achieve its desired leadership culture and transformation?

2. What would be your top three recommendations for building leadership capability and supporting long-term culture transformation for NCIA?

3. What blend of learning methodologies would you recommend (e.g. workshops, virtual learning, coaching, peer learning, digital etc,)

4. What differentiates your approach from traditional leadership training approaches?

5. How do you ensure learning is embedded and sustained beyond the programme?

6. How do you measure the effectiveness and impact of your leadership development initiatives?

7. How do you demonstrate return on investment and organisational outcomes?

iii. Innovations or alternatives

iv. Provide a Rough Order Magnitude (ROM) estimate, together with the assumptions upon which they are based.

d. Questions or Concerns

i. Risks, concerns, or barriers

ii. Suggestions for risk mitigation or enhancing competition

Annex B to Enclosure 1 to

Annex B – Draft Statement of Work

Note: This is a DRAFT and subject to change. The NCIA is seeking industry feedback.

1. Background

The NCIA has invested in leadership development over the past five years through a portfolio of blended catalytic leadership programmes developed in partnership with an external provider. The NCIA is seeking a strategic leadership development partner to review the existing leadership development approach, build on its strengths, tailor where appropriate, and ensure alignment with the NCIA's evolving organisational transformation, leadership culture and future operating model.

The NCIA's leadership population currently comprises approximately:

• 10 Executives

• 427 Senior Leaders

• 745 Mid-level Leaders

• 995 First-line Leaders

• 1031 Individual Contributors

2. Scope

Respondents are invited to comment on the proposed scope:

a. Review the NCIA's existing leadership development programmes, it’s behavioural competency framework, learning architecture and associated initiatives, and recommend enhancements to review, modernise and optimise them with the NCIA's organisational transformation, desired culture and future operating model.

b. Strengthen leaders' behavioural capability by developing practical leadership behaviours and habits that promote collaboration, accountability, coaching, customer focus, innovation, inclusive leadership and high-performance cultures.

c. Support the transition from technical expertise to effective people leadership through practical leadership development experiences.

d. Design, deliver, and continuously enhance leadership development solutions for all leadership levels (incl. individual contributors), adjusting programme content and delivery based on feedback during implementation

e. Design and deliver dedicated development solutions for newly appointed leaders to support their successful transition into leadership roles.

f. Deliver scalable, blended leadership development programmes across multiple locations, backgrounds, and organisational contexts

g. Strengthen leaders’ capability in performance management, coaching, feedback, and people leadership

h. Design solutions that strengthen leaders’ ability to lead within a matrix organization, including leading temporary and cross-functional teams.

i. Support the embedding of our culture principles and behavioural framework

j. Provide tools, resources, coaching, communities of practice and frameworks to sustain behavioural change

k. Measure programme effectiveness, behavioural change, organisational impact and return on investment, and provide recommendations for continuous improvement

Delivery Format The NCIA anticipates that the proposed solution will include an appropriate blend of learning methodologies. Respondents are encouraged to recommend the delivery approach they believe will best achieve the desired outcomes, drawing on evidence and leading practice.

Examples may include:

• instructor-led classroom delivery

• Virtual instructor-led sessions

• Self-paced digital learning

• Action learning projects

• Peer learning / communities

• Coaching and mentoring

• Toolkits and practical resources

• Self-assessment / 360° assessment

• Group assignments & discussions The proposed approach should enable participation across multiple locations and support a diverse, multinational workforce.

3. Objectives

The objective of these requirements is to establish a contract with an experienced leadership development provider to review, enhance, and deliver leadership development solutions that strengthen leadership capability across all levels and support the evolution of the NCIA’s culture, and align with the NCIA’s values, behavioural competency framework, performance expectations, and future operating model.

Beyond programme delivery, the NCIA seeks to establish a long-term strategic partnership with a recognised leadership development specialist. The Contractor will be expected to provide thought leadership, challenge existing approaches where appropriate, recommend evidence-based improvements, and continuously evolve the leadership development portfolio in line with emerging best practices, organisational priorities, and the NCIA’s transformation agenda.

The successful Contractor should demonstrate strong experience in designing, reviewing and implementing state of the art leadership development training programmes, blended with the latest trends and best practices.

The NCIA is seeking a provider capable of delivering a scalable leadership development offer that reaches participants across all levels of the organization, from individual contributors and first-line managers to mid-level managers, senior leaders, and executives. The aim is to provide accessible and impactful development opportunities at scale, enabling a common leadership culture across the organization.

The proposed solution should support the NCIA’s ambition to:

• Review current programmes, align and deliver enhanced leadership development programmes with the latest best practice and blended delivery methods;

• Build leadership capability and a common leadership culture across all levels

• Deliver leadership development solutions for the NCIA tailored for all staff categories;

• Increase organisational agility and speed of delivery

• Strengthen collaboration and leadership effectiveness within matrix and cross-functional teams

• Improve leadership effectiveness and management capability

• Develop leaders who can rapidly mobilise, lead, and integrate temporary cross-functional teams, establishing effective ways of working and delivering outcomes in dynamic environments

• strengthen strategic thinking, prioritization, decision-making and organisational effectiveness

• Measure leadership capability, behavioural change, organisational impact, and return on investment

Based on the details above, it is requested that the Contractor presents a high-level overview of their proposed leadership development approach, including programme architecture, learning methodologies, evaluation approach, and how the proposed solution would support the NCIA’s leadership capability and organisational transformation agenda.

4. Performance Requirements

The vendor shall demonstrate the capability to:

• Act as a strategic leadership development partner by providing expert advice, introducing leading practices and innovations, and continuously improving the NCIA’s leadership development portfolio throughout the contract period.

• Demonstrate experience supporting leadership and culture transformation within technical, multinational, defence, government or other highly regulated organisations

• Deliver scalable leadership development solutions across all leadership levels, from individual contributors and new leaders to first-line managers, mid-level leaders

• Design and deliver leadership development solutions that support organisational transformation and culture change

• Provide expertise in leadership development, leadership effectiveness, behavioural and cultural change

• Incorporate participant feedback, evaluation findings, and organisational priorities to continuously enhance programme design and delivery

• Design learning experiences that align with the NCIA’s values, behavioural competency framework, performance expectations, and desired culture

• Deliver programmes across multiple locations, and organisational contexts using blended learning methodologies

• Strengthen leadership capability in people leadership, performance management, coaching, collaboration, accountability and change leadership

• Demonstrate the ability to measure behavioural change, leadership effectiveness, organisational impact, and return on investment using recognized evaluation methodologies

• Build sustainable leadership capability through knowledge transfer, learning reinforcement, and approaches that enable long-term organisational impact.

5. Deliverables

Programme Management and Administration The Contractor shall provide appropriate programme management and administrative support including, where agreed:

• participant communications

• registration management

• scheduling

• learning logistics

• attendance tracking

• evaluation administration

• reporting

• coordination with NCIA core stakeholders

Deliverable Description Frequency Format Leadership development framework

Review and enhance the NCIA’s leadership development approach and programme architecture aligned with NCIA’s priorities

Initial design and reviewed annually

Digital documents, presentations

Leadership Development Portfolio

The NCIA expects the successful supplier to undertake a review of the current leadership portfolio and recommend which elements should be retained, enhanced, simplified or redesigned based on evidence, organisational priorities and emerging good practice.

As agreed in the annual delivery plan

Blended (face-to-face, virtual, and digital)

Learning materials

Participant workbooks, facilitator guides, digital learning resources, toolkits and supporting materials

Prior to each programme and updated as required

Digital and printable

Programme delivery

Delivery of workshops, virtual sessions, coaching and other agreed learning interventions

As agreed in the annual delivery plan

Face-to-face Virtual Digital Blended

Evaluation & impact reporting

Participant feedback, behavioural and organisational impact, Return on Investment (ROI) and recommendations for improvement

After each cohort, quarterly and annually

Survey, reports and executive summaries

Programme review

Review programme effectiveness and recommend enhancements based on feedback and organisational priorities

Quarterly and annually

Reports and presentations

6. Purchaser Furnished Equipment (PFE) / Information (PFI)

a. The NCIA’s intent, strategic priorities, and transformation objectives.

b. Leadership Competency Framework, Values, and Culture principles.

c. Existing leadership development programmes, materials, frameworks and supporting documentation.

d. Business context incl. operating model, organisational structure, governance.

e. NCIA Leadership strategy, performance management approach, and relevant people policies.

f. NCIA’s architecture, including leadership levels, role profiles, grading structure and target audiences.

g. Information on our NCIA’s learning management system and other digital platforms and tools where required.

7. Period of Performance

a. NCIA intends to award an initial contract with a period of performance of five years, comprising a one-year base period and up to four (4) one-year option periods. The extension of each option period will be subject to satisfactory contractor performance and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting agreement. The NCIA also reserves the right to terminate the contract in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

8. Place of Performance

a. NCIA will provide access to dedicated training venues at its locations for in-person delivery, where required. The supplier shall also be capable of delivering virtual learning solutions to support participants across multiple locations. The specific delivery locations, schedules, and delivery format (in-person, virtual or blended) will be agreed with the NCIA as part of the annual planning process.

Annex C to Enclosure 1 to

Annex C – Agency Culture Principles

NCI Agency The Competency Framework A Guide for Managers & Staff

Enclosure 2 to

2 Overview

Overview This is a time of significant change within the Agency. The need to optimise leadership potential across the Agency and the critical importance of this to deliver excellence and improve customer outcomes is now increasingly echoed by all staff within the Agency.

Our Competency Framework has been revised to make it easier to use and demonstrate more clearly how each and everyone’s behaviour will help us achieve our key ambitions.

This comprehensive guide enables you to:

Understand the purpose of the Leadership Framework: 3

Understand why Competencies are important: 4

Learn more about the structure of our Leadership Framework: 8

Find out about the detailed behaviours that can drive your success: 12

Find out which Competencies are most relevant for your Level: 24

3 Introduction

Why does the NCIA need a Leadership Framework?

Organisations around the world are facing major changes in the way that they do business, particularly in the world of digital transformation. Our Agency is not immune to these changes. Therefore, we must ensure our employees are prepared to navigate this changing environment, in order to continue to provide best in class service to our customers and, ultimately, support the Alliance.

How will the Leadership Framework help me personally?

Being successful in what you do is a result of the skills you bring in (the ‘WHAT’ - Technical and Functional Competencies) and the way you approach your tasks (HOW you do your work – Behavioural Competencies). The Leadership Framework defines HOW we believe everyone should work in order to achieve the Agency’s goals and ambitions and get us ready for the future.

This practical guide allows you to check if you are on the right track and provides guidance on how you can grow and develop into an even better version of yourself.

The Leadership Framework helps us with this in two ways:

Firstly it provides a benchmark to our leaders on the behaviours, which all leaders within the Agency are expected to demonstrate.With this it sets the foundation for what it means to be a leader at the Agency, which helps us to achieve our ambitions, overcome challenges and build a resilient, agile culture.

Secondly, we believe each role at the Agency contributes to our overall success. Therefore, as part of our professionalization, we have detailed out the Leadership Framework for all roles and levels at the Agency. This helps each employee understand the expectations of the role from a behavioural standpoint and how they can contribute to our overall ambitions. Overall this provides greater transparency and opportunities when it comes to individual and team learning, growth and development.

4 Competencies

Competencies What are Competencies?

A competency is generally defined as a combination of skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours that enables an individual to perform a task or an activity successfully within a given job.

Why Use Competencies:

Competencies are observable behaviours that can be measured and evaluated, and thus are essential in terms of defining job requirements and recruiting, retaining and developing staff. The Leadership Competencies help us to translate our ambitions into actual expected behaviour and they help you to identify if your actions and behaviour is aligned with what the Agency needs to be successful. As you can see, a well structured and well defined Leadership Framework based on clearly defined competencies plays a key role in accomplishing our goals.

More specifically, competencies ensure that:

Clear expectations are set and employees are guided as to how they can assume and reinforce behaviours in line with the Agency’s mission, culture and goals.

A shared language is created to describe what is needed and expected in the work environment, thereby providing for reliable and high quality performance delivery.

The various facets of talent processes can be integrated, enhancing consistency in, recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, and performance management, and thereby contributing a streamlined process.

Skills gaps are addressed, strengths are further developed and requirements for job development are clarified.

5 How Competencies are applied

How are the competencies being used and supported?

Competencies are widely used across the Agency and are embedded in all human resources functions, such as planning, recruitment, performance management and staff development. They are determined by the occupational roles and responsibilities, and the complexity of duties outlined in job descriptions.

Planning

Competencies are applied in job design, which involves the determination of the job content, the requirements to carry out the job and the relationships between the job holder and other staff. In this context, competencies ensure that the attributes, skills and behaviours necessary to achieve the highest performance standards for a given job are specified.

Recruitment

Competencies form an integral part of the selection process, facilitating the assessment of candidates to determine their suitability for a given job.

Onboarding

Competencies allow new hires to become familiar with the nuances of the job, which will make them successful. They identify what is important to the culture and what specific behaviours they should exhibit in various situations to increase their proficiency and become high performers.

Performance Management & Staff Development

Competencies help to establish the expectations and standards for performance against which staff will be assessed. In addition, they can also be used to identify individual and Agency-wide staff development and learning priorities and training needs.

6 The Structure of our Leadership Framework

Our Leadership Framework

The 4 Leadership Ambitions Defining the focus areas for us to master current and future challenges.

The underlying 12 Competencies Translating the ambitions into behaviours.

The Leadership Proficiency Levels Specifying the behaviours for different Leadership Levels.

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance Lead Change

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

D eliver Results

What we want to achieveD e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

A chieving personal w o rk goals & objectives

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Le ad in g

& m anaging

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep ts

Creating & Innovating

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n g

Planning & o rg an is in g

Change is constant. To be successful and remain relevant in our business we must be resilient and move with the change. The way to do this is to hold ourselves accountable for what we are doing today while keeping an eye on the future. We must learn to be comfortable with our discomfort, be resilient and embrace the change.

The environment in which we need to achieve success is one based on teamwork, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. One that yields diverse ideas from all of us and one where we hold ourselves and the people around us accountable. Teams who thrive have one thing in common: they are made up of diverse people who pull together in the same direction and take care of each other, they engage, collaborate, innovate together.

They are inclusive and consistently strive for excellence.

Great responsibility comes with our core mission; defending NATO networks 24/7, gathering critical information for NATO to make informed decisions, helping to collect and process intelligence data and more. In order to deliver results successfully as an Agency, we need our people

- the pillars of our organization - to consistently maintain high levels of productivity, work with energy, effectiveness and determination, while taking care of wellbeing.

Delivering protection against cyber threats and making sure that our stakeholders can trust the technology we deliver are two of our key objectives.

This confirms that we are working in a complex, high-risk environment. We must navigate through the uncertainties this brings and effectively manage the risks in all areas from strategy through to finance, operations, products and services. Reputation and integrity are equally important. If we want our stakeholders to trust us and for them to consistently experience this trust, we need to be credible, take ethical decisions and manage our reputation as a key partner.

Below you will see an overview of our Leadership Framework. It consists of 3 different elements that will be explained in more detail on the following pages:

7 The 4 Leadership Ambitions

Drive Team Performance

The environment in which we need to achieve success is one based on teamwork, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. One that yields diverse ideas from all of us and one where we hold ourselves and the people around us accountable. Teams who thrive have one thing in common: they are made up of diverse people who pull together in the same direction and take care of each other, they engage, collaborate, innovate together. They are inclusive and consistently strive for excellence.

Deliver Results

Great responsibility comes with our core mission; defending NATO networks 24/7, gathering critical information for NATO to make informed decisions, helping to collect and process intelligence data and more. In order to deliver results successfully as an Agency, we need our people - the pillars of our organization - to consistently maintain high levels of productivity, work with energy, effectiveness and determination, while taking care of wellbeing.

Lead Change

Change is constant. To be successful and remain relevant in our business we must be resilient and move with the change. The way to do this is to hold ourselves accountable for what we are doing today while keeping an eye on the future. We must learn to be comfortable with our discomfort, be resilient and embrace the change.

Manage Risk & Reputation

Delivering protection against cyber threats and making sure that our stakeholders can trust the technology we deliver are two of our key objectives. This confirms that we are working in a complex, high-risk environment. We must navigate through the uncertainties this brings and effectively manage the risks in all areas from strategy through to finance, operations, products and services.

Reputation and integrity are equally important. If we want our stakeholders to trust us and for them to consistently experience this trust, we need to be credible, take ethical decisions and manage our reputation as a key partner.

Our Leadership Framework is built around our 4 core ambitions that, if we would master them, help guide us through the current and future challenges.

8 The underlying 12 Competencies

Example Competency

Leading & Managing Provides others with a clear direction

; motivates and empowers others;

attracts and develops staff of a high calibre ; provides staff with development opportunities and coaching; sets appropriate standards of behaviour.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Le ad in g

& m anaging

As mentioned in the intro of this brochure competencies translate a vision or ambition into specific, measurable (and developable) behaviours.

In our framework each of the leadership ambitions is broken broken down into 3 competencies. The behaviours associates with those competencies will help us achieve the goals of our Ambitions.

In pages 12 to 23 in this brochure you will find the details for all 12 competencies in the Framework. Please see below how each page will be structured.

Competency Name

Competency Definition

The actual behaviours

- broken down into the 4 Leadership

Levels.

99 The Leadership Proficiency Levels

An overview of the Leadership Proficiency Levels used in our Leadership Framework is provided below

Individual Contributors

Senior Leaders

First/Mid Level Leaders

Executive Leaders

direct reports

• Leading organizational areas

• Leading teams of teams

• CIV A4/G20 and above

- MIL OF4 and above

within organizational areas

• Individual contributors as direct reports

• CIV B5-A3/G12-G17 -

MIL OR8-OF3

& FAs

• A5/OF5 and above

10 Leaders Exist at All Levels

In order for us to be successful, everyone in the Agency is expected to contribute to all four of our Leadership ambitions. In addition to that every individual (not only Managers) must think and act as a leader because as an Agency, we want to unlock greater levels of impact, innovation and performance.

However, we know that employees face different challenges based on their leadership level and hence we have outlined the expected behaviours for each competency on 4 different levels.

These are the behaviours that employees should use at their level to demonstrate their capability.

How should I use the different Leadership Proficiency levels?

To help you identify the behaviours relevant to your specific role each Competency is divided into four different Leadership Proficiency Levels (See competency details on pages 12-23 of this brochure). This will help you identify the behaviours expected in your current role, but the levels can also be used to look into the future and identify those behaviours you want to develop in order to move to the next level.

Our leaders exist at all levels

The 12 Competencies

12 The 12 Competencies - Leading & Managing

Leading & Managing

Provides others with a clear direction ; motivates and empowers others; attracts and develops staff of a high calibre ; provides staff with development opportunities and coaching; sets appropriate standards of behaviour.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Le ad in g

& m anaging

13 The 12 Competencies - Working with People

Working with People

Shows respect for the views and contributions of other team members; shows empathy; listens, supports and cares for others; consults others and shares information and expertise with them; builds team spirit and reconciles conflict; adapts to the team and fits in well.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Le ad in g

14 The 12 Competencies - Deciding & Initiating Action

Deciding & Initiating Action

Takes responsibility for actions, projects and people;

takes initiative and works under own direction;

initiates and generates activity and introduces changes into work processes; makes quick, clear decisions which may include tough choices or considered risks.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Le ad in g

15 The 12 Competencies - Adapting & Responding to Change

Adapting & Responding to Change

Adapts to changing circumstances; thrives in conditions of ambiguity; accepts new ideas and change initiatives; adapts interpersonal style to suit different people or situations; shows an interest in new experiences.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Lead Change

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep ts

Creating & Innovating

16 The 12 Competencies - Creating & Innovating

Produces new ideas, approaches, or insights;

creates innovative products or designs; produces a range of solutions to problems.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Lead Change

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep

17 The 12 Competencies - Formulating Strategies & Concepts

Formulating Strategies & Concepts

Works strategically to realise organizational goals; sets and develops strategies; identifies, develops positive and compelling visions of the organization’s future; takes account of a wide range of issues across, and related to, the organization.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Lead Change

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep

18 The 12 Competencies - Relating & Networking

Relating & Networking

Easily establishes good relationships with customers and staff; relates well to people at all levels; builds wide and effective networks of contacts; uses humour appropriately to bring warmth to relationships with others.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n g

Planning & o rg an is in g

19 The 12 Competencies - Adhering to Principles & Values

Adhering to Principles & Values

Upholds ethics and values; demonstrates integrity;

promotes and defends equal opportunities, builds diverse teams; encourages organizational and individual responsibility towards the community and the environment.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n g

Planning & o rg an is

20 The 12 Competencies - Planning & Organizing

Planning & Organizing

Sets clearly defined objectives; plans activities and projects well in advance and takes account of possible changing circumstances; identifies and organises resources needed to accomplish tasks; manages time effectively; monitors performance against deadlines and milestones.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n g

Planning & o rg an is

21 The 12 Competencies - Achieving Personal Work Goals & Objectives

Achieving Personal Work Goals & Objectives

Accepts and tackles demanding goals with enthusiasm;

works hard and puts in longer hours when it is necessary;

seeks progression to roles of increasing responsibility and influence; identifies own development needs and makes use of developmental or training opportunities.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D eliver Results

D e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

A chieving personal w o rk goals & objectives

22 The 12 Competencies - Entrepreneurial & Commercial Thinking

Entrepreneurial & Commercial Thinking

Keeps up to date with best practice and industry trends;

identifies business opportunities for the organization;

maintains awareness of developments both internally and externally; demonstrates financial awareness;

controls costs and thinks in terms of gains, losses and added value.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D eliver Results

D e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

A chieving personal w

23 The 12 Competencies - Delivering Results & Meeting Customer Expectations

Delivering Results & Meeting Customer Expectations

Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction; sets high standards for quality and quantity; monitors and maintains quality and productivity; understands that, depending on the project, both agile and systematic approaches are required; consistently achieves project goals.

The 4 Leadership Proficiency Levels

D eliver Results

D e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

A chieving personal w

24 Competencies per leadership level

Core competencies per leadership level As mentioned before at the Agency all staff are expected to contribute to all of our 4 Leadership Ambitions. However, this can be done in different ways, depending on the role and Leadership Level each individual is at. Hence some of the underlying competencies may be more applicable to some leadership levels than to others.

Below you will find some guidance on how to prioritize the competencies based on your specific role or leadership level. For each Leadership Level we have predefined 6-8 Core Competencies that can be used to identify the core competencies for your individual role

Individual Contributers

Achieving personal Work goals & objectives

Planning & Organizing

Adapting & responding to change

Delivering Results & meeting customer

Expectations

Adhering to principles & values

Working with People

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance Lead Change

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

D eliver Results

What we want to achieveD e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

A chieving personal w o rk goals & objectives

W or ki ng w ith people

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Planning & o rg an is

First & Mid-Level Leaders

Senior Leaders

Leading & Managing

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Adhering to principles & values

Creating & Innovating

Relating & Networking

Delivering Results & meeting customer

Expectations

Achieving personal Work goals & objectives

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance Lead Change

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

D eliver Results

What we want to achieveD e live rin g reults and m eeting customer expectations

A chieving personal w o rk goals & objectives

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

Le ad in g

& m anaging

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Creating & Innovating

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n g

Leading & Managing

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Creating & Innovating

Adhering to principles & values

Relating & Networking

Formulating strategies & concepts

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance Lead Change

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

D eliver Results

What we want to achieve

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

Le ad in g

& m anaging

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep ts

Creating & Innovating

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n

26 Competencies per leadership level

Executive Leaders

Working with People

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Formulating strategies & concepts

Adhering to principles & values

Relating & Networking

D ri ve T ea m

P erfo rm ance Lead Change

Manage Risk

R ep u ta ti o n

D eliver Results

What we want to achieve

E n trepreneurial & commercial thinking

D ec id in g & in iti atin g action

W or ki ng w ith people

Adapting & responding to chan g e

Formulating stratergies & con cep ts

Adherin g to p rin cip le s v al u es

Relatin g & n etw or ki n

Leadership Overview

Working with People

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Formulating strategies & concepts

Adhering to principles & values

Relating & Networking

Leading & Managing

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Creating & Innovating

Adhering to principles & values

Relating & Networking

Formulating strategies & concepts

Leading & Managing

Deciding & Initiating Action

Adapting & responding to change

Adhering to principles & values

Creating & Innovating

Relating & Networking

Delivering Results & meeting customer

Expectations

Achieving personal Work goals & objectives

Planning & Organizing

Adapting & responding to change

Delivering Results & meeting customer

Expectations

Adhering to principles & values

Working with People

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Achieving personal Work goals & objectives

Individual Contributers First & Mid-Level Leaders Senior Leaders Executive Leaders

Enclosure 2 to NCIA_ACQ2026_07509 NCI Agency The Competency Framework