Wargaming Designer/Developer, NATO-JWC

Job Description: Summary: Yorktown Systems Group is seeking a qualified Wargaming Designer/Developer to support NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) in Stavanger, Norway. The JWC serves as NATO’s premier warfare development and training centre, enabling transformation through the design, development, delivery, and analysis of exercises, experiments, and wargames at the operational and strategic levels. The JWC supports the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) by developing NATO’s cognitive and operational readiness through a comprehensive and integrated training, experimentation, and analysis framework. The JWC Wargaming Branch (WGB), within the Enablement Division, Operations Directorate, is responsible for the coordination, planning, design, execution, and analysis of professional military wargames and other training events. These wargames are bespoke, analytical or educational in nature, and are tailored to support NATO warfare development priorities, concept testing, decision-making, and the training of military leaders. The Wargaming Branch (WGB) delivers NATO’s leading-edge professional wargaming capability and functions as the central hub for the Alliance’s wargaming development and integration. It supports NATO’s Warfare Development Agenda by designing and conducting analytical and educational wargames that explore complex problems, test new concepts, and assess decision-making processes in realistic, data-driven scenarios. The WGB’s multidisciplinary team provides an end-to-end capability from initial concept and game mechanics to execution and analytical reporting. Wargames produced by the WGB inform operational design, concept experimentation, and doctrine development, complementing JWC’s broader mission to enhance NATO’s readiness and interoperability. Specific duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Provide subject-matter-expert advice, and contribute to the development, refinement, and delivery of JWC strategic- and operational-level wargames tailored to the target audience. Wargames may be developed in conjunction with existing JWC Exercise Program of Work or as separate, stand-alone training or analytical activities. Ensure that both scenario documentation and planning inputs are realistic, supportable by JWC, and are aligned with the wargame objectives;
• Design/Develop/Deliver and refine professional military wargames (serious games) within the JWC 360-degree training environment built around specific scenarios depending on the requirements of the audience. This should incorporate, at a minimum, the following:
• Information on NATO and its allies as actors in wargame scenarios;
• Wargame-relevant fictitious actors, systems of actors and historical data;
• Geostrategic information, based on NATO’s PMESII environment;
• Necessary associated data, information and documentation related to the environment and conditions relevant to the crises and conflicts in wargame scenarios;
• Military domains (LAND, AIR, SPACE, MARITIME, CYBER);
• Levels of command & control (political, military-political, military-strategic, military-operational, military-tactical).
• Gather and assess requirements, aims, objectives and other special considerations from the wargame sponsor(s) and accurately incorporate those into the design in order to ensure wargames are either tailor-made on demand or appropriately modified to suit individual sponsor training objectives. This will include, at a minimum, the following:
• Provide subject-matter-expert advice on a wide range of wargame styles, techniques, and mechanics;
• Conduct relevant research to assist in proper design of the wargame (e.g. existing games, commercial or professional, that have a similar theme or relevant designs or mechanics; academic or professional writings or doctrine)
• Properly develop the wargame to adhere to participation, time and other resource constraints
• Develop and document necessary information describing rules, events, circumstances and conditions leading to the wargame. This will include, at a minimum, the following:
• Wargame Rules and Rulebooks
• Wargame adjudication procedures;
• Wargame scenario material and read-ahead packages
• Wargame Starting (STARTGAME) conditions;
• Request for Information (RFI) Responses;
• Other written material pertaining to individual wargames as requested by the TA;
• Contribute to the graphic design and production of primary and supporting wargame material as required. This will include, at a minimum, the following:
• Charts, graphs, and other visual player aides;
• Wargame tokens, counters, chips, and other visual representations;
• Wargame map design;
• Playing cards, boards, combat results tables, and any other material that supports the mechanics of game-play;
• Throughout all phases of the wargame development process, participate in required in-progress reviews, conferences, and test-play
• On request during development, conduct and post-conduct of a wargame, support the analysis process including assessment of target audience accomplishment of objectives, as well as feedback and observations for the improvement of JWC and NATO wargaming;
• Contribute to JWC Wargaming Branch conceptual refinement and innovation with subject-matter-area expertise

Required Qualifications:

• Three years of working experience in the last six years in designing, developing and delivering wargames in a professional environment.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering serious / professional wargames
• Three years working in multidisciplinary team with at least one year in a leadership role.
• One year working or academia time in multi-disciplinary team.
• Have a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
• Have a certification in wargame design/development.
• Familiarity with national or NATO military doctrine, policy, processes, arrangements and procedures.
• Competent in MS Office software: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and SharePoint.
• Current NATO Secret Security Clearance or National equivalent.
• Demonstrated proficiency in English as defined in STANAG 6001 (Standardized Linguistic Profile (SLP) 4444 – Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) or equivalent.

Clearance: Must possess an active NATO or U.S. SECRET or higher security clearance. Location: NATO Joint Warfare Center, Stavanger, Norway Travel: CONUS and OCONUS travel may be required.