C4I Systems and Communications / Tactical Datalink Architect

C4I Systems and Communications / Tactical Datalink Architect Location: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Number of vacancies: 2 Contract: Initial 12-month assignment, with potential extension of up to four further years Salary: USD 100,000 to USD 120,000 base salary per annum, dependent on experience Additional package: Accommodation, visa and Iqama sponsorship, mobilisation and rotation flights, medical insurance and local transport Anticipated start: October 2026 The Opportunity VETWORK is supporting a specialist defence advisory programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is seeking two experienced C4I Systems and Communications / Tactical Datalink Architects. The successful candidates will join a client-side programmes team supporting a portfolio of defence capability acquisition and modernisation projects. The roles will provide systems-of-systems architecture expertise across C4I, tactical communications, deployed networks and tactical datalinks. The successful candidates will translate operational concepts into coherent architectures, technical requirements and procurement packages across land, air and maritime environments. Key Responsibilities Engage with military, operational and programme stakeholders to understand capability needs, operational concepts and technical constraints. Translate operational requirements into coherent system and systems-of-systems architectures. Develop and review architecture options across C4I, tactical communications and tactical datalink capabilities. Define system boundaries, external dependencies, interfaces and information exchanges. Develop logical, physical, operational, network and communications architecture views. Apply NAF, DoDAF or equivalent defence architecture frameworks. Support platform integration across land, maritime and airborne environments. Ensure requirements remain aligned and traceable to the agreed architecture. Identify architectural gaps, interface dependencies, integration risks and technical constraints. Conduct options analysis, trade studies and technical assessments. Develop architecture-related Statements of Work, specifications and evaluation criteria. Support the preparation of RFI, RFP and RFQ documentation. Review OEM, vendor and systems-integrator architectures. Support proposal evaluation, structured scoring and technical down-selection. Participate in architecture reviews, design reviews, risk assessments and technical governance. Maintain technical coherence across multiple concurrent projects and capability workstreams. Mandatory Qualifications and Experience Minimum 7 years’ relevant experience in defence systems architecture within C4I, C2, tactical communications or tactical datalink environments. Demonstrable experience developing system or systems-of-systems architectures. Proven experience applying NAF, DoDAF, MODAF or a comparable defence architecture framework. Experience developing logical, physical, operational and interface architecture views. Strong understanding of tactical and deployed network architectures. Experience defining system boundaries, interfaces, external dependencies and information exchanges. Experience translating operational concepts into technical architectures and requirement sets. Understanding of tactical communications, IP networking, transmission systems, bearer diversity and network resilience. Experience supporting defence acquisition, technical evaluation, options analysis or vendor assessment. Experience producing architecture documentation, technical specifications or Statements of Work. Strong technical writing and stakeholder-management skills. Fluent written and spoken English. Eligible for KSA employment sponsorship and able to satisfy all client security and vetting requirements. Desirable Experience Experience with Link 16, Link 22, VMF or comparable tactical datalink standards. Knowledge of Software Defined Radio systems, tactical waveforms and military interoperability. Experience with C4I software, C2 platforms or battle-management systems. Exposure to Model-Based Systems Engineering and architecture modelling tools. Experience developing capability roadmaps or enterprise-level defence architectures. Multi-domain platform-integration experience across land, maritime and air environments. Previous experience supporting ministries of defence, armed forces or government acquisition organisations. Previous GCC or wider Middle East experience. Arabic language capability. Current or previous defence security clearance. Desirable Qualifications Degree or equivalent professional qualification in systems engineering, communications engineering, electronic engineering, computer science or a related discipline. INCOSE, Chartered Engineer, IET, BCS or equivalent professional accreditation. Formal training or certification in NAF, DoDAF, MODAF, TOGAF or MBSE. Candidate Profile This opportunity is intended for experienced defence systems architects with broad technical knowledge across C4I, tactical communications, networks, datalinks and platform integration. Operational, maintenance or instructional experience alone will not be sufficient. Candidates must be able to demonstrate formal architecture development, systems-of-systems thinking, interface definition and defence acquisition support. The successful candidates will be comfortable working with military users, programme teams, systems engineers, OEMs, systems integrators and senior client stakeholders. Eligibility and Mobility Candidates must: be willing and able to relocate to Riyadh be eligible for KSA employment sponsorship and an Iqama be able to satisfy client security, background and vetting requirements be available to mobilise within approximately four weeks of a confirmed offer Application Requirements Applicants should submit an up-to-date CV clearly demonstrating experience in: defence C4I or tactical communications architecture systems-of-systems development NAF, DoDAF, MODAF or equivalent frameworks tactical and deployed network architecture interface and information-exchange definition platform integration requirements engineering and traceability defence acquisition support technical specifications and Statements of Work vendor or systems-integrator technical evaluation Applications without clear formal defence systems-architecture experience are unlikely to progress.