Senior F-Lightning Sustainment Operations SME

Position Description

Title:

Senior F-35 Lightning Sustainment Operations SME

Location:

Arlington, VA (On-Site)

Clearance:
Must be a U.S. citizen with an active Secret clearance (required)

Paradigm Max Q is redefining defense industry support. Founded in 2023, we combine elite talent with advanced analytics to deliver actionable solutions that improve readiness and reduce costs for the government and warfighter.

With rapid growth and operations in 11 U.S. locations, we’re driven by performance, innovation, and impact. Our mission: to deliver measurable results that strengthen national defense and empower those who serve.

Join us as we shape the future of defense support.

Paradigm Max Q is seeking a highly experienced Senior F-35 Lightning Sustainment Operations SME to support the F-35 JPO leading cross-enterprise readiness initiatives and operational integration efforts across the F-35 fleet. This position requires a seasoned professional with direct F-35 operational experience and demonstrated success executing senior staff-level work within DoD headquarters environments (e.g., Pentagon, Service Headquarters, Joint Staff, OSD, or similar).

This role focuses on fleet readiness execution-driving enterprise alignment, translating operational priorities into measurable sustainment outcomes, and supporting government decision-making with clear, data-informed recommendations. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in high-visibility environments and coordinating across multiple organizations to deliver readiness improvements at scale.

• Lead readiness and operations improvement projects in support of enterprise fleet readiness priorities, aligning operational requirements with sustainment execution across the F-35 ecosystem.
• Develop and staff senior leader products including readiness briefs, decision memoranda, issue papers, read-aheads, and staffing packages for government leadership.
• Drive cross-functional coordination across JPO, Services, MAJCOMs/Fleet commands, operational units, depots, OEMs, and sustainment partners to improve readiness performance and execution timelines.
• Analyze readiness drivers and degraders impacting availability and mission capability and translate findings into prioritized actions and decision support.
• Support fleet readiness governance forums by developing agendas, capturing outcomes, tracking actions, and ensuring follow-through execution across stakeholders.
• Identify, assess, and communicate enterprise constraints (supply, maintenance, engineering, training, manpower) that impact fleet readiness outcomes.
• Support development of integrated readiness recovery strategies and coordinated mitigation approaches for high-impact readiness degraders.
• Coordinate government taskers and suspense-driven staffing actions, ensuring timely responses and high-quality products suitable for senior leader review.
• Provide stakeholder engagement support, including meeting preparation, capture of key decisions, and development of executive communication products.
• Support periodic assessments, special studies, and government-directed readiness projects as required.

• Executive-level readiness briefs and decision support products
• Fleet readiness status reports and enterprise action tracker updates
• Readiness issue papers and staffing packages for leadership coordination
• Governance support products (agendas, minutes, action closure documentation)

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree (required)
• Master's degree (preferred)

• 12+ years supporting DoD aviation operations, readiness, sustainment, or enterprise integration roles
• Direct F-35 operational experience (pilot, maintainer, squadron operations, operational staff, or comparable experience)
• Demonstrated experience within a Command Action Operations Center (CAOC)
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior staff-level execution (Pentagon, Service Headquarters, Joint Staff, OSD, MAJCOM, or equivalent)
• Proven ability to lead readiness integration across complex organizations and influence outcomes through coordination and execution
• Experience translating operational readiness priorities into actionable sustainment initiatives across supply, maintenance, and engineering communities

• Strong understanding of readiness drivers, aviation sustainment enterprise execution, and operational impacts
• Ability to evaluate readiness performance and communicate trends, risk areas, and recommendations to senior leaders
• Strong ability to decompose enterprise readiness challenges into coordinated actions, suspense timelines, and measurable outcomes

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Familiarity with readiness reporting systems, dashboards, and enterprise action tracking tools

• DAU Life Cycle Logistics / Program Management
• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• Must be a U.S. citizen with an active Secret…