Planning Support Subject Matter Expert

Location: Hālawa Heights

** Description*
* The Operational Planning & Posture SME is the branch's technical/functional authority for deliberate planning support and posture-related planning integration. The role defines and sustains planning-support rigor-standards, quality gates, and expert advisory-so high-visibility products remain coherent, defensible, and aligned with guidance across the Joint Planning and Execution Community (JPEC). Unlike the Senior role, the SME does not own daily suspense tracking/battle rhythm execution;

the SME intervenes where complexity, risk, or ambiguity threatens outcomes.

** Key Responsibilities*
* +  
** Define
* * planning-support standards (templates, quality gates, staffing checklists, traceability expectations, version-control conventions) for branch-wide use

+  
** Advise
* * government leads on complex planning-support approaches (staffing strategy, integration paths, decision points, adjudication methods)

+  
** Perform
* * senior technical review of high-visibility briefs, information papers, and final planning documents to ensure clarity, consistency, and decision-readiness

+  
** Resolve
* * the hardest integration problems (conflicting guidance, misaligned assumptions, incomplete inputs) and recommend defensible tradeoffs and mitigation paths

+  
** Translate
* * policy/guidance into actionable planning inputs and posture initiative implications (as directed by government leads)

+  
** Strengthen
* * Operational Planning Team (OPT)/working group outcomes by shaping narratives, analytical framing, and decision-quality criteria (not meeting administration)

+  
** Coach
* * Senior and junior staff on advanced staff writing, editorial judgment, and staffing discipline through targeted reviews and exemplars

+  
** Assess
* * systemic bottlenecks and  
** recommend
* * repeatable improvements to reduce rework and improve first-pass acceptance (without taking over daily execution)

** Qualifications*
* + Masters and thirteen years or more experience;
PhD or JD and ten (10) years or more experience.

+ Career level and intermediate level military education(Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College (other service equivalents))

+  
** 10+ years
** deep experience supporting joint/service planning and senior-leader decision support, including production and critical review of staff products

+ Demonstrated mastery of JPEC planning forums and staffing dynamics (e.g., OPTs, joint planning groups (JPGs))

+ Knowledge and application experience in the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) and Joint Planning Process (JPP)

+ Expert capability drafting/editing planning products and enforcing consistency, traceability, and formatting discipline

+ Ability to comply with government workplace requirements and obtain/maintain any required access/eligibility

** Strongly Preferred*
* + Intermediate or top-level operational planning education (e.g., JAWS/SAMS/MAWS/SAASS/Service and Joint War Colleges or Fellowships

+ Senior PME (e.g., CGSC/ILE, USMC CSC, Naval/War College equivalents)

+ Prior experience with USINDOPACOM, MARFORPAC, HQMC, a combatant command, Service component, or MEF HQ

+ Doctoral degree in a relevant field

** Skills & Competencies*
* + Deep functional expertise in deliberate planning support and posture planning integration

+ Advanced analytic framing and problem-solving under ambiguity

+ Expert-level writing/editing and product coherence management

+ Influence without authority; credible advisory presence with senior stakeholders

+ Standards-setting, coaching, and quality assurance mindset

** Autonomy, Decision Authority & Accountability*
* +  
** Owns
* * technical/functional standards and review thresholds for planning-support quality (government leads retain final approval authority)

+  
** Decides
* * when to elevate quality risks and require additional review cycles for high-visibility products

+  
** Accountable for
** reducing defects, preventing misalignment with guidance, and improving first-pass acceptance of key deliverables

Target salary range: $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

REQNUMBER: 2610982

SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity.

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit  For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working  AA M/F/Vet/Disability