Operational Planning & Posture Subject Matter Expert (MARFORPAC G-5 Plans)

Na Ali'i Consulting & Sales, LLC.•Honolulu, HI

1d•$160,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Operational Planning & Posture Subject Matter Expert (SME) serves as the branch's technical and functional authority for deliberate planning support and posture planning integration. This position establishes and maintains planning support standards, quality assurance measures, and expert advisory services to ensure high-visibility planning products are coherent, defensible, and aligned with guidance across the Joint Planning and Execution Community (JPEC). Unlike positions responsible for daily planning execution, this role provides senior-level expertise in resolving complex planning challenges, mitigating risk, and improving the quality and consistency of planning products and processes.

Requirements

Master's degree (or equivalent practical experience) in a relevant field.
Completion of career-level and intermediate-level military professional education, including Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, or equivalent service schools.
Minimum of ten (10) years of experience supporting joint or Service planning and senior leader decision support, including production and critical review of staff products.
Demonstrated mastery of Joint Planning and Execution Community (JPEC) planning forums and staffing dynamics, including Operational Planning Teams (OPTs) and Joint Planning Groups (JPGs).
Demonstrated knowledge and application of the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) and the Joint Planning Process (JPP).
Expert-level capability in drafting and editing planning products while ensuring consistency, traceability, and formatting discipline.
Ability to comply with government workplace requirements and obtain and maintain any required access or eligibility.
Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
Must be a U.S. citizen.

Nice To Haves

Intermediate or advanced operational planning education, including JAWS, SAMS, MAWS, SAASS, Service War Colleges, Joint War Colleges, or equivalent fellowships.
Senior Professional Military Education (PME), including Command and General Staff College (CGSC/ILE), Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Naval War College, or equivalent institutions.
Prior experience supporting or working alongside USINDOPACOM, MARFORPAC, Headquarters Marine Corps, a Combatant Command, a Service Component Headquarters, or a Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
Doctoral degree in a relevant field.

Responsibilities

Define branch-wide planning support standards, including templates, quality gates, staffing checklists, traceability expectations, and version control conventions.
Advise government leadership on complex planning support approaches, including staffing strategies, integration methods, decision points, and adjudication processes.
Conduct senior-level technical reviews of high-visibility briefing materials, information papers, and final planning documents to ensure clarity, consistency, and decision-ready quality.
Resolve complex planning integration challenges involving conflicting guidance, misaligned assumptions, incomplete inputs, and competing priorities while recommending defensible tradeoffs and mitigation strategies.
Translate policy and higher headquarters guidance into actionable planning inputs and posture initiative implications, as directed by government leadership.
Enhance Operational Planning Team (OPT) and working group outcomes by strengthening analytical framing, planning narratives, and decision-quality criteria.
Mentor Senior Planning Support Specialists and junior personnel through targeted reviews, coaching, and examples focused on advanced staff writing, editorial judgment, and staffing discipline.
Assess recurring planning process bottlenecks and recommend sustainable improvements that reduce rework and improve first-pass acceptance of planning products without assuming responsibility for daily execution.