Special Operations Forces (SOF) Future Operations Planner

QinetiQ US•Tampa, FL

About The Position

We are seeking a highly qualified J35 Special Operations Forces (SOF) Future Operations Planner to join our team for a temporary, three-month term. This critical role serves as a temporary backfill for an active-duty reservist, offering a unique, short-term opportunity to directly support regional irregular (IW) and unconventional warfare (UW) planning. As a subject matter expert, you will conduct deliberate, crisis action, and contingency planning while synchronizing complex activities across USSOCOM, Service Components, and Interagency partners to improve interoperability. Your daily mission will involve reviewing strategic plans, validating research, and preparing high-impact decision papers and briefings for senior command leadership. This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced planner looking to make an immediate, direct impact on SOF unity of effort and national security.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree (BS/BA)
Nominees shall be a former O-4/O-5/WO3-WO5/E7-E8 or mid-grade GS-13 (Step 5 or higher) equivalent with 5+ years of Special Operations experience.
3+ years operational level planning experience including IW/UW planning
CENTCOM AOR operational experience in the past 5 years.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and experience preparing and presenting senior leadership briefings.
Demonstrated complex problem solving knowledge and experience using relevant methodologies.
Qualifications and training obtained at Command and General Staff College or service equivalent.
Active TS/SCI clearance required.

Responsibilities

Serve as a regional SOF irregular warfare (IW) and unconventional warfare (UW) operational planner with a primary focus on Future Operations.
Conducts and provides quality control of deliberate, crisis action, and contingency planning, IW/UW functional plan development and validation, coordination, and integration in conjunction with higher headquarters, components, DoD, United States Government (USG) Interagency, Partner Nations, and others.
Reviews and provides coordinated input to strategic and operational plans and orders, analysis reports, policy reports, requests for forces, DoD directives and guidance, and other documentation that supports strategic operations research, analysis and policy development.
Provides IW, UW and intelligence doctrine, operations, policy and authorities’ subject matter expertise and integration of lessons learned to support senior leader decision making.
Conducts and consolidates foreign partner nation representative coordination and planning to develop foreign partner nation capability and capacity.
Conducts and validates research and analysis, prepares information papers, decision papers, and briefings to inform command leadership.
Analyzes SOF unity of effort activities to support integration and synchronization of US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Service Component, National Mission Force, and Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC) activities.
Support collaboration with the Military Services to improve the integration and interoperability amongst SOF and conventional forces.
Provide SOF support and expertise through all phases of planning and project development.
Prepare briefs, information papers, and presentations as required utilizing Microsoft Office family of products (i.e. Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Access)
Develop and maintain an electronic resource, to include key points of contact, to be used for mission continuity that may be accessed by all stakeholders.
May perform travel CONUS/OCONUS (TDY status, attend conferences, planning efforts, OPTs with appropriate clearance levels, and exercises) as required and remain fully qualified and current with all specified / required training.