Special Operations Planner - Schriever SFB

QinetiQ US•Colorado Springs, CO

6d•$130,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Join us in supporting the National Space Defense Center (NSDC) at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, CO – the joint, interagency command responsible for detecting, warning, characterizing, attributing, and defending against threats to U.S. national space systems. The NSDC integrates DoW, Intelligence Community, commercial, and civil partners in unified space defense operations across the full continuum of conflict. We are seeking experienced a Special Operations Forces (SOF) planner to serve as embedded contractor personnel within the NSDC. In this role, you will bridge the SOF enterprise and the space defense mission – integrating special operations capabilities, perspectives, and requirements into NSDC’s operational plans, Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) processes, and space superiority campaigns. This is a mission-critical, high-visibility role requiring deep SOR planning expertise combined with a working knowledge of the contested space domain.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (strategic studies, political science, military operations, aerospace, or related field); significant experience may substitute
7+ years of operational planning experience with or in direct support of Special Operations Forces at the unit, command, or combatant command level
Demonstrated experience with the Joint Planning Process (JPP), Military Decision Making Process (MDMP), and/or APEX planning framework
Working knowledge of space operations, space domain awareness, or space-enabled capabilities as they relate to SOF mission execution
Familiarity with Joint Publication 3-05 (Special Operations) and related SOF doctrine, campaign plans, and authority frameworks
Demonstrated ability to produce operational-quality planning products – orders, CONOPs, COAs, briefings – and present them to senior and flag-level audiences
Proficiency with classified networks and tools including SIPRNet and JWICS
Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with Polygraph required

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in strategic studies, national security affairs, space policy, or a related field
Prior direct experience supporting USSPACECOM, U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S), NSDC, or a Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC)
Familiarity with NSDC’s BMC2 architecture, space defense operations frameworks, or counterspace planning
Experience integrating SOF into multi-domain or cross-functional operations alongside cyber, electronic warfare, or information operations capabilities
Understanding of Special Technical Operations (STO), Special Access Programs (SAP), or Alternate Compensatory Control Measures (ACCMs) in an operational planning context
Prior military service at the O-4/O-5 level or higher with a SOF background (e.g., ARSOF, AFSOC, NAVSPECWARCOM, MARSOC) or as a Space Operations Officer (FA40)
Experience supporting or participating in NACE experiments, USSPACECOM wargames, or large-scale joint exercises

Responsibilities

Integrate Special Operations Forces capabilities, requirements, and authorities into NSDC operational plans, contingency plans, and campaign plans supporting space superiority and space defense missions
Develop Courses of Action (COAs), Concepts of Operations (CONOPs, and planning annexes that account for SOF mission dependencies on space-enabled capabilities including precision navigation, ISR, secure communications, and electromagnetic spectrum operations
Assess and articulate SOF requirements for space-based support in contested, degraded, and operationally denied (CDO) environments, ensuring those needs are represented in NSDC planning cycles
Execute planning duties across the Joint Planning Process (JPP) and APEX planning framework, developing and staffing operational orders, EXORDs, and fragmentary orders as required
Coordinate across NSDC directorates, USSPACECOM, Theater Security Operations Commands (TSOCs), Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs), the Intelligence Community, and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to synchronize SOF-space planning activities
Maintain situational awareness of adversary counterspace threats and their potential impact on SOF operation; contribute to Indications and Warning (I&W) products and threat characterization efforts
Interface with NSDC’s Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) architecture to ensure SOF mission requirements and operational sensitivities are integrated into command processes
Contribute to space domain awareness products, operational overlays, and decision-support briefings for NSDC leadership and joint staff
Identify and communicate SOF-unique characterization, authorities, and Rules of Engagement (ROE) considerations affecting NSDC operational planning
Support NSDC Advanced Concept Experimentation (NACE) events and USSPACECOM wargames focused on SOF-space convergence, contested space operations, and multi-domain planning
Develop and facilitate exercise scenarios that stress SOF dependencies on space systems and NSDC’s ability to defend those capabilities under adversarial conditions
Conduct After Action Reviews (AARs) and lessons learned analysis; develop improvement recommendations for SOF-space integration processes, planning authorities, and capability gaps