Operational Planning and Posture Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Position Summary: As Operational Planning & Posture Subject Matter Expert (SME) supporting the Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC), you are the branch's technical/functional authority for deliberate planning support and posture-related planning integration. You define and sustain 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. The position is located at Camp Smith, Hawaii.
Clearance Requirement
- Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Top Secret clearance, SCI eligible
Essential Functions and 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)
Required Education, Skills, and Experience
- Masters degree (or equivalent practical experience) in a relevant field
- Career level and intermediate level military education (Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College or 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
- 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
Preferred Skills and Experience
- 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
Physical Demands and Expectations
- Regular physical activity to include walking, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, reaching, lifting (up to 30 pounds), and standing; occasional prolonged sitting
- Ability to speak, read, hear and write, with or without assistance
- Ability to use phone and computer systems, copier, fax, and other office equipment