INTEL RESEARCH SPECIALIST-SR - Ignite Fueling Innovation

Ignite is seeking a Senior Intelligence Research Specialist to support the research, analysis, and development of warfighting concepts, intelligence strategies, and operational approaches to challenges within the space domain.  The employee will be direct report to the Vice President – National Security Programs.  The selected candidate will be required to research, compile, and produce high-quality finished products derived from multiple sources through the coherent analysis of data and synthesis of information into White Papers or a variety of models or visualization formulas. 

Duties: 

• Collaborate with space operations centers and space acquisition offices to review plans, procedures and technical documentation and provide recommendations on US Space Force (USSF) related policy, strategy, and guidance. 

• Conduct technical studies and analyses; perform operations concept development; operations planning and support; evaluation of operations procedures, assessment of capabilities and requirements; validation and verification activities; and program administrative, security, documentation, and presentation support. 

• Participate in planning and development forums as well as technical interchange meetings to further understand the background and basis for developing technical analyses. 

• Evaluate and influence both operational and regulatory requirements for future USSF operations, missions, and capabilities to determine optimal architectures in support of achieving the US Defense Space Strategy’s objectives. 

• Advise and strategically support systems engineering and integration activities, including reviewing the soundness of system-level requirements or engineering artifacts by evaluating the operational suitability of existing space capabilities, as well as designing evaluations and experiments to influence near, mid-range, and long-term USSF objectives. 

• Analyze needs and capabilities in support of partner organizations such as US Space Command (USSPACECOM), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), DoD Service Components, the Joint Task Force – Space Defense (JTF-SD), and other organizations supported within the space domain. 

• Performs studies involving space flight safety, defensive space control, and intelligence analysis to support the sustainment of the space common operating picture. 

• Assists in the evaluation of USSF Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP’s). 

• Independently determine and develop approaches to solutions while working only under very general direction as the mission requires fluid ever-changing adversarial techniques. 

• At liberty to determine what and how to achieve specifically stated positional objectives. 

• Exercises sound judgement to avoid erroneous decisions or recommendations would normally result in serious delays and considerable expenditure or resources. 

• Represents the organization in providing solutions to difficult technical problems. 

• Strategically engage and liaise with both US Government clients and industry partners to exchange information, understand challenges, influence requirements, and share information on potential solutions to complex challenges related to space domain operations. 

• Builds Course of Action (COA) development, evaluation, and execution. 

• Provide a Weekly Activity Report (WAR) highlighting action, impacts, and results. 

Education, Experience, & Licensing Requirements: 

• Master’s Degree in a related field preferred; 

• At least 5 years of National Security Space strategy related experience is preferred; 

• At least 10 years of National Security Space operations related experience is preferred; 

• Attendance in any training at the National Security Space Institute (NSSI) is preferred; 

• Attendance in the Space 200 Course or a higher-level iteration is a plus; 

• Previous experience as an Intelligence Analyst or Intelligence Research Specialist in a strategic or research driven environment in support of an Intelligence Community missions within the space domain is a plus; 

• Previous experience as an Operations Research/Systems Analyst (ORSA) is a plus; 

• Previous experience within the Air Force Space Command (AFSC), Army Space & Missile Defense Command (SMDC), USSPACECOM, or USSF is a plus. 

Required Skills: 

• Expertise providing decision support among diverse agencies, customers, and stakeholders (e.g., commercial, civil, governmental partners) within the space domain; 

• Demonstrated proficiency in conveying operational space capabilities, their limitations, employment, needs, and requirements through customer-desired products and forums; 

• Familiarity with space operations and strategy in the context of providing support to joint operations by ensuring operations and capabilities are positioned to support or anticipate end user needs; 

• Knowledge of space and space launch/flight doctrine to include orders, plans, policies, instructions, and concepts of operations; 

• Work with minimal guidance and be fully capable of meeting most analytic objectives without direction; 

• Ability to work independently or as part of a team; 

• Ability to break down and analyze complex and/or difficult problems; 

• Ability to research and prepare extensive reports from various sources of information and compile/present findings to clients in a clear and concise manner; 

• Advanced speaking and report-writing skills for effective communication in national security environments; 

• Excellent customer engagement skills with the ability to recognize and keep sensitive client information confidential; 

• Attention to details and a commitment to accuracy; 

• Collaborate to provide accurate technical information that contributes to synergized analysis that is better than the sum of the individual parts; 

• Work rapidly in a high tempo, high stress environment that often requires multi-tasking; 

• Support the corporate business development/capture efforts and growth objectives of Ignite. 

Desired Skills: 

• Knowledge of statistical analysis and data visualization tools; 

• Ability to plan, analyze, and assess Command and Control, Space Domain Awareness, Space Situational Awareness, and space control concepts, architectures, plans, policies, doctrine, and requirements; 

• Expertise to provide analytical and administrative support to, and/or products and documents for, combined/joint space operations planning consistent with Joint Publication 5.0, Joint Planning; 

• Ability to analyze technical capabilities, mission objectives, and available resources to develop strategies, policy guidance, Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), perform Analysis of Alternatives and conceptualize solutions to achieve or optimize space operations objectives; 

• Experience in reviewing, analyzing, and recommending revisions to space operations documents including Directives, Instructions, CONOPS, agreements, and requirements documents in support of the USSF; 

• Expertise to provide analysis of potential impacts to USSF missions and corresponding operations involving US and foreign space policy related matters; 

• Knowledge needed to support the resolution of anomalous events or USG or international policy changes that impact space operations; 

• Experience in providing administrative and analytical support for the evaluation of Commander Priorities, unit readiness, current operations, and other assessments including analyzing and recommending revisions to ensure alignment with applicable orders/missions within the space domain; 

• Demonstrated expertise with analytic methodologies in support of intelligence production. 

Estimated Salary Range:  $75,000 to %175,000 depending on experience