Force Design Analyst

IQ Sig; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k w/ match

Gym Membership discounts

Volunteer Paid Time Off

Generous PTO package

Job summary

IQ Sig in Washington, DC is seeking a senior-level defense analyst to shape SOF force design and operations. You will translate strategic guidance into force concepts, develop data-driven recommendations, and present insights to senior leaders.

The role requires a TS clearance, a relevant master's degree (or BA with extensive experience), and 10+ years in related planning roles. Expect collaboration across IPTs and wargames to validate concepts.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Master's degree in a relevant field; BA with extensive experience may substitute.
• 10+ years in force development, force design, or strategic planning.
• Experience with JSPS and defense acquisition processes.
• Deep SOF culture knowledge and operational employment.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; briefing senior leaders.
• Proven leadership of multi-stakeholder groups and IPTs.
• Proficient with data analysis or modeling tools for trade-offs.

Responsibilities

• Provide analytic support and assist in developing decision support products.
• Assist analysis of SOF force structure and capabilities.
• Contribute to CONOPS and force design concepts development.
• Translate guidance into force design concepts and operational plans.
• Develop and evaluate force design options using models.
• Input to modeling and simulation analyses to test force structures.
• Analyze existing and proposed force structures for gaps.
• Support operational analyses on force organization and employment.
• Prepare reports and briefings to senior leaders on trade-offs.
• Facilitate wargames, IPTs, and workshops for concept validation.
• Research emerging technologies and their impact on force design.
• Draft requirements for new SOF capabilities.
• Maintain understanding of threats and geopolitical trends.

Skills

Top Secret clearance

Strategic analysis

Quantitative analysis

Communication

Project leadership

SOF acumen

Education

Master's degree in a relevant field

Bachelor's with 15 years of directly relevant experience substituted

Tools

JSPS

Acquisition & resourcing processes

Data analysis tools

Modeling & simulation

Job description

• Provides analytic support and assists in developing decision support products.
• Assists the analysis, assessment, and development of future Special Operations Forces (SOF) force structure and capabilities.
• Contributes to the development of new special operations operating concepts, concepts of operation (CONOPS), force design concepts, concept required capabilities, and capability gap assessments.
• Translates strategic guidance from the National Defense Strategy and other key documents into concrete force design concepts and resource-informed operational plans.
• Develops and evaluates alternative force design options using analytical models and data-driven assessments to determine optimal configurations.
• Provides inputs to modeling and simulation analyses to assess the effectiveness of different force structures and concepts of operation.
• Analyzes existing and proposed force structures to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in capability.
• Supports operational analyses to determine how forces should be organized, equipped, and employed to achieve strategic objectives.
• Prepares and presents detailed reports, briefings, and recommendations to senior leaders on force structure, risk, and capability trade-offs.
• Facilitates wargames, workshops, and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to explore and validate emerging force design concepts.
• Researches and evaluates emerging technologies (e.g., AI, robotics, hypersonics, cyber warfare) and their potential impact on force design.
• Drafts requirements documents and proposals to support the programming and acquisition of new SOF capabilities.
• Maintains a thorough understanding of current and future threats, geopolitical trends, and military doctrine.

Qualifications

• Clearance: Must possess an active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Education: Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., National Security Studies, Military Science, Business Administration). A Bachelor's degree with 15 years of directly relevant experience may be substituted.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in force development, force design, or strategic/operational planning within the Department of War (DOW).
• DoD Process Knowledge: Demonstrated expertise in the Joint Strategic Planning System (JSPS), defense acquisition and resourcing processes, and the development of formal military requirements documents.
• SOF Acumen: Deep understanding of SOF culture, capabilities, and operational employment.
• Strategic Analysis: Proven ability to analyze complex strategic problems, synthesize information from multiple sources, and develop innovative, data-driven recommendations.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with experience briefing General/Flag Officers or senior civilian equivalents.
• Project Leadership: Experience leading and facilitating multi-stakeholder working groups and integrated product teams (IPTs).
• Quantitative Analysis: Proficiency with data analysis or modeling tools to support force structure and capability trade-off decisions.

The pay range for this position is between $145,000 and $175,000 per year. This position is benefits-eligible. Our suite of benefits includes Health, Dental, Vision, 401k w/ match, Gym Membership discounts, Volunteer Paid Time Off, and a generous PTO package.

We believe great talent comes from many backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and make all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, consistent with all applicable laws.

Our team provides superior services, solutions and subject matter expertise to solve our customer's most challenging requirements in cyber, land, air, sea and space. We believe in empowering our employees to deliver exceptional results across our federal, state and private sector clients. We are values-led and mission driven. We can't wait to work with you!

The pay range for this role is:

145,000 - 175,000 USD per year (The Pentagon)