Lessons Learned Analyst / Exercise Plans Branch

Socket.dev; Springfield (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Stellar Solutions, Inc. in Springfield, VA is seeking a Lessons Learned Analyst to support the Exercise Plans Branch and the NRO Operations Center. You will translate lessons learned into measurable improvements that strengthen mission readiness and operational effectiveness.

You will maintain a centralized Lessons Learned repository using JLLIS, input and tag data, analyze after-action observations, and contribute to After-Action Reports. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience, or graduate degree with 4+ years, or 10+ years experience in lieu of a degree.
• At least 5 years of exercise planning or related operational planning experience.
• Proficiency with JLLIS.
• Familiarity with Joint Event Life Cycle (JELC) processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with briefing senior leadership.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary integrator between exercise outcomes and real-world operations.
• Maintain Lessons Learned repository using JLLIS, ensuring organization-wide access.
• Input, tag, categorize, and manage lessons learned for future planning.
• Collect and analyze observations from exercise participants and after-action data.
• Draft and contribute to After-Action Reports documenting findings and recommendations.
• Identify trends and opportunities for continuous operational improvement.
• Coordinate with Plans, Training, Mission Protection, and other NOC elements.
• Track lessons learned and corrective actions through implementation.
• Support exercise planning through the Joint Event Life Cycle (JELC).
• Support real-time exercise execution and ensure objectives are achieved.
• Provide support to controllers, evaluators, role players during execution.
• Participate in enterprise-level exercise planning with occasional travel.
• Develop and present briefings, reports, and data products for senior leadership.
• Deliver concise senior-level briefings summarizing outcomes and recommendations.
• Participate in working groups and coordination boards.

Skills

Exercise planning

Operational planning

Briefings to senior leadership

Clearance: TS/SCI with CI Polygraph

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Graduate degree

10+ years experience in lieu of degree

Tools

JLLIS

Job description

Overview

Stellar Solutions, Inc. is a nationally recognized Great Place To Work and a leading provider of integrated systems engineering and technical expertise to government and commercial customers. Our mission is to deliver high-impact, meaningful, and rewarding work that solves our customers’ critical needs.

We bring talented, energetic, and immediately productive professionals to meet critical customer needs in systems engineering and integration, mission operations, program management, acquisition support, and strategic planning—helping our customers deliver resilient mission capability with speed, quality, and technical excellence.

Stellar Solutions is seeking a Lessons Learned Analyst to support the Exercise Plans Branch and the NRO Operations Center (NOC) in Springfield, VA. In this role, you will serve as a key link between exercises and real-world operations, ensuring lessons learned, best practices, and operational insights are translated into measurable improvements that strengthen mission readiness and advance the Space Warfighting Mission.

Role/Responsibilities/Qualifications

You will work in a dynamic, high-tempo operational environment alongside Government and Contractor professionals supporting mission assessment, operational planning, anomaly investigation, courses of action (COAs), and decision support for senior leadership.

In this role, you will:

• Serve as the primary integrator between exercise outcomes and real-world operations, helping translate lessons learned into actionable operational improvements.
• Maintain a centralized Lessons Learned repository using the DoD Joint Lessons Learned Information System (JLLIS), ensuring organization-wide access and visibility.
• Input, tag, categorize, and manage lessons learned to support future planning, training, exercises, and operational development.
• Collect and analyze observations and after-action data from exercise participants, evaluators, and observers through hot washes, surveys, debriefs, and other feedback mechanisms.
• Draft and contribute to After-Action Reports (AARs) documenting findings, capability gaps, strengths, and actionable recommendations tied to mission objectives and core capabilities.
• Identify trends, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for continuous operational improvement.
• Coordinate with Plans, Training, Mission Protection, and other NOC elements to ensure exercise findings are translated into measurable follow-up actions.
• Track lessons learned and associated corrective actions through implementation and operational integration.
• Support exercise planning throughout the Joint Event Life Cycle (JELC), including Initial Planning Conferences (IPC), Mid-Term Planning Conferences (MPC), and Final Planning Conferences (FPC).
• Support real-time exercise execution, ensuring injects are delivered appropriately and exercise objectives are achieved.
• Provide support to controllers, evaluators, role players, and other exercise participants during execution.
• Participate in enterprise-level exercise planning and execution activities, including occasional travel as required.
• Develop and present briefings, reports, assessments, and data products for senior leadership and enterprise stakeholders.
• Deliver clear, concise, and professional senior-level briefings summarizing exercise outcomes, findings, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Participate in working groups, coordination boards, and other forums supporting operational and mission alignment.
• Work full-time onsite at the customer location in Springfield, VA.

What you bring to the role:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 6 years of relevant experience; a graduate degree and at least 4 years of relevant experience; or at least 10 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• At least 5 years of exercise planning or related operational planning experience.
• Demonstrated proficiency with the DoD Joint Lessons Learned Information System (JLLIS).
• Familiarity with Joint Event Life Cycle (JELC) processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience developing and delivering briefings to senior leadership.
• Ability to independently manage responsibilities and priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic operational environment.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph.

Desired qualifications:

• Military or Government experience supporting space operations or space mission planning.
• Relevant exercise planning or lessons-learned training or certifications, such as:
• Joint Event Life Cycle (JELC) Training
• Joint Lessons Learned Program (JLLP) training
• JLLIS User Training
• DoD or DHS exercise design training, including HSEEP

Deliverable(s)

Turn exercise experience into operational advantage. You will help ensure lessons identified during NRO exercises do not end with the after-action report—they become actionable improvements that strengthen readiness, inform future operations, and enhance the NRO’s ability to execute critical space missions.