Operational Analyst -Strategic Analysis & Integration

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) seeks an experienced Operational Analyst within the National Security Analysis Department. The role focuses on leading multidisciplinary teams to assess mission risk, optimize DOTMLPF outcomes, and deliver rigorous analytic insights for sponsors across national security domains.

The successful candidate will manage project scoping, execution, and stakeholder communication, while growing into higher leadership responsibilities and advancing analytic

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in operations research, mathematics, physical or social sciences, engineering, economics, or related field.
• At least seven years of relevant technical, operational, or national security analysis experience.
• Experience conducting national security analyses focused on operations, mission risk, force structure, readiness, sustainment, or related challenges.
• Ability to frame complex, ambiguous problems into tractable analytic questions and defend approaches.
• Experience leading technical or analytic tasks, projects, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to collaborate across organizations and analytic disciplines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with sponsors and stakeholders.
• Sound judgment, initiative, and accountability in complex environments.
• Willingness to travel occasionally; citizenship and clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and lead operational analyses and mission risk assessments addressing complex national security challenges.
• Build and lead multidisciplinary project teams; coordinate with line managers and technical leaders; address barriers to success; delegate; foster accountability and shared ownership.
• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, analytic approaches, and success criteria with sponsors and technical teams.
• Lead disciplined project execution: staffing, schedules, milestones, budgets, dependencies, quality, scope and delivery.
• Work with technical leads to ensure analytic rigor and integrate with mission engineering, modeling, and adversary analysis.
• Translate analytic results into insights about mission risk and operational tradeoffs for sponsor decisions.
• Serve as primary sponsor interface; conduct status meetings and clearly communicate findings and needs.
• Develop sponsor relationships and identify follow-on opportunities; contribute to proposals and new analytic efforts.
• Support data-driven and AI-enabled analytic workflows balancing innovation with rigor and sponsor trust.
• Mentor junior team members and help develop future leaders.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Problem solving

Travel availability

Security clearance eligible

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree or Ph.D.

Job description

Description

Are you an experienced analyst who thrives on tackling complex national security challenges where the answers aren't always clear?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team in the National Security Analysis Department (NSAD) at JHU/APL.

We are seeking an analytically rigorous and collaborative Operational Analyst and Project Leader to join the Operational Analysis Section within the Strategic Analysis and Integration Group of the National Security Analysis Department (NSAD). This individual will contribute to and lead multidisciplinary projects focused on assessing mission risk and operational effectiveness through a holistic Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities (DOTMLPF) frame.

Through this frame, the Operational Analysis Section examines how new capabilities, force structure, readiness, and investment contribute to intended mission outcomes under real-world constraints. This work includes identifying operational vulnerabilities - such as logistics and supply chain risk and evaluating tradeoffs across missions and time horizons. We emphasize elements such as institutional capacity, future operating conditions, and sustainment realities that impact successful implementation of capabilities.

The successful candidate will conduct rigorous operational analysis while taking increasing responsibility for project formulation, team leadership, sponsor engagement, and execution. The successful candidate will be a proactive and collaborative analyst who takes ownership, identifies what needs to be done, and works constructively across teams and disciplines to move complex efforts forward. We value individuals who bring a team-oriented approach; actively seek out and incorporate different perspectives; communicate candidly and respectfully; and contribute to an environment in which colleagues can challenge ideas, solve problems, and succeed together.

We are seeking individuals who can grow into significant project leadership roles, building multidisciplinary teams and trusted sponsor relationships while ensuring the technical quality, timeliness, and impact of their work.

As an Operational Analyst in the National Security Analysis Department (NSAD), you will…

• Conduct and lead operational analyses and mission risk assessments addressing complex national security challenges.
• Build and lead multidisciplinary project teams; coordinate effectively with line managers and technical leaders; proactively identify and address barriers to team success; delegate effectively; and foster a culture of accountability, mutual respect, constructive dialogue, and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, analytic approaches, and success criteria in collaboration with sponsors and technical teams.
• Lead disciplined project execution, including staffing, schedules, milestones, budgets, dependencies, technical quality, scope management, and delivery of high-quality products.
• Work with technical leads to ensure analytic rigor and integrate operational analysis with mission engineering, modeling and simulation, adversary analysis, future concepts, and other relevant disciplines.
• Translate analytic results into clear insights about mission risk, operational tradeoffs, and implications for sponsor decisions.
• Serve as a primary interface with sponsors; conduct status meetings and reviews and clearly communicate accomplishments, analytic findings, risks, issues, resource needs, and schedule or scope changes.
• Develop trusted sponsor relationships, identify emerging challenges and follow-on opportunities, and contribute to proposals, estimates, and development of new analytic efforts.
• Contribute to adoption of data-driven and AI-enabled analytic workflows where appropriate, balancing innovation with analytic rigor, operational realism, and sponsor trust.
• Mentor less-experienced team members and contribute to development of future technical and project leaders.

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you…

• Have a Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in a relevant field such as operations research, mathematics, the physical or social sciences, engineering, economics, or a related discipline.
• Have at least seven years of relevant experience conducting technical, operational, or national security analysis.
• Have experience conducting national security analyses focused on operations, mission risk, force structure, readiness, sustainment, or related operational challenges.
• Have demonstrated ability to frame complex and ambiguous national security problems into tractable analytic questions and develop defensible approaches for addressing them.
• Have demonstrated experience leading technical or analytic tasks, projects, or multidisciplinary teams and are prepared to take increasing responsibility for project leadership.
• Have demonstrated ability to collaborate across organizations and analytic disciplines.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience communicating technical results to sponsors and stakeholders.
• Have demonstrated sound judgment, initiative, and accountability in complex analytic or project environments.
• Are willing and able to travel on an occasional basis.
• Are able to obtain an Interim Secret security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you…

• Have a Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a relevant analytic or technical discipline.
• Have demonstrated project leadership experience for analytic efforts from formulation through execution, including development of analytic approaches, team building, sponsor engagement, schedule and budget management, and delivery of results.
• Have experience applying a DOTMLPF or equivalent framework to complex operational problems and new capabilities.
• Have experience integrating operational analysis with modeling and simulation, mission engineering, or other quantitative analytic approaches.
• Have experience building and leading multidisciplinary technical