Senior Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Analytics - US Navy

The Leading Niche; Norfolk, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Leading Niche seeks a Senior Subject Matter Expert – Analytics to provide data-driven analytical services for COMNAVSURFLANT, focused on improving Surface Force Generation readiness. You will translate complex operational data into actionable guidance for senior leadership across PESTONI pillars.

Responsibilities include strategic analysis, predictive modeling guidance, and executive-level briefings while ensuring all products are rigorous, defendable, and aligned with government objectives.

Qualifications

• Active SECRET clearance at time of proposal submission and ability to maintain clearance.
• Senior-level experience in Navy readiness, force generation, or operations analysis.
• Proven ability to transform complex data into actionable guidance for leadership.
• Strong written and verbal communication with executive-level stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior-level analytical support to improve Surface Force Generation readiness.
• Develop data-driven analyses, point papers, briefings, and visualizations for leadership.
• Support DoD analyses, cost/risk assessments, and resource prioritization efforts.
• Identify opportunities for readiness improvement and cost savings across PESTONI pillars.
• Collaborate with COMNAVSURFLANT and Fleet staff to deliver decision-ready products.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and present findings to government leadership.

Skills

Navy readiness

Operations analysis

Data analytics

Strategic advisory

Executive communications

Data visualization

Statistical modeling

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Tools

SQL

Python

Excel

Job description

Description

The Senior Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Analytics will serve as a key personnel leader supporting Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic with independent, data-driven analytical services focused on improving Surface Force Generation readiness. This role will provide senior-level analytical, strategic, operational, and decision-support expertise across the Personnel, Equipment, Supply, Training, Ordnance, Networks, and Infrastructure (PESTONI) readiness pillars.

The Senior SME – Analytics will help COMNAVSURFLANT assess readiness gaps, evaluate operational and financial risk, develop recommendations for resource prioritization, support strategic planning, and deliver analytical products that improve the command’s ability to prepare, execute, and sustain fleet readiness.

The ideal candidate will bring deep Navy readiness, force generation, operational planning, data analytics, and senior stakeholder advisory experience, with the ability to translate complex operational data into actionable recommendations for Government leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Analysis & Decision Support

• Provide senior-level analytical expertise to support Surface Force Generation readiness improvement.
• Conduct comprehensive analysis of PESTONI readiness pillars to identify root causes of readiness gaps.
• Develop independent analyses, point papers, briefings, and data visualizations on complex operational and organizational issues.
• Support formal Analyses of Alternatives and Business Case Analyses that evaluate operational, financial, and readiness impacts.
• Identify verifiable opportunities for cost savings, readiness improvement, risk mitigation, process improvement, or resource optimization.
• Develop recommendations to improve preparation and execution across Force Generation and Force Employment activities.
• Support strategic planning efforts for Cruiser-Destroyer, Amphibious, Carrier Strike Group, Amphibious Readiness Group, and independently deploying ship operations.

Readiness Optimization & Operational Analysis

• Assess ship class, system, and program readiness across Surface Force mission areas.
• Analyze readiness impacts tied to maintenance, modernization, supply, training, ordnance, networks, infrastructure, staffing, and operational availability.
• Support analysis of Force Generation activities within the Optimized Fleet Response Plan and related follow-on fleet readiness processes.
• Identify and validate system, process, or program gaps that reduce Surface Force effectiveness.
• Assist in developing mitigation strategies and recommendations to improve waterfront readiness.
• Support analysis related to Combat Surge Ready, Combat Ready, operational availability, training delays, maintenance delays, and readiness degradation.

Predictive Modeling & Data Science Oversight

• Provide senior guidance for predictive analytics, readiness modeling, machine learning, and AI-enabled analytical approaches.
• Help define data requirements, modeling objectives, analytical methods, assumptions, and validation approaches.
• Support development and sustainment of predictive readiness models that forecast readiness degradation across ship classes.
• Review analytical outputs to ensure findings are statistically valid, operationally relevant, and actionable.
• Support use of authoritative Navy data sources and readiness systems to strengthen the quality and credibility of analytical products.
• Develop and recommend new metrics, leading indicators, data models, and monitoring frameworks to improve readiness forecasting.

Doctrinal, Economic & Programmatic Analysis

• Assess alignment between COMNAVSURFLANT initiatives and evolving Navy, CNO, and Fleet-level doctrine.
• Support development of doctrinal alignment reports that identify opportunities for improved strategic alignment, deconfliction, and messaging.
• Develop economic models to support recommendations for changes in funding allocations, policy, procedures, staffing, training, and resource prioritization.
• Analyze the linkage between programmatic cause-and-effect, readiness outcomes, and future operational impacts.
• Support strategic-level metric development and review of programs, processes, directives, and instructions across the PESTONI pillars.

Stakeholder Engagement & Senior-Level Support

• Facilitate working-level and flag-level collaborative meetings by providing integrated data models and analytical insights.
• Communicate complex analytical findings to Government stakeholders in clear, concise, and decision-ready formats.
• Support the Commander’s Action Group and senior leadership with briefings, recommendations, and analytical products.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across COMNAVSURFLANT, U.S. Fleet Forces, Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet, OPNAV, and Secretariat-level organizations as required.
• Ensure all analytical products are professional, accurate, defensible, and aligned with Government objectives.

Requirements

• Active Secret clearance at time of proposal submission and ability to maintain clearance throughout contract performance.
• Senior-level experience supporting Navy, DoD, fleet readiness, force generation, operations analysis, or similar military readiness environments.
• Experience conducting strategic analysis, operational analysis, business case analysis, analysis of alternatives, or data-driven decision support.
• Strong understanding of Navy readiness, Surface Force operations, force generation, operational availability, maintenance, training, and resource prioritization.
• Experience analyzing complex readiness, operational, financial, or programmatic data.
• Ability to develop actionable recommendations for senior Government or military leadership.
• Experience developing analytical products, point papers, executive briefings, reports, and visualizations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work onsite at COMNAVSURFLANT, Naval Station Norfolk, VA.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Common Access Card.