Scientific/Technical Analyst

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Joint, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Interagency Division provides expert support services to a range of customers spanning across the Department of Defense, Federal Civilian, and international markets. JOID provides a diverse portfolio of analytical and programmatic capabilities to help our customers make informed decisions on their most challenging issues.

The Acquisition and Technology Analysis Group within JOID specializes in the application of multi-disciplinary analytic skills to support multiple clients within the Department of Defense (DoD). These clients include the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)), DARPA, the Joint Staff, and USINDOPACOM. SPA provides critical decision support to enabling and executing a strategy of technological superiority and enabling the delivery and sustainment of secure, resilient, and preeminent capabilities to the warfighter quickly and cost effectively. Our team of experienced military, technical, and operations research analysts is skilled in evaluating military problems, identifying the driving factors, devising innovative approaches, collecting applicable data, developing necessary software tools, and performing thorough and timely assessments to inform technology and acquisition governance decisions to ensure U.S. military forces retain military superiority in the future.

SPA has an upcoming need for a dedicated and passionate S&T-minded junior analyst to join a high-performance team working to address some of the most critical issues facing the DoD today. The analyst will have a unique opportunity to develop cutting edge methodologies in a high impact environment. This work includes analysis and assessment of emerging disruptive technologies and their potential to impact military capabilities over the next twenty years. The analyst will work with our multidisciplinary team to define problems, identify performance measures, and perform gap and root cause analysis in order to identify alternatives and recommendations to improve warfighter effectiveness. Other responsibilities include researching, identifying, and implementing analytic methodologies to efforts across the scope of work and assisting in the framing, development, and presentation of analysis including drafting briefing materials and various documents for executive audiences. The analyst will also develop analytic software tools as needed from simple, Excel-based models to robust military modeling and simulation projects in proprietary toolsets.

This role will be located onsite at SPA HQ in Alexandria, VA.

Required:

Bachelor's degree in STEM field from an accredited institution
• Demonstrated ability to frame both quantitative and qualitative problems, select appropriate analytic methods, identify data collection strategies, and develop a plan to implement a solution
• Ability to apply scientific methodology to complex scenarios
• Understanding and interest in emerging technologies, technology life cycle, and integration of new technologies into warfighting capabilities
• Active Secret clearance

Desired:

• Master's degree in STEM field from an accredited institution
• Professional experience in any of the following:
  • Developing mathematical models to solve targeted problems
  • Data gathering, cleaning, and analysis
  • Analyzing the viability and potential impact of developmental technologies
  • Support of DoD RDT&E advancement
• Active Top Secret clearance