What are the responsibilities and job description for the COMMSTRAT and Operations Planning Specialist position at Corps Solutions?
Communications Strategy (COMMSTRAT) and Operations Planning Specialist
Camp Smith, HI
The Communications Strategy and Operations Planning Specialist reports to and receives work direction derivatives from the Project Manager. The Communications Strategy and Operations Planning Specialist will perform the following duties:
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
RESEARCH
- Read daily media reports, email traffic, and working group updates in order to keep informed on operational and information environment trends and determine how they may impact Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) operations, activities, and investments (OAIs) and initiatives.
- Integrate MARFORPAC COMMSTRAT into MARFORPAC staff actions and planning processes as well as represent MARFORPAC COMMSTRAT and ensure staff equities are considered during meetings, staff actions and planning processes. Identify staff opportunities for COMMSTRAT attention and inputs including areas which require additional communication research to tailor messaging to appropriate key publics and operational objectives as determined by MARFORPAC staff planning. A key public can be made up of stakeholders, individuals or groups that have become more active in communication efforts.
- Read published think tank and military working group white papers and reports that are applicable to MARFORPAC OAIs and initiatives in order to incorporate findings on overseas trends, foreign and domestic key publics and stakeholder organizations into MARFORPAC research archives and planning products.
- Conduct information environment research using supplied tools such as Talkwalker, Decrypt and Sprinklr, and industry best practices such as media monitoring, published third party research, and limited primary formal and informal research. Research findings will shape subsequent communication planning by tailoring messaging and tactics to the intended key publics.
- Incorporate State Department viewpoints and initiatives into MARFORPAC OAI planning through research and identification of applicable key leader descriptions and verbiage.
- Conduct research on potential key publics for MARFORPAC OAIs. These key publics are specific to each OAI and will be identified collaboratively by the Future Operations and Plans Branch.
- Integrate with adjacent service component s, USINDOPACOM and Headquarters Marine Corps conduct research in support of deployments, OAIs and initiatives. Integrate MARFORPAC research efforts and methodologies with these adjacent efforts to achieve unity of effort, capture efficiencies, and align communication planning.
- Monitor Congressional testimony and hearings for MARFORPAC equities and to incorporate communication planning into command engagements with Congressional personnel.
- Assess state of research resources and determine mission-critical gaps in understanding key publics and communication priority topics.
PLANNING
- Aid in the creation of communication plans that support the MARFORPAC Campaign Plan.
- Monitor and populate Command and Control in the Information Environment (C2IE) data entries for COMMSTRAT-specific interest points and engagements.
- Provide C2IE COMMSTRAT inputs for MARFORPAC and INDOPACOM OAIs.
- Facilitate or produce proposed public affairs guidance for MARFORPAC OAIs.
- Attend meetings when required and participate by answering questions and providing input to topics.
- Develop search queries for information environment monitoring tools using Boolean modifiers for use with MARFORPAC online monitoring tools.
- Assist the Plans Officer and Future Operations team with tracking upcoming OAIs and paired search queries in MARFORPAC operations in the information environment (OIE) tools.
- Provide project support to planning conferences, tailored for internal and external partners, such as drafting and facilitating large volumes of information (read ahead material, e.g., country briefing cards, playbooks, OAI and media/history prep packets).
- Provide quarterly summaries of campaign plan lines of effort supported through COMMSTRAT planning efforts.
EVALUATION
- Obtain and maintain proficiency in social media and social listening tools to include, but not limited to Talkwalker, DECRYPT, and Sprinklr. Apply these tools to evaluate how well intended communication goals and objectives were met and assess impacts on key publics.
- Monitor and analyze trends in OAIs in the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility (AoR) using criteria provided by branch leadership.
- Support higher, adjacent and supporting headquarters planning ensuring proper employment of USMC COMMSTRAT forces. Review and provide written comments on COMMSTRAT aspects of regional combatant commander and Joint Task Force (JTF) communication plans, public affairs guidance, and broader communication strategy.
- Make recommendations, where appropriate, to change planning procedures or ways of conducting planning to the MARFORPAC staff and subordinate command staffs.
- Support meetings by producing analysis requested by the Government to support meeting topics
- Provide after action recommendations, lessons learned and communication guidance following conclusion of MARFORPAC OAIs, using findings from communication assessments and online listening tools.
- Ensure proper planning and execution of communication strategies, communication plans, public affairs guidance, and Annex Ms for all OAIs MARFORPAC supports.
- Produce quarterly reports in support of command communication efforts as required.
- Conduct a review of existing external and internal policies and decision documents annually or when significant changes in policy occur related to information management that the COMMSTRAT Plans division must adhere to and identify any instances of organizational non-compliance or obvious errors in policies and recommend corrective actions to the Plans Officer.
- Review the MARFORPAC Communication Strategy and provide recommended updates based on changes to the MARFORPAC Campaign Order and the annual line of effort (LOE) assessments.
- Provide input to the LOE 5 Information Advantage Assessment conducted by G-39/6.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- MA/MS Degree required, or 12 years’ work experience, or bachelor’s degree plus 8 years’ work experience.
- Senior- level: Minimum of 10 years of experience as an Operational Planner.
- Five to 10 years of experience with USMC MAGTF Planning.
- Thorough understanding of Marine Corps Planning Process and the Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (RPIE) public planning process.
- Thorough understanding of C2IE, a DoD system of record for strategic OAI management.
- In-depth knowledge of operational planning, communication synchronization, service and joint doctrine, and Marine Corps componence issues.
CORE SKILLS/COMPETENCIES
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Strong communication and presentation skills.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, Excel, Teams, Word, PowerPoint., etc.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent organizational, planning and prioritization skills.
- Expected to perform independently and exercise good judgement.
WORKING CONDITIONS
- Travel may be required.
- Required to sit for extended periods of time and maintain focus.
- Qualification as an authorized company driver is required.
- All authorized company drivers must have a valid driver’s license, current automobile insurance, and a driving record that is acceptable to the company’s auto insurance provider
SECURITY CLEARANCE
- A TS/SCI Clearance is required for this position.
