Submarine Industrial Base Liaison

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.

SPA's AUKUS Portfolio provides timely, objective, analytic assessments that integrate technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis to NAVSEA's AUKUS Integration and Acquisition (I&A) Program Office and associated partner organizations. Analysts and Engineers supporting AUKUS will continue SPA's decades of support to the undersea force and assist in developing a trilateral submarine force for the future. This is a high-profile, major international program of significant importance to the future of the U.S. Navy and its partners in an era of renewed strategic competition.

SPA has an immediate need for a Submarine Industrial Base Liaison (SIB LNO) for AUKUS I&A's International Division.

Responsibilities:

The Submarine Industrial Base Liaison (SIB LNO) serves as the primary point of contact between NAVSEA's AUKUS Integration & Acquisition (I&A) Program Office's International Division and Submarine Industrial Base Division.

Key responsibilities include:

Developing Strategic Solutions: Identify and implement strategies to enhance the resilience and responsiveness of the SIB across the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
• Providing Updates and Reports:
• Deliver Timely Updates: Provide regular, accurate, and relevant updates on SIB-related activities to the AUKUS I&A International Team to ensure alignment and situational awareness.
• Contribute to AUKUS I&A International Team's Weekly Activity Summaries: Provide SIB-related updates in the International Team's weekly summary. Present and discuss these items during the International Team's regular cross-phase synchronization meetings.
• Cross-Phase Collaboration: Engage with other AUKUS I&A International Team liaisons from AUKUS I&A's Phase I, II, and III to share best practices, address challenges, and foster effective coordination across the AUKUS enterprise.
• Supporting Stakeholder Engagements:
• Provide comprehensive support to the Trilateral Submarine Industrial Base (TSIB) Integrated Project Team (IPT) and AUKUS I&A SIB leadership during stakeholder meetings within the AUKUS partnership.
• Oversee the AUKUS I&A International Team's involvement in TSIB IPT and AUKUS I&A SIB meetings to ensure all responsibilities and priorities are addressed. This includes:
• Briefing International Team members before SIB-specific engagements to align on objectives and expectations.
• Debriefing the International Team after engagements to communicate outcomes, action items, and next steps.
• Managing Requests for Information (RFIs):
• Oversee and respond to RFIs from the TSIB IPT and AUKUS I&A SIB to the AUKUS I&A International Team.
• Proactively address RFIs on Foreign Military Sales (FMS), export control regulations, and foreign disclosure requirements.
• Assisting with Foreign Disclosure:
• Collaborate with the AUKUS I&A SIB Team to process foreign disclosure requests efficiently and in compliance with established guidelines.
• Deliver training and guidance to AUKUS I&A SIB Team members on the foreign disclosure process, including applicable policies, procedures, and requirements, ensuring team-wide understanding and compliance.
• Helping with Foreign Visits:
• Collaborate with the AUKUS I&A International Division to help coordinate preparations for TSIB IPT and AUKUS SIB-related foreign visits.
• Enhancing Foreign Military Sales Case Management:
• Assist the AUKUS I&A SIB Team with the development, modification, funding, and utilization of associated FMS cases.
• Coordinate activities related to FMS in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• General Knowledge: An understanding of security cooperation, security assistance, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), foreign disclosure, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), export control requirements, the U.S. Defense Industrial Base, and submarines
• Problem-Solving Skills: Proven ability to identify and resolve issues promptly, develop alternative solutions, and effectively contribute to group problem-solving situations
• Communication Skills: Demonstrated ability to coordinate and communicate tactfully and sensitively with industry, government, and foreign partners. Displays superior written and verbal communication skills to communicate with peers and senior government officials clearly, concisely, and accurately. Proven ability to navigate, coordinate, and communicate between government and private industry stakeholders
• Writing and Reporting Skills: Strong, adaptive, and highly accurate writing skills, with the ability to edit others' work. Presents data clearly and effectively and interprets written information to provide actionable insights
• Security Clearance: DoD Secret clearance, and the ability to maintain it throughout employment

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Security Cooperation Experience: Experience working with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at U.S. Embassies, and at least one of the following implementing agencies:
  • Navy International Programs Office (NIPO)
  • Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs (SAF/IA)
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation (DASA DE&C)
• U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Experience analyzing policies or existing DoD authorities to mitigate risks to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base, particularly the U.S. SIB Knowledge of supply chain risk management and the development or enhancement of industrial capabilities
• Submarine Operations, Maintenance, Construction, or Design: Ideal candidates include former U.S. Navy Submarine Officers or Submarine Engineering Duty Officer