Operational Planning Specialist

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Position Summary The Humanitarian Assistance Support Contract (HASC) combines deep institutional expertise, technical leadership, and a strong commitment to U.S. missions. Through HASC, Team Credence provides operational and administrative support to the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to coordinate humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and foreign assistance efforts across multiple bureaus, maintaining a 24/7 response capability.

Credence has an immediate need for Operational Planning Specialist to support multi-faceted planning processes involving a range of stakeholders at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.

The Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response (DHR) leads the U.S. government’s response to sudden-onset disasters and high-priority, complex humanitarian situations overseas. DHR also provides U.S. government-wide policy leadership on food security and nutrition and management of longer-term, high-impact agricultural research and innovation partnerships.  

DHR’s Office of Operations and Logistics (OPL) ensures the United States can deliver timely, reliable, and large-scale operational support for humanitarian responses anywhere in the world.  The office manages all operational aspects of Department’s international disaster response, such as overseeing programmatic and operational risk; deployment of specialized humanitarian response teams, including urban search and rescue (USAR) teams; transportation and distribution of U.S. emergency relief commodities; civil-military coordination with the Department of War; and after-action reviews and response learning.

Day-to-day oversight of the position will be provided by a designated DOS government technical manager (GTM), with formal supervisory and evaluation functions performed by a Team Credence contract supervisor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the development of deliberate and crisis action plans–including response plans and contingency/scenario plans–under State’s response authorities.
• Support multi-faceted planning processes involving a range of stakeholders at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.
• Participate in cross-functional coordination across multiple capabilities and subject matter experts as part of DHR planning processes.
• Support the technical writing of operational plans and associated documents, in a wide range of structures and formats.
• Support the development of briefings and presentations meant to inform Department leadership and staff of ongoing operational planning efforts.
• Support the development of operational planning resources, tools, and training for DHR practitioners.
• Monitor State and interagency after-action reviews (AARs) for planning related themes and recommendations.
• Track humanitarian response planning methodologies, practices, and efforts, to include those undertaken by other donors, Non-government Organization partners, USG interagency partners, and host nations.
• Contribute to tools, templates, frameworks, and doctrine related to the provision of operational planning for DHR.
• This position is to be able to qualify, train for, and routinely serve on disaster/ humanitarian responses in Washington, DC or in the disaster area for 4 - 6 weeks (or more) intervals. These can either be Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) and/or Response Management Teams (RMTs). DARTs are deployed to the field in response to disasters and operate in the field, providing staff with an opportunity to deploy overseas for an extended period of time (e.g., 6-8 weeks). RMTs are based in Washington, DC and provide services to support DARTs, such as coordination and external engagement, communications, planning, logistics, travel coordination, or other similar duties (depending on the RMT role).

Requirements

• Education and Experience:
• • Minimum: BS 2+ Years, MS 0+, or HS 6+
  • Preferred: Two additional years of professional experience by degree as noted above culminating in a set of responsibilities similar to those of this position.
• Experience supporting operational planning, the execution of action plans and developing and/or maintaining tools, templates, and frameworks.
• Experience in a similar role in a humanitarian assistance or international development setting preferred.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a US Government issued Secret clearance for the duration of your employment.

Other Requirements 

• Possess excellent judgment and reliability; 
• Have strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail; 
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Have strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications;
• Be able to multi-task and work under deadlines in a fast-paced and collaborative environment;
• Be capable of prioritizing tasks and follow up on actions without prompting;
• Be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances; and
• Be willing to go the extra mile and participate as an active team member who assists other team members as necessary.

Salary Range: $95,000-$135,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate's experience, education, certifications, skills, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development