Marine Fire Support Team (FiST) SME

Overview

We are seeking a recently retired or transitioning Marine Corps Artillery Officer (0802) or Fire Support Chief (0861) to serve as the Lead Tactical SME for Concepts Beyond Training Systems Division. You will lead the team developing next generation Fire Support Team (FiST) simulation and assessment tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Instructional Systems Design: Convert Marine Corps fire support doctrine (Ref: Force Design 2030 / T&E 2030) into logical workflows for software engineers to automate.
• Automated Assessment Design: Identify specific "objective-based metrics" (e.g., time to transmit, accuracy of target location, coordination of air/surface fires) that define proficiency in the "crawl phase" of training.
• Scenario Architecture: Develop branching, scenario-based training modules for the FiST Lead that adapt in real-time without the need for an instructor or live role-players.
• Bridge the Technical Gap: Work with technical developers to ensure simulation outputs are compatible with existing training system infrastructure and standard protocols like DIS and HLA RPR FOM.
• Validation & Testing: Lead the validation effort, coordinating with end-users and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to prove the system’s effectiveness in a schoolhouse environment.

Required Qualifications

• MOS Background: Former 0802 (Artillery Officer) or 0861 (Fire Support Specialist).
• Schoolhouse Experience: Previous tour as an instructor at the Marine Corps Artillery Detachment (Fort Sill), EWTGPAC/LANT, or MCTOG.
• Tactical Expertise: Mastery of FiST operations, including the integration of indirect fires (artillery/mortars) and Close Air Support (CAS).
• Certifications: Must have held Qualified JTAC or JFO status; experience as a JTAC-Evaluator (JTAC-E) or JFO-Evaluator is highly preferred.
• Simulation Familiarity: Direct experience using or instructing with the Supporting Arms Virtual Trainer (SAVT) or DVTE.

Preferred Skills

• Curriculum Development: Experience building Programs of Instruction (POI) for the FiST Lead role, which currently lacks a prescribed training pipeline.
• Adaptive Training Knowledge: Familiarity with "part-task training" and student-centered learning models as outlined in Training & Education 2030.
• Technical Literacy: Ability to interpret performance data outputs and translate them into "readable" reports for military instructors.