Senior Staff Officer - 174921

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Senior Staff Officer: Influence, Deception & Perception Management to support a high-visibility National Security contract in Arlington, VA (100% onsite). The Senior Pentagon Advisor will bring strong experience in DoD staff coordination, executive-level communication, & program operations. The Senior Staff Officer will provide senior-level policy, planning, assessment, and program support for highly sensitive influence, deception, perception management, and information operations activities. The ideal candidate will bring 10 years of qualifying DOW policy, planning, or assessment experience, combined with substantive experience in influence operations, deception/MILDEC, PSYOP/MISO, information operations, or perception management.

Responsibilities of the Senior Staff Officer include:

• Develop, analyze, & coordinate DOD policy, guidance, & strategic planning related to influence, deception, perception management, & information operations
• Support the development & implementation of strategies and plans for DOD influence, deception, & perception management operations, activities, and investments
• Conduct or support operational assessments, requirements analysis, risk assessments, & operational planning for sensitive national security activities
• Develop, review, & coordinate time-sensitive DOD staff packages, policy actions, decision papers, & executive-level correspondence
• Support senior leadership with governance, staff assistance visits, compliance inspections, operational assessments, & program reviews
• Assess programs & activities for alignment with DOD policies, guidance, operational requirements, & strategic objectives
• Provide program oversight & coordinate resources, requirements, priorities, deliverables, & timelines across sensitive programs
• Coordinate across OUSD(I&S), Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, military services, Intelligence Community organizations, and other DoW stakeholders
• Prepare & deliver executive briefings, reports, assessments, talking points, decision-support materials, & Congressional reporting for senior military & Executive Branch officials
• Track & communicate action items, suspense requirements, operational priorities, risks, & programmatic issues to senior leadership
• Support the development, review, & refinement of policy, guidance, procedures, & strategic communications related to influence, deception, & information operations
• Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, policy implementation, program execution, & cross-organizational coordination
• Handle highly sensitive & classified information with a high degree of discretion & professionalism
  
  

Qualifications of the Senior Pentagon Advisor include:

• 10 years of experience performing policy development, policy analysis, operational planning, operational assessments, requirements analysis, or risk-related work within the DOD
• These 10 years must be substantive policy, planning, assessment, requirements, or risk work
• General staff support, administrative support, legislative experience, commercial experience, or defense-adjacent experience does not substitute for this requirement
• Demonstrated experience developing or implementing policy, guidance, strategies, operational plans, assessments, requirements, or programmatic recommendations in a DOD environment
• Demonstrated SME in influence, deception, perception management, information operations, PSYOP/MISO, or related activities
• Experience supporting senior DOD leadership & coordinating complex, time-sensitive actions across multiple organizations
• Experience preparing executive briefings, decision-support materials, policy documents, reports, and/or Congressional support materials
• Experience supporting governance, staff assistance visits, compliance inspections, operational assessments, or program oversight
• Strong understanding of DOD staff processes, organizational structures, & national security mission environments
• Exceptional written & verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate complex issues to senior military officers, SES leadership, and Executive Branch stakeholders
• Active TS/SCI clearance required
  
  

Preferred Qualifications for the Senior Staff Officer includes:

• 10 years of experience in influence operations, information operations, deception/MILDEC, PSYOP/MISO, perception management, or closely related mission areas within the DOD or IC is highly preferred
• Master's Degree preferred
  
  

Compensation for the Senior Staff Officer includes:

• Salary Range: $150,000-163,000 **depending on experience**
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k Plan, Holidays, PTO, sick leave as required by law
  
  

Keywords: Information Operations, IO, Influence Operations, Influence Activities, Deception Operations, Perception Management, Strategic Communications, Psychological Operations, PSYOP, MISO, National Security, Pentagon, Arlington, VA, Virginia, DoD, Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, IC, OUSD(I&S), Sensitive Activities, Special Programs, classified, TS/SCI, TS SCI, staff officer, action officer, policy, governance, oversight, operational planning, strategic planning, executive communications, executive briefing, briefing, executive summary, reporting, Congress, Senior Executive Service, SES, military leadership, stakeholder coordination, cross-functional coordination, governance review, compliance inspection, operational assessment, program oversight, resource coordination, operational support, staff coordination, risk assessment, strategic objectives, operational outcomes, mission support, federal, defense, intelligence, program management, communication, leadership, operational execution, classified environment, security protocol, program documentation, tracker, suspense item, process improvement, national defense, mission-driven, senior advisor, operations, activities, investments, guidance, procedures, decision-making, support services, policy development, capabilities development, resourcing, executive support, strategic initiatives, defense operations, intelligence operation