Maritime Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MRAS)/ Science and Technology (S&T) Analyst

The Maritime Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MRAS) / Science and Technology (S&T) Analyst serves as the primary technical advisor, portfolio coordinator, and S&T liaison within the Expeditionary Assessments Branch (XAB), Capability Portfolio Manager Maritime Expeditionary Warfare (CPM MXW), reporting to the XAB Branch Head. The Analyst bridges the S&T community and MXW's product branches (Amphibious Warfare, Littoral Maneuver, Maritime Prepositioning, and Afloat C5I), identifying and assessing emerging technologies and autonomous capabilities to define how MXW integrates MRAS across the enterprise and improve warfighting effectiveness.

Responsibilities/Essential Duties:

S&T Liaison & External Coordination:

• Serve as the primary MXW liaison to naval and defense S&T, research, and innovation organizations, including the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and warfare centers.

• Translate operational challenges into technology requirements for S&T partners, ensuring requirements are clearly scoped and actionable.

• Maintain high situational awareness of emerging defense and industry capabilities relevant to maritime expeditionary warfare and autonomous systems.

• Build and sustain professional working relationships and communication channels with external S&T stakeholders to facilitate technology transition into the MXW portfolio.

MRAS Strategic Roadmap Development & Execution:

• Support the development, execution, and continuous refinement of the MXW MRAS Roadmap.

• Capture and track active and emerging S&T autonomous initiatives across the maritime robotics and unmanned systems domain.

• Document tactical employment, experimentation, and lessons learned from operational units, to include Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs) and Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).

• Assess the technical, operational, and physical integration impacts of MRAS on MXW platforms, including Amphibious Warfare Ships, Medium Landing Ship, amphibious warfare type craft, and prepositioning hulls.

• Evaluate the operational impact of autonomous systems on the composition, capability, and tactical makeup of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

• Identify long-term capability, risk, and force structure implications for the Marine Corps associated with MRAS integration.

Technology Assessment & Feasibility Analysis:

• Evaluate emerging robotics and unmanned systems (surface, subsurface, air, and ground) for operational relevance.

• Assess technical maturity of emerging systems using Technology Readiness Level (TRL) criteria.

• Analyze the integration feasibility of emerging autonomous technologies with existing and planned MXW platforms.

Cross-Branch Integration & Operational Alignment:

• Collaborate closely with MXW product branches (Amphibious Warfare, Littoral Maneuver, Maritime Prepositioning, and Afloat C5I) to identify platform integration constraints, including space, weight, power, cooling, and launch/recovery (SWaP-C) considerations.

• Ensure emerging autonomous systems can be practically deployed and employed from MXW vessels.

• Systematically define how MXW incorporates MRAS and emerging technologies across the entire enterprise.

Experimentation & Exercises Support:

• Support leadership participation in operational experiments, technical demonstrations, war games, and industry engagements (e.g., MCWL experiments and fleet exercises).

• Prepare concise summaries, technical observations, and actionable recommendations resulting from experimentation and exercise events.

• Inform division-level capability development decisions with experimentation and exercise results.

Strategic Communications & Briefings:

• Translate highly complex technical specifications, engineering concepts, and data trends into clear, operationally grounded briefings for senior Marine Corps leadership.

• Develop white papers and decision-support materials in support of MRAS and emerging technology initiatives.

• Prepare and deliver presentations to senior leadership, product branch stakeholders, and external S&T partners as required.

Supplemental Duties:

• Other duties as assigned.

• Supervisory Duties:

None.

Education:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and 10-15 years of relevant experience is required. In lieu of a degree, 15+ years of substantive, relevant experience is applicable. Experience is a higher-level discriminator over educational achievement.

Preferred:

• Completion of Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Expeditionary Warfare School, or equivalent senior Professional Military Education (PME).

Qualifications and Certifications:

Required:

• Documented experience managing or directly contributing to a DoD Science & Technology (S&T) portfolio, to include budget execution, requirements development, and transition of emerging capabilities toward acquisition programs of record.

• Solid knowledge of Marine Corps and Naval organizational structures, capability development processes, and expeditionary warfighting concepts.

Preferred:

• Lean Six Sigma certification (Yellow Belt or higher) or comparable process-improvement credential.

• DAWIA certification in a relevant career field (e.g., Engineering, Program Management, or S&T Manager).

License and Other Requirements:

• Possession of a valid driver's license and availability of private transportation may be required for local travel.

Security Clearance:

• Must possess a Secret security clearance.

Additional Skills:

• Capable of working efficiently within a military staff environment that requires coordination at the Navy, Marine Corps, Joint Staff, and OSD levels.

• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, force synchronization, and budget defense (POM cycles).

• Proven ability to coordinate across DoD, industry, academia, and Allied partners to advance technology transition.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to brief senior military and civilian leadership.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (especially Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Experience:

Required:

• 10-15 years of progressively responsible experience in defense program management, S&T portfolio management, or operational logistics/planning within the DoD (see Education section for the in-lieu-of-degree provision).

• Experience managing multi-year, multi-initiative S&T or capability development portfolios and coordinating transition pathways to acquisition programs of record.

• Experience representing Service or organizational equities in Joint, OSD, or Service-level planning forums (e.g., wargames, POM/budget reviews, capabilities-based assessments).

• Documented staff and/or operational experience within Marine Corps or Naval organizations, to include familiarity with expeditionary logistics, maritime mobility systems, or maritime expeditionary operations.

Preferred:

• Retired Field Grade Officer (O-4/O-5) with Headquarters-level staff experience preferred.

• Experience leading or supporting a Marine Corps or Naval S&T organization such as MCWL, ONR, NRL, DARPA, or DIU.

• Experience with MEU/MEF or fleet-level logistics, deployments, and exercises.

Work Location:

• The primary workplace will be the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, General Raymond G. Davis Center (Bldg. 3300), 3300 Russell Rd, Quantico, VA 22134.

Work Environment:

• On-site Office.

Physical Demands:

• N/A

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri / 8 hours per day, normal working hours are 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM.

Salary and Benefits: As stated during the interview/hiring process.