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 Sea Land Air (SLA) Division supports a diverse portfolio of national security government clients, including the Undersea Enterprise, the Navy Surface Community, the Navy MPTE Enterprise, the Army, DoD Agencies, DARPA, OSD, international clients including the Canadian Navy and Australian Defense Force.  Our primary objective is to provide timely, objective and analytic assessments that integrate the policy, operational, technical, programmatic and acquisition aspects of our clients’ challenges.

Leveraging both in-domain and cross-domain expertise to maximize our clients’ success, SLA Division acts as trusted agents to senior decision-makers and key leaders and excels at providing data driven analytic insights, systems engineering, strategies and plans that address current and emerging challenges to national security.

The AUKUS Group, within SPA's Sea, Land, and Air Division, provides timely, objective, analytic assessments that integrate technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis to NAVSEA's AUKUS Integration and Acquisition 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.#MC

SPA has a need for an International Agreements Analyst. #MC

Position Description:

As an International Agreements Analyst for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) AUKUS Integration and Acquisition (I&A), you will play a pivotal role in supporting and advancing international defense collaboration. This position requires expertise in International Armaments Cooperation (IAC), involving a wide range of activities from research and development to joint procurement programs with global partners, notably in the AUKUS partnership (Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States). In this role, you will be integral in shaping and guiding international defense cooperation, significantly contributing to the strategic and operational objectives of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its allies in the AUKUS partnership.

Responsibilities:

Supports the efforts and actions of the International Agreements Manager for various international agreements and international armaments cooperation activities for the Direct Reporting Program Manager (DRPM), AUKUS I&A. Serve as the subject matter expert for International Armaments Cooperation (IAC), which consists of an array of international agreements, such as Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E), procurement, production, sustainment, and follow-on development partnerships between the U.S. DoD and foreign governments, militaries, or commercial entities. IAC encompasses a broad array of activities, ranging from the exchange of basic RDT&E information to multi-billion-dollar joint procurement programs (e.g., F-35 Lightning II, P-8A Poseidon). IAC is a form of security cooperation intended to accomplish operational, economic, technological, political, and industrial objectives. Unlike Foreign Military Sales (FMS), IAC activities are structured around all participants (countries) that must provide resources (i.e., funds, personnel, facilities, or information) in return for a share of the project’s outcomes (e.g., new or improved technologies).

Key responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning and Agreement Formation: Develop and implement strategic plans and programs for International Armaments Cooperation. This includes crafting and managing international agreements in line with the goals of the AUKUS partnership. Develop associated documentation, including but not limited to: Program Security Instructions (PSIs), Summary Statements of Intent (SSOIs), Management Plans, Technical Task Documents (TTDs), Memorandums of Agreements (MOAs), Financial Management Procedures Documents (FMPDs), Terms of Reference (TORs), and Working Group (WG) Charters.
• Coordination and Policy Resolution: Proactively work with U.S. Government entities and the AUKUS I&A International Policy team to address and resolve policy issues affecting existing and future International Armaments Cooperation.
• Responsive Stakeholder Interaction: Provide timely, effective, and concise responses to emergent inquiries and requested report-outs. Positively collaborate with the Navy International Programs Office (NIPO), NAVSEA Program Offices, senior leadership, and external stakeholders to align on opportunities and strategy for international cooperation. Pre-brief relevant organizations on cooperative opportunities and assist in the staffing and comment adjudication of draft agreements. Engage with critical stakeholders to develop actionable review and negotiation timelines from concept generation through signature.
• Bilateral and Trilateral Engagement: Organize and conduct engagements with representatives of the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom. Assist in the coordination of foreign visits, development of briefing material for foreign disclosure approval, and generation of action items and meeting minutes.
• Opportunity Identification and Pursuit: Proactively identify and engage in cooperative opportunities that align with and advance the AUKUS partnership's missions and objectives. Participate in Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) and Working Groups (WGs) to assist in scoping technical requirements and lead the formulation of objectives for new or expanded international agreements.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of two years’ experience with DoD International Programs, International Armaments Cooperation, and International Agreements
• Experience negotiating International Agreements with foreign partners
• Strong knowledge in International Armaments Cooperation, including an understanding of its operational, economic, technological, political, and industrial impacts
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of rapidly responding to diverse inquiries and requests concisely, accurately, and professionally
• Current DoD Security Clearance (minimum of Secret) and the ability to maintain it throughout employment

Desired Qualifications: 

• Experience with major international cooperative programs, such as the F-35 JSF and P-8A Poseidon programs
• Knowledge of U.S. Navy submarine technologies, including the Virginia Class Submarine (VCS)
• Familiarity with International Agreements Tracking System (IATS)
• Experience in establishing and managing international cooperative agreements, such as:
  • Defense Cooperation Agreements (DCAs)
  • Multilateral Agreements, preferably with the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom
  • Master Information Exchange Agreements (MIEMs)
  • Cooperative Agreements for: Acquisition, Sustainment, and Follow-on Development; Co-Production; RDT&E
  • Project Arrangements (PAs)
  • Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreements (ACSAs)
  • Mutual Logistics Support Arrangements (MLSAs)
  • Reciprocal Use of Test Facility Agreements
  • Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreements