Military Historian - Battle Staff Ride Tour Leader

LEVEL: Subject Matter Expert

LOCATION: Remote, with travel to training locations

TYPE: Contract/Consultant - Intermittent Support

McColm & Company (McColm) is a mission-driven and customer-focused consulting firm that equips change makers with the knowledge, skills, and insights they need to succeed in an increasingly complex world. McColm specializes in supporting U.S. federal customers with foreign affairs and national security focused portfolios by managing bespoke professional training programs, delivering effective capacity building solutions, and providing highly specialized technical assistance and analysis expertise to decision makers.

McColm issues this Call for CVs for qualified Military Historian candidates under an anticipated contract with AFRICOM. The position description below details the anticipated duties and qualifications of the position, contingent upon contract award.

Duties

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering tour and instruction services to groups of military personnel on battle staff rides in Europe on a contract/intermittent basis.

Battle staff rides are educational training and leadership exercises where participants study a historical battle on the actual battlefield terrain, analyzing key decisions made by commanders to extract leadership lessons applicable to modern warfare while instructing and leading discussions and also prompts critical thinking about the battles events and their implications for current military operations.

Battle staff rides may visit the following or similar locations and are typically 2 to 5 days in length:

• Flanders WWI
• Battle of Normandy
• Battle of Nuremberg
• Blitzkrieg France
• Operation Nordwind
• Battle of the Bulge
• Battle of Paris

The ideal candidate for this position will deliver the following skills and expertise:

• Expertise in Military History: deep knowledge of the specific battle being studied, including the terrain, opposing forces, key decisions made by commanders, troop movements, and historical context.
• Leadership Skills: skilled at guiding group discussions, encouraging active participation from all participants, and facilitating thoughtful analysis of the battle's events.
• Facilitation Techniques: ability to utilize open ended questions, prompts, and scenarios to stimulate discussion and critical thinking among the participants.
• Terrain Awareness: adept at using the battlefield terrain to enhance the understanding of the battle, pointing out key features and their impact on the combat actions.
• Application to Contemporary Operations: Ability to identify timeless lessons from the historical battle that can be applied to contemporary military operations, and the guide the group to extract these insights.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Masters Degree required, Doctorate preferred, in History, Museum Studies, American History, Military History or other relevant degree
• Prior U.S. military service or experience providing training to the U.S. military
• Prior experience as a tour guide, museum docent or similar
• Expertise in various types of instructional methods that are engaging and designed for experienced adult learners
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams, including effective collaboration with remote teams.
• Fluency in English - written and verbal
• Proficiency in local language - German, French, or Dutch is desirable, but not required
• Ability to travel in Western Europe to deliver contract requirements, as ordered