U.S. Marine Corps MOS Career Guide
0291 — Intelligence Chief:
Civilian Career Guide
A Marine Corps 0291 is a senior intelligence manager, not an entry-level analyst. Civilian translation should emphasize intelligence enterprise leadership, production management, collection capacity, workforce development, senior advisory support, national-intelligence integration, program governance, and the ability to align analytic teams with commander or executive decisions.
NAVMC source note
NAVMC 1200.1L lists MOS 0291 Intelligence Chief as a PMOS for master gunnery sergeant. The entry describes principal management of command intelligence capabilities, senior enlisted intelligence professional duties, capacity management, intelligence production, national-intelligence integration, senior officer and commander advisory work, workforce development, and SCI eligibility.
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Section 01
Top Civilian Role Matches for 0291
Intelligence Program Manager Senior cleared path
$110k – $190k
This is the strongest civilian translation for 0291s who managed intelligence capability, production, staff coordination, and senior advisory relationships. Defense contractors and federal programs need leaders who can align analysts, collection priorities, reporting cycles, and customer requirements. Your resume should show portfolio size, teams led, production tempo, stakeholders advised, programs supported, and how intelligence capacity improved decisions.
Program managementSCIProductionSenior advisor
Strong cleared leadership demand
Intelligence Operations Manager
$95k – $175k
0291 experience fits operations management when you emphasize production management, watch floors, collection priorities, battle rhythm, reporting standards, and joint or national-agency coordination. Civilian teams need leaders who can keep intelligence workflows disciplined while translating customer needs into tasks analysts can execute. This role rewards calm prioritization, quality control, briefing discipline, and personnel development.
OperationsWorkflowQuality controlBriefings
Common in defense, federal, and contractor environments
Senior Security / Threat Intelligence Manager
$115k – $190k
Some 0291s can move into senior security intelligence roles, especially if they have cyber, counterintelligence, force protection, or enterprise threat experience. Civilian employers need leaders who can turn intelligence into risk decisions for executives, facilities, travel, supply chains, or cyber teams. Technical roles may require additional cyber credentials, but senior intelligence tradecraft and leadership remain valuable.
Threat intelligenceRiskExecutive briefsSecurity
BLS projects 29% growth for information security analysts
Defense Contractor Site Lead / Task Lead
$105k – $185k
A 0291 can be competitive for contractor site lead or task lead roles when they can show contract-adjacent leadership: customer interface, staffing, deliverables, quality review, onboarding, schedules, performance metrics, and issue escalation. This path rewards military intelligence credibility, but also expects business discipline. Add PMP, budget exposure, proposal support, or personnel management if you have it.
Contractor leadDeliverablesCustomer interfaceQuality
Strong fit for senior enlisted cleared leaders
Workforce Development / Intelligence Training Manager
$85k – $150k
NAVMC specifically notes enlisted intelligence workforce development. That translates into training manager, professional development lead, intelligence instructor manager, and capability-development roles. The fit is strongest when you can show standards, progression plans, mentorship, qualification management, exercises, evaluation, and curriculum input. Employers need leaders who can build analytic capacity, not just supervise people.
WorkforceTrainingStandardsMentorship
Training leadership remains strong in large organizations
Section 02
Transferable Strengths: What Civilian Intelligence Employers Actually See
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Enterprise Intelligence Management
0291s manage capability, capacity, production, and personnel. Civilian employers see someone who can run an intelligence function rather than simply contribute analysis as an individual producer.
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Senior Advisory Judgment
The source entry names advising senior intelligence officers, commanders, and staff. That translates into executive communication, prioritization, risk framing, and the ability to brief leaders without drowning them in detail.
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National and Joint Integration
0291s coordinate with national intelligence capabilities and joint force contexts. That matters in civilian cleared programs where success depends on cross-agency coordination, customer alignment, and understanding the larger intelligence ecosystem.
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Production Quality Control
Managing intelligence production means setting standards, reviewing outputs, and protecting credibility. Employers value leaders who can improve analytic rigor, not just push faster reporting.
◆
Workforce Development
Guiding the enlisted intelligence workforce translates into coaching, competency models, onboarding, performance development, and succession planning for analytic teams.
Section 03
Common Mistakes 0291s Make in the Civilian Job Search
01
Applying Like an Entry-Level Analyst
0291 is a senior leadership MOS. If your resume reads like a junior analyst resume, you are hiding your value. Lead with capability management, production oversight, senior advisory work, workforce development, and customer alignment.
02
Assuming Rank Explains Scope
Civilian readers may not understand master gunnery sergeant scope. Translate rank into team size, product volume, customers, budgets if applicable, programs, exercises, commands supported, and decisions influenced.
03
Ignoring Contractor Business Language
Cleared contractor leadership requires more than military credibility. Add deliverables, performance metrics, staffing, customer interface, quality control, onboarding, risk, and timeline language so you fit task lead and program roles.
Section 04
Credentials That Strengthen a 0291 Transition
Project Management Professional: PMP
Cost PMI lists $405 member and $655 nonmember exam feesTime Requires documented project experience and exam preparationFormat Proctored certification exam
PMP is highly relevant for 0291s targeting program manager, site lead, task lead, or intelligence operations manager roles. It translates senior staff work into civilian delivery, risk, stakeholder, and schedule language.
Best management bridge · Strong for contractor and federal program roles
ISC2 CISSP
Cost ISC2 lists CISSP at $749 in the AmericasTime Requires professional security experience and endorsement after passingFormat Pearson VUE exam
CISSP can help 0291s moving into security leadership, cyber threat intelligence management, or governance roles. It is not appropriate to claim unless experience requirements are met, but it is powerful when aligned to real security management work.
Security leadership signal · Best for cyber and governance tracks
NGA GEOINT Professional Certification
Cost Eligibility is tied to cleared DoD civilian, military, or contractor GEOINT rolesTime Varies by work-role alignment and experienceFormat GEOINT professionalization framework
NGA GPC may matter when a 0291 has led GEOINT-heavy teams or wants to stay inside national-system geospatial work. It is less useful for general management roles and more useful for work-role alignment inside the GEOINT enterprise.
Mission-specific credibility · Best for GEOINT leadership paths
Section 05
Resume Translation: From Intelligence Chief to Civilian Leadership Language
The 0291 resume should read like senior intelligence leadership: capacity, production, workforce, stakeholders, and decisions.
Before: Vague military language
Served as Intelligence Chief. Managed intelligence personnel, advised leaders, oversaw intelligence production, coordinated capabilities, and developed Marines.
↓
After: Civilian intelligence leadership language
Led intelligence capability management for a military command by aligning analytic production, collection priorities, personnel capacity, reporting standards, and senior-leader decision requirements. Managed intelligence workflows, product quality, briefing cycles, customer coordination, and workforce development for multi-discipline teams operating under SCI eligibility and classified information controls. Advised commanders, senior intelligence officers, and staff on proper employment of intelligence personnel, capability gaps, production priorities, and national-intelligence integration opportunities. Coordinated with joint, national, and supporting agencies to improve intelligence support to operations, planning, exercises, and organizational readiness. Built enlisted intelligence talent through mentorship, standards enforcement, training guidance, performance feedback, and succession planning.
The 0291 Translation Formula
"Managed intel shop" → "led intelligence capability, production, personnel capacity, quality control, and customer support"
"Advised commanders" → "provided senior executive intelligence counsel, risk framing, and decision-support recommendations"
"Managed production" → "set reporting standards, reviewed products, prioritized requirements, and controlled analytic workflow"
"Developed Marines" → "built analyst competency, training plans, mentorship, qualification, and succession pipelines"
"Coordinated agencies" → "integrated joint, national, and partner intelligence capabilities to support operational objectives"
Always quantify: teams led, analysts developed, products reviewed, briefings delivered, agencies coordinated, exercises supported, customers served, and decisions influenced
Section 06
0291 Civilian Career FAQs
What civilian job is closest to Marine Corps 0291?
Intelligence program manager, intelligence operations manager, contractor task lead, and senior threat intelligence manager are the closest matches. The MOS is senior and should be translated as capability and workforce leadership, not only analysis.
Should a 0291 apply for analyst jobs?
Only if the role is senior, lead, principal, or manager-track. Entry analyst roles may underuse 0291 experience. If you want a non-leadership reset, make that strategic, but do not accidentally downshift because the resume fails to show scope.
Which certification helps 0291s most?
PMP is often the strongest civilian bridge because it validates program delivery, stakeholders, risk, and schedule control. CISSP can help for security leadership, while NGA GPC is useful for GEOINT-specific cleared work.
How can a 0291 describe classified work safely?
Describe leadership scope, production workflows, team size, product categories, customer level, standards, coordination, and decision impact. Do not reveal sources, operations, targets, or classified methods. Scope and process can be specific without being sensitive.
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