Jack L. Tilley served as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army from June 2000 – January 2004. A Vietnam War Veteran, SMA Tilley has held a variety of important leadership positions throughout his 36-year career. Now retired, SMA Tilley continues to serve as advisor, leader and supporter of all service members, Veterans and their families as co-founder of the American Freedom Foundation. As the host of the Your Next Mission™ podcast, he continues to impart his experience and advice to those transitioning from military to civilian life. Tune in to this episode to hear more about SMA Tilley, The American Freedom Foundation, Your Next Mission™, and Tilley's autobiography. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Security Clearance Careers Podcast

12th Sergeant Major of the US Army Motivates Military Members for Their Next Mission

ClearanceJobs recently sat down with Leandria Ates, a principal manufacturing engineer at Northrop Grumman. We chatted about her military transition from the U.S. Army and her role in manufacturing at Northrop Grumman. Leandria has been able to grow in her comfort level with the systems and overall workflow processes at the company. Her experience as a veteran has helped, enabling her to take on different roles and further develop her skills – and Northrop Grumman has been there at every step, supporting her journey from full-time military service to full-time veteran team member.Empowering employees like Leandria to be the first line of defense for problem-solving helps provide a sense of ownership and team camaraderie at Northrop Grumman. The company’s employees are the key to providing pioneering solutions that streamlines workflow and builds employee confidence, for veterans and non-veterans alike. As one of the largest global, aerospace, defense and security companies in the world, Northrop Grumman proudly employs veterans as they make the transition to civilian life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From U.S. Army to Manufacturing Engineer at Northrop Grumman

The Washington Post recently surveyed the D.C. area for the eighth year in a row in its Top Workplaces survey, conducted in partnership with Energage, LLC. Over 65,500 employees in the area responded, representing 413 companies. While there are many organizations in the D.C. area, government contractors provide a broad range of work and support to the federal government. Here is part II, where we tell you the top 10 mid-size defense contractors to work for in the DMV - what is a common theme between these great companies? Most of them are ClearanceJobs partners ?Stay tuned for Part III in the next few weeks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Top 10 Mid-Sized Contractors in the D.C. Region

“We want diversity of thought to be accepted,” says Lauren Buitta, the founder and CEO of Girl Security. “I don’t imagine kind of a peaceful national security space, but I think one in which difference of opinion is actually valued, both systemically and through institutional policy is key.”ClearanceJobs sat down with Buitta to discuss viewing our national security policies through an equity lens, so that leaders understand the decisions we make in the name of national security and all of the cascading effects that follow. How will these issues affect women, girls, or other marginalized communities? Because all of these issues aren’t siloed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What Does a National Security Utopia Look Like?

The best way to hear about who has the corner on the best employer status is to survey employees. The Washington Post recently surveyed the D.C. area for the eighth year in a row in its Top Workplaces survey, conducted in partnership with Energage, LLC. Over 65,500 employees in the area responded, representing 413 companies. While there are many organizations in the D.C. area, government contractors provide a broad range of work and support to the federal government. We pulled the top 10 SMALL defense contractors to work for in the DMV - this is part 1 of a part 3 series! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who Were Voted the Top Ten Small Defense Contractors to Work for in DC?

Department of Defense acquisitions are not procured in a way to be flexible for what is becoming a major skills gap in the cleared industry. Most defense contractors are indeed staffing firms if they want to admit it or not, and what the government is buying is the people to do the work. With the industry facing new innovations like hybrid remote work, what does the rest of the future of the cleared recruiting landscape look like?After the pandemic, we now have a workforce that wants to work remote, customers that want the latest skillsets, with a cleared workforce that is already shrinking due to the private sector offering some attractive jobs. Oh, and the government really wants a low price.ClearanceJobs sat down with one of our favorite recruiting rockstars, Tom Weinert, to tackle some of these cleared recruiting issues, and answer the question of what future looks like for cleared recruiting. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Future of Cleared Recruiting and Government Staffing

ClearanceJobs recently sat down with Northrop Grumman engineers Haylea Rheams, Emily Marvich and Sara Banadaki. They shared stories about how they got into engineering, the role that Northrop Grumman has played in their careers and what the next generation should consider when pursuing STEM careers.Every career journey is different. Some have a very straight path, while others may not have such a direct route. For Haylea, Emily and Sara they each had someone in their life to help guide them and push their interest and desire to pursue engineering. Whether it was a parent, school or another prominent figure, they were emphatic that young girls notice women in STEM careers. Having strong role models and access to technology at a young age played a key role in defining their own career paths. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Northrop Grumman Encourages Women in Engineering Careers

Episode 3 of the Future of the IC videocast series examined how government and industry can leverage emerging technologies to support IC mission imperatives from remote settings. Speakers articulated the promise and limits of these technologies, commercial and government best practices that the IC can learn from, and the extent to which remote technology can enable the national security enterprise to hire and retain top tech talent across the country. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leveraging Technology to Bring Hybrid Solutions to Government Offices

ClearanceJobs was joined by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance's (INSA) President, Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg, who since 2010, has held various leadership positions at INSA, most recently serving as the organization’s first Chief Operating Officer. She was the driving force behind INSA’s expansion into markets outside the Washington, DC region, as well as its popular, The New IC symposium, which focuses on diversity with inclusion in the intelligence community. Join more than 1,000 of your national security colleagues for a week of engaging panel conversations, an inspiring keynote, and a special fireside chat! Speakers will share their career journeys, talk about the barriers they've broken through, and discuss the importance of empowering women in the IC. Split into five different sessions, this virtual program will run one-hour each day for the week of July 12-16. You will also be able to connect with your colleagues in-person! On Thursday, July 15 INSA will host an in-person outdoor networking reception for New IC attendees to make connections and build relationships. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intelligence and National Security Alliance Launches 4th Annual 'The New IC'

ClearanceJobs recently spoke with Stu Hammer, Senior Director of Consulting Services at Peraton and Jennifer Napper, Vice President and General Manager for the U.S. Army and cyber operations segments at Peraton. Both offered their insight on the general skills needed in today’s job market, what Peraton specifically looks for in candidates and what to expect from the company’s recent merger. ClearanceJobs: Describe the state of Peraton’s acquisition of Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Mission Support and IT Services and more recently Perspecta?Jennifer Napper: The transaction is complete and all functions are under the Peraton brand. Bringing together these organizations provides highly complementary portfolios of programs, capabilities and customers that will further expand Peraton’s ability to support missions of consequence around the world. Our nation’s security has never been so interconnected, and Peraton is now positioned to operate at this critical nexus, delivering differentiated, proven, and secure technology solutions across a broad set of government customers. To do this means hiring and retaining employees and teams of dedicated, highly technical professionals. Our employees need to understand the customer’s mission completely, lean forward, show initiative, and solve problems through innovation. With a keen understanding of the value of talent, lifelong learning is embraced and encouraged at Peraton.ClearanceJobs: Talk about the skills needed in this job market.Stu Hammer: First, cyber operations and cloud capabilities have become mission critical. There is high demand for skilled talent in these areas, and Peraton carefully and actively recruits for this. We especially want candidates with demonstrated knowledge and experience. Certifications in AWS, Microsoft, Splunk, ServiceNow and others make candidates stand out. Second, cyber credentials need to include experience with cyber policy, assessments, threat intelligence, cyber software knowledge and risk management frameworks. Candidates do well when they show a full understanding of the threats and capabilities. That’s what customers need. Third, cloud technology is a field that is constantly changing, so candidates need a firm grasp on service providers. They must be prepared to keep pace as toolsets and other technologies get introduced.ClearanceJobs: Tell us about the hiring process at Peraton.Jennifer Napper: Of course, the pandemic affected hiring plans and last year we could not attend the normal job fairs or hold in-person interviews. But, Peraton still recruited and hired. In the defense sector alone, the company hired more than 470 cleared professionals in 2020. And, that demand shows no signs of slowing down. With or without more in-person interaction, we’ll continue our vigorous recruitment. Also important is that we focus on hiring veterans. There are many candidates who want to continue to serve and use their skills after they’re hung up their uniform. Our recruiters are trained to work with these service members and help them leverage those skills during interviews. Peraton also maintains connections with the military’s transition services that operate pilot programs on cyber or other focused areas. At these critical bases, we deepen our connection to the local communities and professional organizations through event participation. This strengthens our presence among job seekers, and it means our employees are out there making a difference.ClearanceJobs: Describe the hiring roadmap at Peraton.Stu Hammer: For candidates joining Peraton, resumes and interviews need to show knowledge, skill and drive. The hiring process is the time to clearly articulate top achievements, results, and outcomes. It’s critical to have the right skills and education, but it’s the excitement and drive for the work that makes candidates stand out. It starts with an engaging resume, followed by phone screens and interviews that present opportunities to highlight analytical, problem-solving and organizational skills. Communications with clients about critical mission support require candidates who can not only work well with others, but also present clearly. Peraton is the best at delivering trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and cloud technologies for their customers. It’s an important responsibility to bring the most secure technology that protects the nation from security threats. That level of work requires hiring the best and the brightest. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

National Security Needs for Technical Skills and Motivation Reflect Hiring at Peraton

The ability of a small group of people to create widespread harm. That is something that anyone who was alive during the September 11th attacks and the aftermath can relate to. But what does the future of terrorism and their weapons of mass destruction look like?As we reflect on 9/11 and the legacy of 20 years as troops are pulling out of Afghanistan, ClearanceJobs had a conversation with Zachery Kallenborn whose job is to ask these complicated questions and find hypothetical answers.Kallenborn has long been interested in the why to evil scenarios. He also double majored in math and international relations, minoring in German physics and history. Him enjoying staying busy, constantly running away from boredom, or continuously chasing curiosity is an understatement. But luckily threats in national security are dynamic enough for his mad scientist mind. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Future of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Apocalyptic Terrorism

As the US as a whole has increasingly adopted social media into the day to day of normal life, the US armed forces has established its own recruiting strategy and social media accounts to facilitate communication and interaction with potential recruits, family members, and friends. Throw in a pandemic where military recruitment teams cannot meet people where they are at, and personnel are farced to get creative in reaching new candidates - especially ones coming from a tech savvy Generation Z. Jason Singleton, who has around a 10 year notch on his US Marine Corps belt, has taken social media a bit further with his USMC career: he uses it as a recruitment tool, but also to showcase the man behind the uniform and highlight some of his life balancing being active duty, being a military spouse, and managing the chaos of military moves with his family.Is social media a good tool and making military recruitment better? We believe so.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Impact of Social Media in Military Recruiting: Changing for the Better?

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Kin Moy and Assistant Director of National Intelligence and IC CFO, Trey Treadwell discuss the future of the Intelligence Community Workforce including reskilling, policy changes, and how the IC is moving forward with a new normal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intelligence Community Workforce Post-COVID: Recruiting, Retaining, Training, and Re-Skilling

Join us on our 135th episode for some special hot tips on IT certifications and how experience may actually be the key to your success in addition to those certs. Darius Burt is a US Army vet with over 20 years of military service in threat response, management, operational planning, and interagency coordination at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. After transitioning and completing his graduate degree in Cybersecurity Studies, he works in the defense contracting space to analyze user requirements, design, develop, and deploy effective Information Systems Security solutions. Tune in as we hash out IT and cyber certifications that can help put you at the top of a recruiter’s resume pile. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

IT Certs Are Important, But Not Everything for a Successful Cleared Career

The government acquisition process is usually separated into four steps: pre-solicitation, solicitation and evaluation, award, and contract administration. The pre-solicitation stage lays the foundation for soliciting proposals and awarding the contract. Now, who makes the determination of who wins, or even to buy a product or service for the government in the first place? It depends on a few things, but it helps to understand what the Contract Officer (CO or KO) is thinking. This episode is for anyone who works for a defense contractor that bids on government work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Acquisition 101: What is the Government Contracting Officer Thinking?

Welcome to ClearedCast, by ClearanceJobs. ClearanceJobs is the largest career networking site for individuals with active federal clearance. Get security clearance, intelligence community, espionage, national security and defense contracting updates in our exclusive interviews with intelligence community and government leaders.

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Security Clearance Careers Podcast

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