Up and down the east coast, employers are looking to fill shortages in an ever evolving job market — one driven by the demand for increased security and high tech skills. This is creating excellent prospects for transitioning service members and other professionals who hold a security clearance.
The Washington, D.C. region is now so vast it is distinguished as two separate divisions; the D.C./Northern Virginia region and Maryland’s Montgomery and Frederick counties. While it’s always been abundant with museums, theaters, art and history events, the same is true of the job market. In fact, according to the Partnership for Public Service, the entire region is about to see a hiring surge. The government plans to take on more than 270,000 new employees over the next few years — about 40,000 of those in and around D.C. That trend will directly affect the pool of security cleared job seekers heading east.
“When there are vacancies, federal agencies want to hire quickly,” said John Palguta, Vice President, Partnership for Public Service. “Even though there are improvements in processing the backlog of security clearance applications, those who already hold one have a definite advantage.”
Hiring trends look particularly good in two sectors; security and protection, and compliance and enforcement. Given the nature of these sectors, cleared personnel have a leg up in the competition for jobs in engineering, logistics, intelligence, program management, administration, finance and network security. In fact, according to the ClearanceJobs 2010 Compensation Survey, nearly one-quarter of security-cleared professionals working in the Capital region (Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia) attributed their compensation increases to changing employers.
Northern Virginia
Across the Potomac, the picture looks just as good. Opportunity is knocking loudly for security cleared job seekers, as both federal and private sector businesses often intertwine with defense and security. For example, the region has an extensive transportation sector, with two major airports, a commuter rail and subway system. The infrastructure surrounding the nation’s capitol adds to the need for security clearances and backgrounds in engineering, management and network and physical security.
Northern Virginia has too many federal facilities to count. But big employers include the Pentagon, CIA, Fort Myer and Fort Belvoir. Across from the Pentagon in Crystal City, military departments and defense contractors both have a strong presence. More than 600 have offices in Arlington alone, which also boasts the highest paid workers in the region. Fortune 1000 companies with a presence here also include Booz Allen Hamilton, Computer Sciences Corporation, DynCorp International, General Dynamics and CACI International.
According to Evan Lesser, founder and director of ClearanceJobs, which matches security-cleared personnel with federal and defense industry hiring managers, the recession has had minimal impact on security clearance jobs. “Northern Virginia contractors tell ClearanceJobs.com that they are particularly interested in three skills,” said Lesser. “First, contract intelligence professionals are in high demand, despite the government’s desire to bring intelligence analysis work in-house. Second, cleared candidates with Java programming skills remain highly coveted and are some of the highest paid technology professionals across the country. Finally, with the government’s focus on cyber-security, job seekers with clearances and network security certifications like the CISSP and those from GIAC are finding their pick of jobs here.”
As for quality of life, Northern Virginia has a low unemployment rate and higher than average salaries. For example, civil service employees in grades GS 9 through GS 13 can earn between $50,000 and $98,000, while those in GS 14 and above earn six figure incomes. Private sector employees of equal experience can command even higher salaries.
While the housing industry slumped over the last few years, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors puts the median price of homes sold in October, 2009 at $356,000.
Southern Virginia
Heading southeast, the Hampton Roads region is marked by strong ties to the defense industry. Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach help make up what is now the seventh largest metro area in the nation. Military installations and supporting businesses employ about 800,000 people, keeping the region rife with opportunity for those with a security clearance.
Prominent names like Aerotech, Honeywell and Titan Systems dominate the aerospace sector. Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems lead the ship building industry. The region is also becoming the epicenter for one of the newest fields – modeling and simulation. Prompted by the Global War on Terror, the Lockheed Martin Innovation Center was set up in Suffolk. The 50,000 square foot laboratory serves as the nerve center for net-centric experimentation and analysis, opening wide the doors for job seekers with high tech skills and a clearance. Other employers include Capstone and Loyola Enterprises. Old Dominion University is also following suit. It will begin granting undergraduate degrees in modeling and simulation in 2010.
“Our number one draw for transitioning service members is the fact that if you’re security cleared, there’s likely a job match for you,” said Chris Gullickson, Business Recruiting Manager, Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance. “The second draw is the quality of life.”
Southern Virginia has a healthy climate and a healthy economy, with housing prices that have dropped 20 percent in the last year. Another perk — one of the lowest combined state and local tax rates in the country.
Maryland
Maybe the reason Maryland was recently cited as one of the ‘happiest’ states is due to the fact that jobs abound. Federal opportunities requiring a clearance are available at NSA, the IRS, and the Social Security Administration. Thousands more are opening up in the state’s military installations; Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Andrews Air Force Base, which employs more than 10,000 active duty and civilian personnel.
While there’s always a demand for security cleared personnel, the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore says there’s currently a growing demand for those in C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.) This field is huge and highly technical, with job prospects and salaries both ranking above average. For example, an intelligence analyst in Camp Springs, Md. can earn between $106,000 to $120,000, while a supervisory intelligence analyst earns closer to $130,000.
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development puts Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems at the top of the list for aircraft and aerospace electronics, with jobs in which a security clearance is an asset if not a requirement. Ciena and Hughes Network Systems top the list for communications jobs. But there are plenty of opportunities in state agencies and smaller businesses in fields that include training, simulation, maintenance, program management, engineering and operations.
As for affordability, the cost of living in Baltimore is a little higher than the national average, but the rest of the state is comparable. Housing prices run as low as $170,000, with the median price for 2009 at about $270,000.
Massachusetts
Security-cleared job seekers may want to consider cooler climates in the north. Massachusetts is now a hotbed of defense contractor activity generating billions of dollars annually.
Four major sectors make up the state’s security-cleared employment map; professional and technical services, defense and homeland security, computer and electronic manufacturing, transportation and telecommunications.
In Massachusetts, research, development, testing and evaluation are big business with the Defense Department serving as the state’s biggest customer. This is drawing increasing numbers of defense contractors. Big hirers of security-cleared workers include Raytheon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, General Electric Aircraft, Mitre Corp., General Dynamics and American Science and Engineering. Hot jobs include software developers, systems engineers and technology managers, jobs that command salaries of around $90,000. The military presence also contributes to the thriving security-cleared workforce.
“The Hanscom Air Force Base Electronic Systems Center and many of the contractors that work with it have an extraordinarily large number of personnel with security clearances due to the sensitive nature of their mission,” said Mark Sternman, Vice President of Research, Mass Development.
Other advantages to Massachusetts include a low crime rate, good schools and good salaries. A senior software engineer can command $88,000 to $95,000, and advisory software engineers can earn more than $100,000. But salaries do mirror housing prices, which are historically high. Average home prices range from $300,000 to $400,000.
All told, the east coast still comes in as the number one market for security clearance job opportunities. And although many are in the technical professions, that clearance is just as valuable to those looking for entry level jobs in clerical and administrative fields, mechanics and maintenance, and low to mid-level management.
