Looking to build a national security career in a city that knows how to innovate? Consider cleared job opportunities in Boston, MA. Boston has been home to innovators and disruptors since the Puritans landed in 1630 and the American colonists decided their harbor needed a bit more Earl Grey in 1773. Innovation today looks like initiatives such as the Massachusetts Innovation Bridge, a partnership with the commonwealth and The MITRE Corporation, which looks to connect academic institutions, nonprofits and companies with innovative ideas with opportunities with the federal government. It also looks like being home to 35 institutes of higher learning, including Boston University and Boston College. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is just over the bridge in Cambridge. And Hanscom Air Force Base is also just outside Boston.
Hanscom Air Force Base is home to the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLMC), one of six centers which report to Army Materiel Command and helps develop Air Force Weapons Systems. Contractors including ManTech International, BAE Systems, and dozens of other defense industry employers are currently hiring in and around Boston.
Living and Working in Boston
If you’re looking for a big city with a small town feel, Boston is a great fit. Like Washington, D.C., it’s steeped in history, highly walkable, and offers even more recreation and after-hours play. It also frequently finds itself highly ranked in quality of life surveys. This year WalletHub named Boston its second best metro for STEM jobs. The cost of living in Boston is also 10-15% lower than the nation’s capital.
Cybersecurity professionals and systems engineers are in high-demand in Boston (like everywhere else), particularly with the need to support Hanscom’s innovation mission. But the breadth of research and development works means cleared professionals in almost any field can find an opportunity in Boston. The Massachusetts Innovation Bridge also works to promote and provide opportunities for emerging federal contractors or companies completely new to government contracting. That means there are a variety of career options with small businesses. When it comes to a Boston job search, you can search the company culture as much as you shop the benefits, and be ready for a variety of options. If academia is your scene, there are a number of government laboratories with cleared job opportunities. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory does advanced IT to support national security missions. Government job options in Boston include careers with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
If you’re looking for a big city with a small town feel and major livability, look no further than Boston. The presence of so much R&D means you should never be bored in your career, either, but will constantly have new opportunities to expand your skills and take on new challenges.
