As companies were transitioning to a remote workforce at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was one DoD contractor that relied on experience working remotely since its inception.
WWC Global is a federally focused, woman-owned management consulting firm with a wide portfolio of clients including the Department of Defense, the Department of State, Department of Energy and others. They are ranked in the top 65 of woman-owned contracting firms among federal agencies & are headquartered in Tampa, FL, offering opportunities for cleared candidates everywhere – including virtually.
ClearanceJobs was joined by Lauren Weiner, CEO and Co-founder of the company, and Heidi Snell, Chief People Officer. Lauren co-founded the company with Donna Huneycutt, WWC Global President and COO, in 2004. Lauren and Donna continue to lead the firm today and Heidi, who joined the company in 2006, oversees talent acquisition, human resources, strategic communications, and security.
The company history allows the group to continue their service to military spouses and veterans and refine their company culture of credibility to their employees and partners. Being a remote company started by military spouses, they have perfected the process of virtual interviewing and onboarding as they continue to work in this new normal in national security.
WORKING VIRTUALLY
Prior to founding WWC Global, Lauren was a senior government civilian in the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. She had departed her position in Washington D.C. to accompany her spouse on a Department of Defense assignment in Naples, Italy.
Donna was a former private equity attorney and the spouse of a Naval officer, also assigned to the same location. Even with their accomplished backgrounds, Lauren and Donna soon realized civilian career opportunities were extremely limited due to the extensive human resources process and timing of overseas tours. They also noticed that a large population of extremely qualified people, mainly retired veterans and military spouses, were stationed overseas. Many were capable and actively seeking employment, only to be discouraged by the arduous federal hiring process. Coupled with the demand for exceptional support for the Department of Defense, Lauren and Donna witnessed an opportunity and incorporated the firm.
They obtained their first contract and that led to the next.. Â Based on the feedback of their clients, new opportunities arose from word-of-mouth recommendations. From 1.5 FTEs to more than 300 FTEs now, across 15 time zones, the firm looks a little bit different from when they started but still employ the same strategic practices.
The WWC Global team has remote positions all over the world and in many different countries. Their headquarter employees are able to retain their employment as they make military moves, still maintaining supportive co-working relationships.
Being virtual from the outset, running the company from continents apart, they have learned through successes and overcoming obstacles managing virtual issues. They succeeded at it before much of the current technology was available and have continued to adapt and upgrade as new systems are introduced.
While having a leg up on the competition working remotely for some time, their biggest obstacle surrounding COVID-19 wasn’t motivating people to work effectively from home but was supporting staff as they adapted to the  personal issues of kids being home from school or possible exposure to COVID-19. From a corporate perspective, the pandemic didn’t have much of an effect on operations, and they even were able to offer insight to their DoD teams and customers who were embarking on the teleworking journey.
Through managing unclassified telework for cleared employees, WWC Global believes virtual employee engagement requires constant communication while utilizing a variety of different mediums.
COMPANY CULTURE IS ESSENTIAL
WWC Global is dedicated to the government mission and is the biggest driver of recruitment and retention along with their benefits package – and their culture truly radiated from a conversation with their CEO and Chief People Officer.
At WWC Global, the employees represent the company’s success and the team is comprised of an innovative group of professionals, including military spouses, former federal employees, reservists, and veterans. All of them working to support the company’s dedication to the government mission.
Their highest auditing factor for their culture? Credibility.
They are invested in the long-term success of their DoD clients and contract employees, dedicated to putting good government into practice and measuring their success by their own credibility.
For more information of opportunities with WWC Global, visit their ClearanceJobs employer profile, and be sure to check out The WWC Podcast: Winning with Connections.
Download ClearanceJobs most recent white paper: 5 Tips for Virtual OnboardingÂ
