It is indeed possible to work two security clearance required jobs at once, but separate entities can view who holds ownership of your security clearance in a system like the Defense Information System for Security (DISS). One ClearanceJobsBlog subscriber was interested in if they had to quit their contracting job while they waited for a clearance crossover:
Hi. Question for the sages of this board. I work for a contractor for a customer A. If I want to work for another contractor for the same customer A but on a different contract – I still need a crossover. As I understand, the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) could be the same person from a customer side. During a crossover from one contract to another, do I have to stop working for the first contractor? How do I handle this? When do I tell them I have this other offer from another contractor?
Your Company Finds Out Another Contractor Took Ownership of Your Clearance
Defense contractors don’t have legal limitations to supporting multiple organizations like govvies do, but there are other things to consider. Sean Bigley, ClearanceJobs legal correspondent notes, “Among them are whether one or both employers would view working for the other as a violation of company policy, a non-disclosure agreement, or a non-competition clause. This would be especially likely if both employers work in the same industry (e.g. aerospace) and compete for the same contracts.”
If these two government contractor prospects are supporting the same customer or agency, we would advise you to look at your company’s employee agreement/contract.
A background investigator on the thread says from experience that the hangup isn’t usually the clearance itself, but the routine pre-employment screening that a new employer does during onboarding – which can take a few weeks.
These are just a few of things to keep in mind when deciding when to tell your current employer about your decision to leave. If you’re working in the security clearance space, the news is something you won’t be able to hide for long. It becomes pretty apparent you’re saying goodbye when a new employer takes ownership of your clearance.
