Some contractors are hiring in anticipation of a mass exodus due to the January COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline for federal contractors. That’s one strategy to take – especially for contractors in the defense industrial base, where many are expecting a major impact to production. Even a small percentage of layoffs can impact contract timelines.
“We are proactively increasing our hiring now in anticipation that we may have some loss of workers and we are ensuring that we have training and skill building programs in place once we bring those new employees into the workplace so they can get productive and efficient as quickly as possible,” Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden said during a recent company quarterly earnings call.
Some contractors are impacted more than others, depending on the location of their facility, but it’s clear that all are watchful to see how events unfold in January. In the meantime, finding candidates who are already vaccinated in anticipation of open positions is one tactic that is being employed.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Citrix |
Tech solution company, Citrix, has plans to eliminate 50 full time positions. Located in Raleigh, Citrix says their restructuring plans will reduce their organization staff needs by less than 10%. “We carefully examined our entire workforce and identified the roles and org structures we need to deliver on our strategy to help customers accelerate their IT modernization, enable secure distributed work and boost worker productivity,” said Karen Master, a spokesperson for the company. “In some cases, employees may be shifted to new roles where they would focus on our key or new investment areas, and in others, positions will be eliminated to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible.” |
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Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
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Raytheon |
Don’t count Northern Virginia out of the space race for talent. Raytheon Intelligence & Space has plans to expand in the NoVa area with 429 open positions. Raytheon already has a location in Dulles, along with open positions at their locations in Arlington, Springfield, Falls Church, Virginia Beach, Chantilly and Herndon. Raytheon has remote, hybrid, and in-person roles available. While there are some financial and supply chain positions, Raytheon is also looking to find electrical engineers, system and software engineers, applications developers, cyber specialists and forensic technicians.
“From a business perspective, we’ve got some of the best talent, best experience and passion to deliver for those who keep us safe,” Doug Greene, senior director of talent acquisition at Raytheon I&S told Technical.ly. “With that, the DMV/security corridor is a hotbed for talent and it’s time that we leverage that even more than we do today.” |
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Cleared Employer at Work: Northrop Grumman
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Opportunity to Watch
“Raytheon Technologies systems are the cornerstone of today’s ballistic missile defenses. We’re building on that knowledge to advance the missile defense system for future threats,” said Tay Fitzgerald, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense. “GPI’s speed, ability to withstand extreme heat, and maneuverability will make it the first missile designed to engage this advanced threat.”
GPI will intercept hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight, which occurs once a missile has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is manuevering toward its target. The initial development phase will focus on reducing technical risk, rapidly developing technology, and demonstrating the ability to intercept a hypersonic threat.
Developed on behalf of the MDA, GPI will be integrated into the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Weapon System, a ship- and shore-based defense system.
