Hiring cleared talent has never been simple—between security requirements, niche skill sets, and tight competition, the process often drags. AgileATS was built with those headaches in mind. Instead of adding more steps, it trims them down, helping recruiters cut through the bottlenecks that tend to stall cleared hiring.
Last month, AgileATS officially became part of ClearanceJobs through a new acquisition, bringing those tools directly into the platform many in the cleared space already rely on. For current and future ClearanceJobs customers, it means more than just posting jobs—it’s about moving toward a true end-to-end recruiting solution. In a market where speed and precision matter, AgileATS could make the difference between landing the right candidate and watching them get scooped up elsewhere.
Layoffs: XAI
Artificial intelligence startup xAI just made one of its biggest workforce shakeups yet, cutting about a third of its data annotation team—roughly 500 people. These are the workers who help train Grok, xAI’s chatbot, by labeling and contextualizing massive amounts of raw data so the system can learn. The company framed the move as a strategic pivot, saying it wants to lean more heavily on “specialist AI tutors” rather than the broader group of generalist annotators who were let go.
The reorganization rolled out quickly, with employees asked to take a battery of tests to determine whether their skills aligned with Grok’s new focus areas. But by Friday evening, Slack rooms that once held over 1,500 annotators had dropped by hundreds of members. While xAI says it plans to grow its specialist tutor team tenfold, the sudden layoffs highlight both the intense demand for specialized AI knowledge and the instability that can come with working in such a fast-moving, experimental industry.
Hiring: Veteran Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring in a big way, with thousands of open positions across the country. From healthcare providers and social workers to IT specialists, biomedical engineers, and even culinary staff, there are opportunities for a wide range of skill sets.
For those looking to build a career that directly supports veterans, the VA offers not just jobs, but meaningful work in service to those who have served. You can explore the full list of openings and apply through the VA’s career portal here.
Cleared Employer at Work: ManTech
Our nation’s security depends on our digital defense. MANTECH is actively hiring experienced CNO Developers and CNO Software Engineers to help us protect our most critical assets.
Michelle Taylor, MANTECH Sr Technical Recruiter, is seeking talented, mission-focused individuals who are passionate about developing cutting-edge solutions for Computer Network Operations. If you have a strong background in socket-level programming, reverse engineering, and building robust cyber capabilities, you are a great fit.
Ready to make a real impact on national security? We are Always Advancing our capabilities and our people. Explore our open positions (mantech.com/careers – search keyword: CNO) and join our talent community today: https://mantech.avature.net/MDCO.
SPONSORED CONTENT: This content is written on or behalf of our Sponsor.
Opportunity to Watch
A major player in the defense and analytics sector is making a big bet on Northern Virginia. Systems Planning & Analysis (SPA) announced a \$46.9 million expansion that will add more than 1,200 jobs across Alexandria and Fairfax County. The company, which specializes in security and defense consulting, plans to grow its headquarters staff in Alexandria by nearly 500 employees while adding over 700 new roles in Chantilly and potentially other nearby sites.
SPA has been embedded in the region for more than five decades, supporting clients with expertise in warfare operations, intelligence, cybersecurity, and advanced sensor systems. Leadership says this expansion reflects both a commitment to innovation and the strength of Virginia’s national security ecosystem. Backed by \$9.2 million in state economic development grants, the project underscores how Northern Virginia’s talent pool and strategic location continue to attract investment from firms at the center of defense and technology growth.
