The Space Systems Command (SSC), the primary field command of the United States Space Force, announced this month that it will attend hiring events across the country as part of its efforts to help the sixth and newest branch of the United States Armed Forces reach its goal of finding 6,000 new employees.
The U.S. Space Force saw about 14% of its civilian workforce, roughly 780 personnel, face cuts through early retirements, voluntary resignations, and hiring freezes during Pentagon-wide reductions tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative last year.
However, this year, the Space Force’s acquisition and procurement capabilities, where the military relies heavily on civilian technical expertise, is in need of a hiring surge to meet demands and needs.
“We’re doing a full-court press – (SSC) has an aggressive goal of hiring 100 new employees per month until we fill all of our vacancies,” Natalie Riedel, executive director of Space Systems Command, said in Guardian Spotlight Q&A last week.
“We know where the long poles are and where the bottlenecks are, and we are removing those and asking for assistance where we can, so we can get after that 100 per month,” added Riedel, who is now the most senior-ranking civilian of a workforce of more than 15,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel across nearly 30 operating locations. “It’s an aggressive goal, but we have to get there. We must find and hire the talent. The new, increased budget will require more personnel to execute, and we have to rebuild from where we were back in January.”
Riedel acknowledged that SSC took a “big hit” last year, when it lost a large number of its civilian workforce, but said that SSC is now working to target “top candidates” to ensure it has the talent needed to execute the mission.
Civilians to Infinity and Beyond
SSC civilians now account for roughly half of the U.S. Space Force’s entire civilian workforce of approximately 5,100 personnel. The service has sought to bolster that number as it expands, seeking to fund around 7,200 civilian jobs in 2027, a roughly 40% jump from this year.
The Space Force is seeking a wide swath of individuals, everything from engineers to cybersecurity pros to firefighters.
“We are hiring engineers; we’re hiring program managers,” said Riedel. “Cyber is at the top of the list –we need those cyber experts in order to get after the mission. We are hiring in all different fields and looking for talent at all levels. We need recent college graduates and we need mid-career professionals. We’re hiring at all levels.”
Many of these positions aren’t what might be found in the private sector.
“SSC civilian employees’ duties focus on the entire Department of War (DoW) warfighting mission,” explained Rachel Morgan-Baladez, chief of HR Support and Personnel Programs for SSC. Often, these projects involve both local and international mission partners to complete and implement specific projects. We are not bound by private sector or publicly traded companies’ limitations, and the success of our military projects have international impacts. Additionally, one of the more poignant differences between working at SSC versus private sector is having “a seat at the table” for overall military program ownership.”
Expanding Footprint
Morgan-Baladez noted that although SSC is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, CA, its footprint extends across the United States, including operating locations in Cape Canaveral and Patrick Space Force Base in Florida; Huntsville, AL; Washington, D.C.; Colorado Springs, CO.; and Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA.
“These locations offer a unique advantage for some employees who might not want to relocate. Additionally, SSC is rapidly growing with new mission requirements and projects that will increase our workforce dramatically over the next 5 years,” said Morgan-Baladez, who emphasized that those opportunities could allow for career progression across all levels.
That includes interns and junior-level positions for recent college graduates, where they can gain exposure and obtain valuable experience, but also for mid- and even high-level employees, who can bring their private sector experience to the SSC.
Spousal Opportunities
SSC noted that the Pentagon is now increasing its hiring of military spouses from the release of the recent Active Duty Spouse Survey, which identified the unemployment rate for military spouses at 20%.
“SSC is committed to increasing employment of military spouses by 30 percent and reducing the amount of time it takes to hire them by 25%,” SSC explained, adding that military spouses may be eligible for remote work if the position qualifies, which can expand hiring flexibility.
Fair Play
In addition to attending a wide variety of public and private sector career fairs and recruiting events across the country, SSC has partnered with the United States Space Force’s Civilian Talent Management Office (CTMO) for an open/recurring job announcement board that allows applicants to upload their resume with desired location and career field indicated.
“This allows hiring managers to access near real-time applications and hire employees using Direct Hire Authority (DHA) without waiting for a specific job announcement to post,” said Morgan-Baladez.
SSC is further collaborating with NobleReach, an organization that targets more than 450 colleges and universities as a way to increase engagement with upcoming and recent graduates regarding federal employment.
At its headquarters in California, SSC already hosts continuous acquisition, engineering, and administrative hiring initiatives. Other events, including virtual career fairs, will be held at Peterson/Schriever Space Force Base (SFB), Colorado, and Vandenberg SFB, California.
