Is Huntsville Aerospace Industry mainly military / civil / space ? Would they hire a qualified Muslim non-citizen ? (job market)

[domabozo]

Hi


I am a fresh legal migrant , I have a business degree and 7 years of experience in the supply chain / procurement
Of aircraft spares ( commercial not military or space )


I hear Huntsville is an aerospace hub , but I am not sure if the companies working there are mainly military / space related .. or commercial / civil aircraft

Also , as a non-citizen ( but legal resident ) , who is a middle eastern Muslim , can I find a difficulty being hired by city aerospace employers?

Finally , are employers used to hire people coming from abroad , with abroad experience and degree ,. Not US possessed

[Huntsvegas29]

We are mostly military/ space related. I wouldn't think that religion would play any role in finding employment as I work in this industry with many people of different religions. I think you'll run into a problem with the security clearance requirement for most defense/ space jobs here though. That comes down to being a recent immigrant/ non-citizen more than anything else.

[CoreLysium]

No one is going to care what religion you are. I personally would not want to hire a scientologist, but legally we're not allowed to ask and we heed that.

While the job market isn't that tight, I'd think your biggest obstacles would be the initial HR guy not knowing the significance of the university and previous work experience since they'd be overseas. You also might want to work on your punctuation.

[HB2HSV]

Like others have said, you'd be amaze how open minded Huntsville is. The government (both Army & NASA here) have a strict anti-discrimination policy so the fact that your religion is Muslim will have no bearing on your hiring.

That being said, you have 2 strikes against your "lack of qualification":

1). You do not have the applicable experience. Yes, having commercial aviation background helps, but the military aviation is a different ball game. You will need to understand the applicable MIL-STD, MIL-SPEC, plus the FAR related to compoment requirements, limited companies that produce them, and the military acquisition process. You may need to take classes at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) that is being run here in town.

2). You are not s U.S. citizen & have not pass through the backgroun checks.
The good news is that you are already a permanent resident (or are you here on H-1B?), if you already have a PR then just wait a few years you can apply for the U.S, Citizenship.

But those are merely "disadvantages" that you will have in competing with other applicants who otherwise have those qualifications. It does not mean automatically the door is shut for you. There are many private companies here that get contract from the government and they may decide to give you a chance. In today's internet world, it is much easier to apply via online.

Good luck to your employment search.

[FiveDime]

ITAR is the greatest concern..most aerospace jobs here will fall under its aegis. Anyone considered a "US Person" can work on ITAR materials. I believe permanent residents fall under that classification.

[robrath]

A permanet resident aka "green card" is considered a "US Person" under EAR and ITAR. You shouldn't have a problem finding jobs that do not require a security clearance. There are a lot of commercial aircraft companies in town as well, it is not purely a DoD town.