List some small defense (sub) contractors for me!

[becwells]

I believe SAIC were having some problems recently...not sure what exactly.

Booz Allen pays once monthly, which I think is a giant pain in the azz.

There's also Harris, Accenture, ManTech, BAE, CACI...there are too many to name.

[niklex]

Your credentials would be greatly appreciated in the Dahlgren area - big or small co. I have similar credentials (BS military academy, navy experience, JD + 3 yrs legal practice) and I now work contract management for a small defense contractor in Dahlgren, HiPK, LLC. Once I decided I was open to working in Dahlgren I landed a job almost immediately.

[Azmordean]

To all interested - I ended up landing a fairly entry level Contracts Administrator position with General Dynamics Information Technology. I guess I skipped the small companies and went straight for the big! .

I'm really liking it so far. I'm picking things up fast, and they are extremely happy with my work thus far. Plus, I feel like I've got a lot of promotional potential there. Definitely pleased.

To be honest though, I got the job through connections and networking. If I were just responding to online job posts, I have a feeling I'd still be job searching. Just seems to be how the market is right now - especially if you are a "non-standard applicant."

[clarksonknight]

Good luck with GDIT, worked there as a "body in a contract" engineer for 3 years and couldn't go anywhere, but it sounds like you have a better position. Watch out for the "golden carrot", i.e., "yeah we know this work kind of sucks, but do it for a year and it will open up some great opportunities". Always make your own opportunities.

Also, networking will always net you better jobs than jobsites and cold applications. Especially in the defense/IC industry around here. I also have a fairly unique background, and every job that I've had that's help me develop my skill set and career has been through networking contacts.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by clarksonknight

Good luck with GDIT, worked there as a "body in a contract" engineer for 3 years and couldn't go anywhere, but it sounds like you have a better position. Watch out for the "golden carrot", i.e., "yeah we know this work kind of sucks, but do it for a year and it will open up some great opportunities". Always make your own opportunities.

Also, networking will always net you better jobs than jobsites and cold applications. Especially in the defense/IC industry around here. I also have a fairly unique background, and every job that I've had that's help me develop my skill set and career has been through networking contacts.

I hear you about working on a contract. Not that that is bad work - it can be very good, and occasionally pretty lucrative. The negative, though, is that the nature of the business is often that when the contract goes away, so does your job. And, of course, it's not easy to promote you either, because you are working on a specific contract with specific pay rates, so unless the government's requirements change, your job title will likely stay the same. That's not to say some employees aren't kept around - I know we make an effort to keep people on board and find them another contract to work on, particularly if they were especially good employees.

I get the feeling though, all in all, a lot of employees in this business "jump around" from company to company. They do a contract, then move on to the next company and the next contract - gaining experience, and therefore, better pay rate along the way. It's almost like consulting but with longer term assignments. Some people probably thrive on that, some people probably prefer a more permanent position. This is, of course, in stark contrast to defense contractors that actually make a product (e.g., GD Land Systems) - there, the employees are building a product for the government, not filling a spot for the government, so they aren't necessarily tied to a single product - they can stay on and build something under the NEXT contract when the current one ends.

Luckily for me, my position is in Contracts Administration - part of the operations / corporate HQ side. That is, I don't work on a specific contract, I manage contracts. That means my position is quite stable and has lots of promotional opportunity. As long as GDIT keeps getting contracts, I have work - I'm not tied to any one contract.

So far I'm enjoying it a lot, and I find the company to be excellent so far.

[clarksonknight]

You've stated precisely the reasons I'm leaving my current "big dog" company to get to a small company that as well as doing contracting also produces their own products. I'll be able to develop my career rather than work in a place that stifles ambition. I came to my "big dog" company when they were a "small dog" company that had just been bought up. Now that the processes are taking over, it's time to move on.

You're in a pretty nice spot as a contracts person, but it's definitely been tough to find rewarding work around here as an engineer! Hopefully my new job will edge me toward that "dream job" achievement...