Patriotism Pays
Veterans earn good pay and still serve their country in the defense industry.
By Kathleen Ganster

Steve Caci’s civilian career is almost a mirror image of his military career as a Navy aircraft mechanic. “I even work on the same plane that I worked on when I was in the Navy,” he said. “I think the only thing I changed was my uniform.”

Like many other veterans, Caci, 24, has found that his career at DynCorp International (DI) is the perfect fit for the skills, experience and training he gained in 
the military.

“I wanted to pursue the same kind of challenges that I had in the service, and I can continue the passion to maintain the aircraft that defend our nation,” said Caci, who repairs and maintains the P-3C Orion in Lexington, Md.

Soft as it Gets
Service members may not find a softer landing than in the defense industry. Due to the nature of the work defense contractors perform – the military is one of their leading customers – veterans are excellent candidates for these companies.

“For nearly every position in the military, DI affords a civilian equivalent,” said Doug Sikat, senior manager of Global Staffing Operations at DI and a veteran himself.

The array of job opportunities includes aviation mechanics, licensed electricians, power-generator specialists, business development professionals, project managers, security officers, experts in diplomacy, and senior advisors to foreign law enforcement. “All positions are immediately posted on our career site,” Sikat said.

DI Jobs CONUS and Down Range
Since defense contracts support the military, most companies like DI have openings where military bases are located, including large numbers of positions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Southwest Asia. There also are several stateside locations, including DI headquarters in Falls Church, Va.

Skills and education for positions vary. Sikat said it is difficult to list salary ranges because of the variety of positions, skills and education required, and location. “We offer very competitive salaries and excellent benefits,” he said.

Former Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. 
Dan Huff, 49, works for DI in Afghanistan. “For me, supporting the military in time of war, living and working in an austere, risky and exciting environment 
is important,” he said, a feeling he shares with other veterans.

Adventure aside, Huff also wanted to continue serving his country as a civilian. “It is the belief that I could make a significant and indelible difference in the lives of both the war fighter and those who serve them – our employees – that led me to this job,” said Huff, who is the director of human resources for the Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program IV (LOGCAP IV).

Making a Difference
The same need to continue serving his country and work for a company that shares the values he found in the military is what led Randy Castro to AECOM. The Army veteran is now senior vice president of the company’s Federal Programs, Federal Services Group.

“The military is all about accomplishing one’s mission while taking care of your people – the people aspect of the military is uniquely special,” he said. “AECOM has a similar value in people and there isn’t a person that I’ve met here that isn’t equally as committed.”

Castro, 58, said AECOM’s service-based mission is another factor that drew him to the company. “In the military, you are in service to your country. Each and every day, it is gratifying to make a positive difference,” he said. “It is the same in AECOM – my job allows me also to make a positive difference. It just doesn’t get any better.”

Often, the nature of the work within the defense industry makes the military background the ideal training for many of the jobs. Richard “Rick” Orth, another Army veteran, joined AECOM immediately after retirement in 2008. The former colonel is able to use the skills and experience from his military career in his current position as a project support manager for biological threat reduction. “The bulk of our contracts are with the U.S. military, so having that military knowledge is indispensible,” he said.

2,000+ Jobs at AECOM
George Bassut, director of recruiting for AECOM, said there are numerous positions within the company for veterans. “At any given time, we can have over 2,000 openings,” he said.

Opportunities include engineering, project and program management, finance, human resources, technicians, mechanics and numerous other support services. Experience, skills and education required vary according to positions and locations, as do salaries, which range from $45,000 to $150,000.

Bassut, a Marine veteran, said there are two reasons veterans make ideal defense industry employees.

“Some skills sets acquired translate directly – they are the exact skills needed in the same environment,” he said. The other reason is the intangibles veterans offer, particularly leadership skills and the “failure is not an option” attitude. “Our customer is the military, so the military familiarity is perfect – you are basically just changing to the other side,” he said.

Suzanne Hovhannesian, vice president of talent acquisition, encourages veterans seeking positions to check the website for job availability. “We have a wide variety of opportunities available and we refresh our career site daily,” she said.

Opportunity at ManTech
Ed Glabus, executive vice president at ManTech International Corporation, said veterans are a great fit for his company too. “Our mission is to support our customers and our customers are the military and federal agencies,” he said. “We want people that are mission-focused. That is why veterans are perfect in this industry.”

A list of ManTech’s clients includes many federal government agencies and military installations – making transitioning military a natural fit. “Veterans have a deep understanding of our clients,” he said.

Nearly half of ManTech’s employees are veterans, including Glabus. Opportunities at ManTech include positions within supply chain management, logistics, cyber security, intelligence and support services, and specific jobs like mechanics and technicians. Some positions are at the company’s Fairfax, Va., headquarters, but most are in locations that support military installations and other agencies, including overseas sites.

Salaries are so varied that Glabus preferred not to give salary ranges. “We have very competitive salaries and benefits,” he said. “And I always caution veterans to take into account the allowances that you had in the military – factor those in when you are considering salary.”

Passionate Patriot
Some of ManTech’s employees have extensive educational backgrounds, such as Patrick O’Farrell, who has a Ph.D. The executive director and senior account manager is an Army veteran and has been with the company for a year. O’Farrell, 51, lives in Michigan. “I love that ManTech has the same passion to focus on a mission and get a job done, just like we had in the military,” he said.

O’Farrell, who has been with ManTech for one year, served in the military from the time he entered West Point as an 18-year-old until he retired in 2004. It was the need to transition to a civilian career that was familiar to him that made ManTech a good match for O’Farrell. “I wanted to be involved with something that related to the military so that I could still have that feeling of making a contribution and a difference,” he said.

Accidental Procurement Manager
Unlike O’Farrell, when Virginia Medina retired from the military, she didn’t want to work in the environment any more. But then her husband, a ManTech employee, 
convinced her to look at the company. That was five years ago, and 
Medina has worked with ManTech ever since.

Medina, 47, lives in North Carolina and is a procurement manager with the company. “It makes me feel good to know that I am supporting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,” she said. “This is the perfect environment for me, because I am still supporting our war fighters, but I am serving as a civilian.”

As Medina discovered, ManTech and other companies like it allow veterans to continue serving while developing other skills. William “Bill” Butler, 50, of Oak Hill, Va., encourages soon-to-be veterans to look at companies such as ManTech for that very reason. “You have developed skills that are skills we all need to be successful in life and to reach a high level in your career,” he said. “Plus, many of us feel that we have a lifetime commitment to the service and it can work out that we continue to serve this commitment.”

As a business development manager with ManTech, Butler, a Navy veteran, feels his military skills still help him. “The problem-solving skills, leadership skills, knowing how to come up with solutions – these are all useful to me when I am coming up with problem solutions in this industry.”

James “Jim” Zittel, 54, an assistant executive director with ManTech, wanted to work for a growing company. “Don’t overlook a smaller company,” he said. “Look at who the company serves, 
compare your values to the company’s, and then look at their 
reputation.”

Security Clearance at CACI
CACI also places a high value on hiring veterans. The company “does it all in the IT arena,” according to Larry Clifton, senior vice president for recruiting and workforce planning, who said IT skills and security clearances are a potent combination. “With the type of services we offer, security is imperative.”

Positions at CACI include network and software engineers, systems analysts, communications and intelligence analysts, background investigators, technicians and support staff, including administration, legal, human resources and accounting opportunities. Salaries range from $30,000 to more than $100,000, depending on experience, education and background, Clifton said. More than 75 percent of positions at CACI require security clearances. “Having a clearance will also give you a bump in starting salary,” he said.

A Place to Grow
An Air Force veteran, Clifton feels the “mission critical” attitude veterans have make them valuable employees for CACI. “We support the military, so knowing they know the environment is invaluable,” he said. “For us as employees, knowing we are helping with their missions and the war fighter make the job important and fulfilling.”

Lorie Pesonen Moody, 51, is a Marine veteran.  It was important to her to continue to serve and her role as a CACI program manager accomplished that. “There are three components of my job and all of them support the Marines,” she said. “As a retired Marine, you still have the affection for the Corps and want to serve our warfighters.”

When she is hiring staff, Moody said she looks at military veterans not only for their direct skill sets, which are necessary for many positions, but also the leadership and work ethic the military provides.

“That is also one reason veterans should look at companies like CACI, because you can build on those skills and have a place to grow,” she said. “You want to be rewarded for hard work and be given 
opportunities, just like you had in the military.” 

DynCorp International
HQ: Falls Church, Va.
Locations: All over world and U.S.
Employees: 18,000+
Veteran Employees: 9,000+ (50%)
2010 Revenues: $3.4 billion
www.dyn-corp.com
www.dyncorprecruiting.com

Jobs
Opportunities include:

• Aviation mechanics
• Licensed electricians
• Power-generator specialists
• Business development professionals
• Project managers
• Security officers
• Experts in diplomacy
• Senior advisors to foreign law 
enforcement.
  

Many DI job openings are tied to military bases, including large numbers of positions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Southwest Asia. Skills and education required for positions vary.

Pay
Salaries vary depending on the skills 
and education required, and where 
the job is located.

AECOM
HQ: Los Angeles
Employees: 45,000
Veteran Employees: 3,000 (7%)
2010 Revenues: $8 billion
www.aecom.com

Jobs
Opportunities include positions in:

• Engineering
• Project management
• Program management
• Finance
• Human resources
• The company also is looking for 
technicians, mechanics, and 
numerous other support services.
  

Experience, skills and education required vary according to positions and job locations.

Pay
$45,000 to $150,000, depending 
on the position and location

ManTech International Corporation
HQ: Fairfax, Va.
Employees: 10,248
Veteran Employees: 4,855 (47%)
2010 Revenues: $2.6 billion
www.mantech.com

Jobs
ManTech is looking for people with security clearances for many—but not all—of its positions.

• Cyber
• C4ISR
• Supply chain management
• Logistics
• Equipment maintenance
• Intelligence
• Systems administration
• Support services
• Computer security and forensics
  

Pay
Salaries vary according to 
position and location.

CACI
HQ: Arlington, Va.
Employees: 13,500
Veteran Employees: 20%
2010 Revenues: $3.2 billion
www.caci.com

Jobs
Opportunities include:

• Network engineers
• Software engineers
• Systems analysts
• Communications analysts
• Intelligence analysts
• Background investigators
• Technicians
• Support staff, including administration, 
legal, human resources and accounting personnel

Pay
Salaries range from $30,000 to more than $100,000, depending on experience, education and background. More than 
75 percent of positions at CACI require security clearances.