Direct Hiring Authorities Key to Talent Competition and Davidson Logistics Hiring 200 Employees

Direct hiring authorities can be a game changer for the federal government talent acquisition strategies. While OPM and the DoD offer options, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center has been able to use special authorities for direct hire opportunities that are critical and hard to fill. Roles that have benefited from these conditions are engineers, scientists, as well as veterans, support staff, and students. “These authorities provide managers and supervisors who participate in career fairs and recruiting events the ability to extend tentative job offers and letters of intent to candidates during the events,” said Dr. Chad J. Marshall, USASMDC Tech Center Personnel Management chief. “Having this capability is very important as we work to diversify our recruitment efforts beyond the typical vacancy announcement.”

“Many of our recently implemented hiring efforts stem from the Technical Center’s implementation of the STRL Laboratory Demonstration Project in 2020,” Marshall said. “The hiring efforts that we implement are done with the intent to align our processes with the Technical Center director’s priorities of building and retaining a quality workforce, sustaining long-term relevance for the Technical Center in our core mission areas, and focus on the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site operations and sustainment.”

The center has played a key role in hiring science, technology, engineering, and mathematic talent over the years – especially creating easy pathways between graduating students and DoD employment. While contractors may be able to hire faster, the federal government holds more keys to the security clearance process and getting clearable candidates onboarded and cleared.

Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry

XPER	XPER, formerly Ibis Tek, closed its doors in February due to insufficient funding and all other prospects for cash exhausted. Their 200 employees received their layoff letters on a Friday morning, with the notice going into effect that same day. XPER developed upgraded lighting, bulletproof windows and armoring for military-grade vehicles. Despite $2 million from the Small Business Association’s Payroll Protection Plan in 2021, a $229 million U.S. Army contract in October 2020, and employees dedicated to the mission, XPER had to shutdown.

XPER

XPER, formerly Ibis Tek, closed its doors in February due to insufficient funding and all other prospects for cash exhausted. Their 200 employees received their layoff letters on a Friday morning, with the notice going into effect that same day. XPER developed upgraded lighting, bulletproof windows and armoring for military-grade vehicles. Despite $2 million from the Small Business Association’s Payroll Protection Plan in 2021, a $229 million U.S. Army contract in October 2020, and employees dedicated to the mission, XPER had to shutdown.

Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry

Davidson Logistics	Bridgeton-based Davidson Logistics, LLC plans to expand its footprint in the St. Louis logistics field. In the process, the company will create as many as 200 new jobs and hundreds of thousands of square feet of new and remodeled warehouse and office space. Davidson Logistics has already started remodeling a former pharmaceutical manufacturing complex into a new, state-of-the-art warehouse. The second phase of work, building a new regional logistics center, is planned within the next three years. The new facilities are all located in the city of Bridgeton. Phase two of its expansion includes building a state-of-the-art logistics center next to the company’s existing one-million square foot facility. The center is estimated to cost $30 to $40 million to complete. When finished, the new building will be close to 500,000 square feet in size and employ an estimated 100 to 150 new employees (joining the other three hundred workers at the existing Bridgeton location). Davidson Logistics specializes in the aerospace industry and counts as one of its largest customers, Boeing, which has numerous manufacturing plants and offices in metro St. Louis. Other customers include General Electric, General Motors, and numerous other companies.

Davidson Logistics

Bridgeton-based Davidson Logistics, LLC plans to expand its footprint in the St. Louis logistics field. In the process, the company will create as many as 200 new jobs and hundreds of thousands of square feet of new and remodeled warehouse and office space. Davidson Logistics has already started remodeling a former pharmaceutical manufacturing complex into a new, state-of-the-art warehouse. The second phase of work, building a new regional logistics center, is planned within the next three years. The new facilities are all located in the city of Bridgeton.

Phase two of its expansion includes building a state-of-the-art logistics center next to the company’s existing one-million square foot facility. The center is estimated to cost $30 to $40 million to complete. When finished, the new building will be close to 500,000 square feet in size and employ an estimated 100 to 150 new employees (joining the other three hundred workers at the existing Bridgeton location).

Davidson Logistics specializes in the aerospace industry and counts as one of its largest customers, Boeing, which has numerous manufacturing plants and offices in metro St. Louis. Other customers include General Electric, General Motors, and numerous other companies.

Cleared Employer at Work: General Dynamics Mission Systems

At General Dynamics Mission Systems, you will experience a variety of career opportunities and contribute to the defense of our nation. Explore opportunities.

Opportunity to Watch

The DoD finds competition in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to be a key strategy in keeping the nation secure. Following the July 2021 Executive Order 14036 on promoting competition in the American economy, the DoD released it’s own report on the DIB.

“The Department is renewing its efforts to ensure we can meet the challenges now and into the future. A vibrant, competitive and diverse defense industrial base will be critical to our success,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks. “As DoD works to innovate, bring new technologies into our supplier base, and develop the workforce of the future, American small businesses and our U.S. industrial base must expand not only to improve resiliency, but to ensure we are able to meet the needs of our warfighters for tomorrow’s high-tech challenges.”

The report made five recommendations: