The supply problem

There are roughly 1.3M people in the US with active TS/SCI clearance. About 70% are with their current employer for 3+ years. The active-job-seeking pool is small — maybe 5% of cleared talent at any given time.

Where to source

  1. Veteran transition programs. SkillBridge and DoD SkillBridge alumni networks are gold; they're cleared, ramping out of service, and actively looking.
  2. Contract end events. When a major contract awards or transitions, the losing-prime's staff is briefly looking. Watch SAM.gov for award announcements.
  3. Industry meetups. AFCEA, ACT-IAC, and AFA chapter events have higher cleared-density than any general tech meetup.
  4. Passive outreach. LinkedIn InMail with a specific opportunity, not a generic pitch. "Saw your AWS GovCloud post, we have a similar role at DHS, cleared, $145–$185" beats anything else.

Engagement etiquette

  • Don't ask about clearance level over public messaging. It's not classified info, but the convention is to discuss in private.
  • Respect the 1099/W2 distinction. Many cleared engineers explicitly want one or the other based on tax/benefits situation.
  • Be honest about location. Hybrid means hybrid. "Remote-friendly" with mandatory weekly on-site doesn't qualify.

The retention angle

The cheapest cleared hire is the one you don't lose. Cleared talent retention is 60% about the work, 40% about the team. Pay matters, but ranks third.