The Problem
The client needed a DoD/IC Principal Space Systems Engineer, an actively cleared technical leader who could step into a national-security satellite program from day one. It’s one of the hardest profiles in aerospace to source: the clearance, the program depth, and the seniority rarely sit in one person, and the people who have all three are employed, passive, and courted constantly.
Cleared search is its own discipline. The talent pool is small, almost entirely passive, and legally constrained in how it can move, and the role sits behind clearance requirements most recruiters can’t speak to fluently. The client also needed to move far faster than a traditional cleared search cycle, without lowering the bar, while getting clearance nuance (TS versus TS/SCI, SSBI, polygraph, and SCI-eligibility) represented accurately rather than guessed at.
What ALAC Did
ALAC ran a targeted, research-first cleared search, reaching passive senior talent beyond the job boards and delivering each candidate fully worked up and clearance-verified.
Calibration
ALAC scoped the cleared profile directly with the CEO and VP of Engineering, locking the must-haves: clearance level, program depth, and leadership.
Omnichannel sourcing
ALAC reached passive cleared talent beyond LinkedIn using a targeted recruiting video and a candidate-facing opportunity brief, built to pull senior cleared engineers who ignore standard outreach.
Cleared vetting
ALAC confirmed clearance level and eligibility and screened for genuine DoD/IC program experience before submitting a single candidate.
Structured submissions
ALAC delivered each candidate with a full brief: background, key accomplishments, honest weaknesses, compensation, clearance, availability, and fit.
Interview coordination
ALAC managed scheduling and logistics with the client’s executive team and moved a finalist to a 90-minute onsite with the CEO and VP of Engineering.
By the Numbers
TS/SCI
Clearance depth sourced, including SSBI and polygraph
2
Cleared candidates submitted, days apart
~72 hrs
Role open to first cleared submission
CEO + VP
Level of the onsite interview secured
The Result
ALAC sourced and submitted two cleared candidates within a single week, both carrying Tier-1 prime pedigrees and direct national-security space mission experience. One candidate advanced to a 90-minute onsite interview with the client’s CEO and VP of Engineering, with early feedback that the candidate made a strong impression.
Both candidates arrived pre-qualified on clearance and DoD/IC program depth, not just job titles: structured briefs covered background, accomplishments, honest weaknesses, compensation, clearance status, and fit before either candidate reached the client.
Hiring a Similar Role?
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The Strategic Impact
For a scaling, mission-driven space company competing with the primes for the same rare pool of cleared talent, speed is the differentiator. Getting two qualified, pre-vetted cleared candidates in front of a CEO and VP within a week (instead of the months a traditional cleared search cycle usually takes) gave the client real, vetted options for a seat that most firms can’t source at all.
Built for Clearance Literacy, Not Guesswork
Cleared recruiting rewards firms that actually understand the clearance landscape. Here’s what that looked like in practice.
Clearance nuance represented accurately
TS versus TS/SCI, SSBI, polygraph, and SCI-eligibility were represented accurately for each candidate, not guessed at or glossed over.
Structured briefs, not just resumes
Every submission included honest weaknesses alongside strengths, compensation expectations, and clearance status, so the client could evaluate real fit before ever picking up the phone.
Speed without lowering the bar
Two cleared, program-literate candidates reached the client within a week of scoping the role, without skipping clearance or program-depth screening.
Have a Role That Has Defied Every Other Search?
Book a call and ALAC will tell you within 24 hours whether the search fits our network and delivery model.