Defense · S/08
Defense programs run on milestones, compliance, and cleared teams. We hunt the operators who have delivered against all three.
Why this sector
Defense contracting rewards a specific kind of operator: one who can read a contract modification at the same speed they read a P&L, who has lived through a DCAA audit, and who understands that program execution against milestones is the entire business model. Talon hunts across the full contractor stack — commercial subcontractors, mid-tier integrators, and prime contractor work — including cleared roles up to TS/SCI with Polygraph. We don't hold a facility clearance ourselves; we refer cleared candidates against the client's program and let the program office run the formal process.
What we look for
Defense is unforgiving about three things — clearance, compliance, and program delivery. We hunt for operators who have proven the first two and can scale the third.
Program managers with active clearance at the level the role requires (Secret, TS, TS/SCI, or TS/SCI w/ Polygraph) and prime-tier delivery scars.
Fluency with FAR / DFARS, CAS, and DCAA — the financial and contractual machinery of cost-reimbursable and IDIQ work.
Track record managing ITAR / EAR export-control regimes without burning a license or a customer.
Direct experience executing against CDRL deliverables, EVMS reporting, and government program milestones.
Comfort with the DoD / DOE acquisition cycle — RFI, RFP, source selection, post-award protests, and option exercises.
Ability to recruit and retain a cleared team in a market with multi-year clearance lead times.
Roles we commonly fill
Placeholder · awaiting client copy
Anonymous Case Study
{/* TODO: Gonzalo case study (D14 follow-up) — awaiting client copy for defense placement */} A mid-tier defense subcontractor had won its first prime award and could not staff a cleared program management bench fast enough to keep delivery on schedule.
We ran a confidential search across cleared program managers with prior prime-tier delivery experience, filtering against the specific clearance level and program-domain requirements.
Three of the four core program roles were filled inside the customer's stand-up window. The award stayed on milestone.
Tell us the program, the clearance level, and the gap. We'll hunt accordingly — confidential by default.
