Careers & The DisABLED
Aug 19, 2024
Sharon Nicholl is the director of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) at Peraton, a national security and technology company.
“At any given time, we have a wide variety of roles available, such as engineers, data scientists, solution architects, testing specialists, designers, analysts, program managers, system administrators, finance planners and human resources specialists,” she notes.
These roles also include those in marketing and communications. She adds that most of the roles at Peraton require a bachelor’s degree, ideally in a STEM discipline, but those with degrees in other disciplines are still considered.
The company offers several spring, summer, and fall internship and co-op opportunities to college students. Regarding summer internships, Nicholl indicates that they’re 10 weeks in length and not rotational. “While we prefer rising juniors and seniors, underclassmen with strong academic performance could be considered,” she adds.
In addition to technical skills, Peraton seeks non-technical skills from prospective employees.
“They include strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to work both independently and with a team, and the ability to collaborate with others across different teams in the organization,” she elaborates, further noting that time-management, critical thinking, problem- solving, and organizational skills are also important.
Peraton provides onboarding to new hires to increase their knowledge of the company, its customers, and information technology (IT) logistics. Onboarding also includes compliance training. New hires are paired with a colleague who provides mentoring and who helps them adjust to the Peraton culture, build networks within the company, and answer routine questions.
Career progression is built into all roles through Peraton’s Career Compass, “which gives an entry-level hire who wishes to remain in the same department a list of roles and necessary skills to advance along that path. The compass also provides employees with guidance for how to move into adjacent roles, like software engineer to software developer, or a completely new department,” Nicholl explains.
“Training modules help employees progress to the next level of their career.”
For example, she indicates that “if hired as a software engineer, then the new hire would typically design, develop, integrate and test software to meet objectives for the program. The initial assignments are aligned to an entry-level skill set. As the individual learns the requirements and processes for the program, the level of difficulty with each assignment would begin to increase.”
Peraton offers its employees fully remote, fully on-site, or hybrid work schedules, depending on the programs and roles. Depending on the contract and on a case-by-case basis, some employees can receive relocation assistance to supplement the cost of moving. Other benefits include health and wellness programs, financial and insurance benefits, and a tuition assistance program.
As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, the company ensures that all groups protected by federal, state, or local laws, including individuals with disabilities (IWDs), are considered equally when hiring and promoting employees. It’s implemented a course on preventing workplace harassment, and, last year, created and launched a reasonable accommodation training course for managers that provides an overview of inclusive hiring and employment practices, and outlines Peraton’s reasonable accommodations process.
For IWDs who need an accommodation during the hiring process, Nicholl suggests contacting Peraton’s accommodations team (PAT) directly at accommodations@peraton.com. They can ask and inform the recruiter and/or hiring manager, who would then ask PAT to contact the individual and discuss the accommodation needed. Accommodations can include workplace modifications or changes to the job, how the job is done, or modifications or changes to the work environment.
“Examples include telework flexibility, additional break times, providing ergonomic equipment and assistive technology, and allowing service animals on site,” Nicholl concludes.
