Fairfax County-headquartered Peraton is at the forefront of providing mission driven career opportunities.
“Everyone at Peraton believes in the importance of our customers’ missions,” said Matt McQueen, chief communications and engagement officer at Peraton. “Why do work that isn’t worth looking back on one day? Your career should be something of consequence. Impact the world.”
Formed in 2017, Peraton’s service areas include space, intelligence, cyber, defense, homeland security, citizen security, and health. Peraton’s name is a construct of the prefix per, which means thoroughly, and the word imperative, reflecting the importance of its customers’ missions.
“Peraton is a next-generation national security company. We handle missions that matter, what we call missions of consequence,” said Rebecca McHale, Peraton’s chief human resources officer. “We cover all domains: land, air, space, digital, with all sorts of exciting and interesting missions.”
Peraton opened its new national and regional headquarters in Reston Town Center in October 2022. It houses Peraton’s corporate leadership, along with key leaders from across the company’s five business sectors.
“This office is 99,000 square feet and it provides a central hub for our employees in the area. It gives us space for town halls, media events, collaboration, and a place for us all to come together, innovate, collaborate, and deliver for our customers,” she added.
Additionally, it is the base for Peraton’s Innovation Center where Peraton employees develop and apply cutting edge capabilities to support solutions that address customers’ most unique and complex challenges. The Center provides both physical and virtual working environments and access to the vast network of Peraton Labs’ Research and Innovation Centers.
After establishing its first headquarters in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County in 2017, Peraton’s decision to relocate its headquarters to another area of Fairfax County was based on several factors, according to McHale.
“Reston was certainly central to where a lot of our employees are,” McHale explained. “But, in addition, there was just an energy around the community here that really matches well with the innovative environment that we’re trying to create, both for our employees as well as our visitors and customers.”
Fairfax County is a choice location for Peraton’s headquarters, McHale emphasized.
“The business ecosystem here is unmatched,” McHale said. “We have leading universities and colleges nearby, government customers, and industry partners — all within a 30-mile radius. Plus, we are sandwiched between two airports: Reagan National and Washington Dulles International. It’s an excellent location for us all to gather and collaborate.”
With more than 150 offices across the U.S., Peraton is a national security powerhouse. The company is fueled by more than 18,000 global employees – 7,000 of which are located in the D.C. area, including 1,900 in Reston – and growing.
Peraton has been recognized as an employer of choice by Forbes America, Newsweek, and Washington Business Journal, to name a few, and is currently hiring for its Reston location. Opportunities are available for Military and Veterans; Experienced Professionals; and Students and Early Career applicants, including Internship and Co-op Program that provide a mission-critical experience.
Military and Veterans: Core Keystone at Peraton
One of the company’s core values is to honor those who have served. More than 20 percent of Peraton’s workforce is made up of veterans and reservists, which is high according to industry standards but integral to the company’s culture. Peraton actively participates in community events, sponsors employee initiatives, and champion business practices to support its veterans and their families. In partnership with DoD SkillBridge, Peraton provides a corporate internship program designed for transitioning military members to gain real-world experience.
“Hiring veterans is one of our core keystones to the company. We have over 3,000 employees who have been able to continue the same sense of purpose from their military service here at Peraton,” McHale explained. “We have organizations such as our VALOR employee resource group, which is focused on how we continue to support and provide resources for our veteran community.”
Official military and veteran focused partners of Peraton include: AFCEA; Association of the United States Army (AUSA); Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR); Military Spouse Employment Program (MSEP); Team Red, White & Blue; Virginia Values Veterans V3 program; and America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP).
Peraton has also been named a veteran-friendly employer by organizations including the Military Times, U.S. Veteran Magazines, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Virginia Values Veterans, and the National Veteran Small Business Coalition.
View Peraton’s list of upcoming Military Transition events
Innovation at Work in Human Resources
With its expansive workforce, including remote and hybrid workers, Peraton’s human resources department utilizes data-driven, innovative processes to monitor employee engagement and track the recruitment process, according to McHale.
“Just a few years ago, we went from 3,500 people to over 18,000 in a very short period of time. That required us to constantly check in with our employees via engagement surveys and pulse checks to see how they were doing,” McHale explained. “We then took that feedback and worked it into our processes and the way we engage with our people. As a result, we have done a lot of new and innovative things using technology to better match people with the right jobs for them.”
Peraton’s hiring process was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article about utilizing an AI-resume review tool. At Peraton, high-value job openings can now draw about 1,200 applicants in 24 hours. About two years ago, the company began using a tool that identified potential job candidates – both internal and external – who might be a good fit for open positions.
Once onboarded, working at Peraton gives employees the opportunity to grow their careers while contributing to the innovative missions of the company.
“Our team is made of some of the best talent in the government, academia, and industry. Working at Peraton connects you with top experts who care more about the mission than anything else,” said Laila Salguero, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Peraton. “With our team, you’ll grow your career by making a real impact on the world alongside others who share the same goal. Together, we’ll work at the forefront of our customers’ missions of consequence in space, intelligence, cyber, defense, homeland security, citizen security, and health.”
“I’ve been in the technology and cybersecurity field for a long time and, I have to say, I’m incredibly proud of the work that Peraton does,” McHale said. “We have an incredible in-house research and development organization that’s constantly looking at ways to tackle some of the most critical challenges facing our customers – from secure hybrid solutions to putting humans on the moon.”
“Another thing that is truly special about Peraton is the accessibility of our leadership,” McHale added. “Any employee can put forward an idea, and that may be chosen as the best idea. The dedication that our employees have to the customer missions is palpable across the entire company, and it’s an exciting place to work!”
And this all goes back to the mission at Peraton.
“If you’re looking for a role where you can use your skills to make a real impact on the security and safety of people around the world, then you’ve come to the right place,” said Alison Paris, senior vice president of talent acquisition at Peraton. “Don’t settle for a career that doesn’t inspire you. Be part of something bigger where you can make your mark.”
