Security clearance jobs have gotten complicated with all the advice flying around about how much they’re “worth.” As someone who has helped hundreds of transitioning service members leverage their clearances, I learned everything there is to know about turning that government investment into civilian paychecks. Today, I will share it all with you.
What Your Clearance Level Actually Means for Pay
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. The salary difference between clearance levels is real, but it’s not as simple as “higher clearance equals more money.” Location, role, and industry matter too.
Confidential Clearance
Confidential is the lowest level. Access to stuff that could “cause damage to national security” if released. Salary bump: modest, maybe 5-10% over non-cleared positions in the same role. Still worth mentioning on your resume because many employers want someone already in the system rather than waiting for a new investigation.
Secret Clearance
Most military members have at least this. Gets you access to information that could cause “serious damage” if disclosed. Civilian market pays 10-20% more for Secret-cleared candidates in comparable positions. Pretty common among veterans, but still valuable because civilian employers know the investigation takes months and costs thousands of dollars.
Top Secret Clearance
Now we’re talking real money. TS means access to “exceptionally grave damage” territory. Takes longer to get, costs the government more (think $15,000+ for the investigation alone). Salary premium: 20-35% above comparable roles. Employers know what they’re getting and what it would cost them to sponsor someone new.
Top Secret with SCI Access
That’s what makes TS/SCI endearing to defense contractors — it’s not technically a clearance level, it’s an additional authorization for specific intelligence programs. Sensitive Compartmented Information access requires additional vetting beyond the standard TS investigation. Much harder to get, much more valuable to employers. Salary premiums often hit 40% or more above non-cleared roles.
Special Access Programs
SAP access is the rare stuff. Even more restrictive need-to-know requirements for specific programs. If you have this, you already know what it means and how sensitive it is. Salaries can run 50%+ above comparable positions without SAP access. Don’t list specific programs on your resume – ever.
Your Clearance Has an Expiration Date
This is where people mess up their job search. Your clearance doesn’t disappear the day you separate, but it’s not forever either. Plan around this or you’ll lose one of your biggest assets.
How Long You Have
Secret clearances stay current for 10 years from your last investigation. Top Secret requires reinvestigation every 5 years. When you leave the military, the clock is running. Your clearance status shifts from “active” to “current” – you still have it, but you’re not actively using it for government work.
Continuous Evaluation
The government moved to continuous monitoring for many clearance holders, replacing periodic reinvestigations with ongoing background checks. This actually helps veterans because your clearance stays more verifiable even after separation.
Keeping It Active
Find a cleared position before your access lapses – that’s the key. Cleared employers can sponsor your clearance to keep it active by bringing you onto their contract. Wait too long without being sponsored and you’re starting over with a new investigation, which means months of waiting and an employer who has to foot the bill. Don’t let that happen if you can avoid it.
Where the Cleared Jobs Actually Are
Defense contractors are obvious. But cleared positions exist across more sectors than most veterans realize. The market is bigger than you think.
Big Defense Contractors
Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing, SAIC, Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton – they employ hundreds of thousands of cleared people. Engineering, IT, project management, logistics, admin roles, analyst positions, technical writing, cybersecurity. If it exists as a job, they probably have a cleared version of it somewhere.
Intelligence Community Contractors
Companies supporting CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA, and other three-letter agencies want TS/SCI holders for analysis, cybersecurity, linguistics, technical operations, and collection roles. These jobs often don’t appear on normal job boards – you need to know where to look or who to know.
Civilian Federal Agencies
Department of Energy has massive cleared work around nuclear programs. State Department needs cleared personnel for security and technical roles. Homeland Security, FBI, and others all need cleared contractors and direct hires. Don’t assume it’s all DoD.
Tech Companies
AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Oracle, Palantir all have government contracting divisions that require cleared personnel. Cloud computing, cybersecurity, software development, DevOps roles for cleared candidates. Growing fast as government moves more workloads to commercial cloud providers.
What Cleared Positions Actually Pay
Real numbers, because that’s what you need to know for your negotiation. These are national averages – DC metro area typically pays 15-25% above these figures.
Entry-Level Cleared Positions
Secret clearance entry jobs: $50,000-$70,000 nationally (vs $40,000-$55,000 for similar non-cleared roles). TS/SCI entry positions: $65,000-$85,000. In DC, Northern Virginia, or San Diego, add 20%+ to these numbers.
Mid-Career Cleared Positions
Secret clearance mid-level professionals: $75,000-$100,000. TS/SCI at same experience level: $90,000-$130,000. Technical specialties like cybersecurity, software engineering, and systems engineering can exceed these significantly, sometimes by $20,000-$40,000.
Senior-Level Cleared Positions
Senior cleared professionals with in-demand skills regularly break $150,000. Program managers, senior engineers, senior analysts, and cyber specialists with TS/SCI can reach $180,000-$200,000+ in major markets. Some niche technical roles with SAP access go higher.
Where to Find Cleared Jobs
Not all job boards are equal when it comes to cleared positions. Here’s where the real opportunities are posted.
ClearanceJobs.com
The primary site for cleared positions. Requires verification of your clearance level to apply. Most serious cleared employers post here because they know the candidates are already verified. Worth the premium membership if you’re seriously job hunting.
Company Career Pages
Major defense contractors post positions directly on their career sites. Bookmark the careers pages for Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, SAIC, Leidos, General Dynamics, Booz Allen Hamilton, ManTech, CACI, and others in your field. Set up job alerts for your specialty.
USAJobs.gov
Federal direct-hire positions. Many require existing clearances. Veterans’ preference applies and can make a real difference. Federal jobs move slowly but offer stability and benefits.
Intelligence Community
CIA, NSA, NGA, DIA and other agencies post some positions on their own career sites (intelligencecareers.gov for example). Others are never publicly posted and require networking or internal referrals.
Resume Tips for Cleared Positions
Your clearance is valuable. Make sure it’s visible and verifiable without compromising security.
- List your clearance level clearly at the top of your resume (under your contact info)
- Include the date of your last investigation if you know it
- Note if you’re currently active (still sponsored) vs. having current but inactive access
- Never list specific programs, compartments, or codewords (security violation)
- Translate military experience – acronyms and jargon kill applications with civilian HR
- Quantify accomplishments where possible without revealing classified information
The Bottom Line
Your security clearance is an asset that cost the government significant time and money to grant. Don’t let it lapse because you didn’t plan your job search around its expiration timeline. Target cleared positions before you separate, keep your access active by getting sponsored quickly, and negotiate salaries that reflect the premium your clearance commands in the market. The salary differential is real – make sure you’re capturing it.
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