Background
Leidos is a science and technology solutions leader tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges across defence, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and healthcare industries.
Working on long-term public sector contracts brings unique demands. Leidos needed to scale their teams quickly to match the pace of their business programmes, but finding the right talent was far from straightforward. Candidates required not only strong technical expertise but also high-level SC and DV security clearances. Sourcing people who ticked both boxes, at speed, was proving extremely difficult.
Leidos partnered with La Fosse to solve this challenge and build a sustainable approach to talent acquisition.
The challenge
The combination of specialist technical skills and security clearance requirements created a significant bottleneck in Leidos’s ability to resource their programmes. Traditional reactive hiring simply could not keep pace with project timelines, and the unpredictability of talent availability was putting pressure on delivery schedules.
Leidos needed a partner who could think ahead, build pipelines of pre-qualified talent, and align training with programme start dates. They wanted to move from firefighting to forward planning.
The solution
We worked closely with Leidos to build a pipeline of talent who were pre-vetted for security clearance eligibility and trained in the specific skills their programmes required.
By mapping out roles and skillsets ahead of time, we aligned our Academy cohorts’ training schedules to coincide with programme kick-off dates. Beyond standard Academy training, we developed bespoke pre-onboarding programmes tailored to each role, ensuring Associates could hit the ground running from day one.
This proactive approach gave Leidos visibility and certainty over their incoming talent, removing the guesswork that often comes with outsourced training.
The results
Leidos now has fast access to talented people across a wide range of specialisms, from Systems and Engineering to Development, DevOps, and Testing. The tailored pipeline means they no longer need to be reactive when scaling their teams.
We have established clear career pathways with continuous development programmes, and Leidos has the option to make Academy Associates permanent at the end of their two-year placements. The senior team knows exactly what training their incoming talent has received and when they will be ready to start.
