AFLCMC is having a public, one-day hiring event March 22 in Fairborn. The 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. event is open to the public at the Holiday Inn, 2800 Presidential Drive.
AFLCMC is a national organization with nine major locations across the U.S. Wright-Patterson is the largest of those locations.
In total, across the nation, AFLCMC looks to hire some 2,300 people this year.
And AFLCMC has an 8 to 10% attrition rate normally, so the center always needs good employees and candidates. In any given year, the center is nearly always looking for close to 1,000 good candidates, Leingang said.
“We’re always going to have opportunity,” he told the Dayton Daily News.
In 2019, then-88th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Tom Sherman said about half of people who work at Wright-Patt are within “the autumn and winter of their careers.” At the time, that amounted to around 15,000 of the base’s then-30,000 employees.
That immediate pressing need did not materialize that way, Leingang said Wednesday. While many Wright-Patterson workers are able to retire at 57 or 58 years of age, he said the base is seeing some stay into their early 60s.
“We really haven’t experienced that cliff, if you will,” he said. “But it is certainly something that we watch.”
Nevertheless, in fiscal year 2022, the center experienced higher than normal losses, Leingang added. He said the pandemic may have played a role that year.
Job candidates who want to participate in the March 22 career fair are encouraged to download their resumes https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/CAREERS/aflcmc-hiring/
The Life Cycle Management Center is one of six centers reporting to Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson. The center is responsible for life cycle management of all Air Force weapon systems from their inception to retirement.
Like AFMC, AFLCMC is based at Wright-Patterson, home to some 35,000 military and civilian employees.
Starting salaries for entry-level positions are $50,000 to $90,000 a year, AFLCMC says. Mid-level positions can bring $90,000 to $135,000 a year. Senior-level employees and technical specialists can earn up to $185,000.
“When we try to compete in the market place for talent, we’re trying to compensate folks, and that’s one piece of the equation,” Leingang said of annual pay.
Employees also have pensions, 401K retirement accounts, federal holidays, top health and life insurance benefits and more, Leingang said.
Even with low national unemployment, these kinds of jobs attract plenty of interest. At a recent AFLCMC hiring event in Georgia, some 4,300 people registered to participate.
Leingang called that level of interest. “Incredible.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, said Wednesday he understands that a substantial number of Wright-Patterson workers are and will be eligible to retire.
“That means if you’re a high school student in the Dayton region, if you go to college and you have a science and engineering degree, you will be able to get a job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,” he said. “It’s a great economic opportunity for the community.”
He added: “Our goal will be to keep all of those retirees here as they retire.”
The greatest numbers of openings at Wright-Patterson are in engineering fields at the moment. There are needs as well in financial management, program management, contracting, human resources, cyber operations and more.
But there are also open positions tied to the 88th Air Base Wing — which operates under AFLCMC — in child care work, grounds maintenance, equipment maintenance and other fields. The wing will have a presence at the March 22 event.
“If folks are thinking, ‘Oh, I need a college degree for one of the LCMC positions,’ I just wanted to make it clear that there are other positions specifically with the 88th Air Base Wing that ... we are looking to fill as well that don’t necessarily require a college degree,” Leingang said.
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