Military spouses face unique career challenges. Moving every three years, sometimes sooner, can make career advancement feel like an impossible feat. For the past decade, military spouses have been plagued by an unwavering unemployment rate of 22%, one of the highest unemployed demographics in the U.S.

Nearly one in five of our employees are veterans. So, we get it. We've been there. We understand the obstacles of military life and we've built a dedicated team of professionals and support hiring programs to ensure success.

In late 2022, Melissa connected to Lockheed Martin recruiters at a Hiring Our Heroes job fair and was hired as a User Experience Designer. She helps internal teams design and develop technology faster by creating a consistent user experience across the enterprise. 

Recently, Melissa's husband got orders to report overseas. 

“My husband was still on deployment when he received word that we’d be moving to Germany from the U.S.,” she says. “With orders finalized, I felt anxious, but it was time to have the tough conversation with my manager about my future at Lockheed Martin.  That's when I learned my manager’s last assignment in the military was Germany, so I felt relieved knowing he understood the barriers to my situation and could empathize with what I was experiencing.”

While there naturally have been a few bumps in the road moving a career (and equipment!) overseas, the flexibility of Melissa’s leadership and her team made it possible for Melissa to stay on. Melissa was able to maintain her career at Lockheed Martin and recently joined her husband in Germany ready for their new assignment.

“There are many military spouses like me that are highly qualified and ready to serve the mission. We are able to contribute, despite the disruptions of a military PCS,” she says. “Having a company like Lockheed Martin support our service, while allowing us to serve the mission of the organization and continue our career goals, is a dream come true.”