Working inside a Department of Defense or NASA program looks nothing like working in the commercial sector, according to HX5 CEO Margarita Howard, who leans on her own military background when explaining why she prioritizes candidates with federal experience. Her Air Force service gave her early exposure to that distinction long before she reached the top of the company she now runs.
“Experience in their respective fields, while supporting these agencies’ respective programs and missions, is very different from experience gained from working in the commercial world,” Howard explains, adding that veterans tend to grasp this gap more naturally than those without government backgrounds of their own.
A Company Built Around That Distinction
HX5 operates in more than 20 states and over 70 government locations, backing Department of Defense and NASA missions across research and development, engineering, information technology, and mission operations. Roles at that scale frequently require security clearances and comfort navigating federal environments, both areas where military experience often provides a real advantage over other applicants.
Since 2021, the company has hosted eight fellows through the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program, sticking to two annually without exception. The fellowship itself, launched in 2015 as a Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative, has graduated more than 500 participants companywide with an 80 percent hire rate and average starting pay of about $70,000.
Howard’s own path included Air Force service followed by work on the Tricare military health program within the defense industry, giving her direct experience with the kind of government-facing work she now looks for in new hires at HX5. Margarita Howard’s hiring philosophy treats that federal fluency as a genuine asset rather than a box to check during interviews. For candidates without that background, the gap can take years of on-the-job exposure to close, which is part of why HX5 continues to prioritize applicants who arrive already fluent in how federal agencies operate. Refer to this article for additional information.
Learn more about Margarita Howard on https://www.finsmes.com/2026/01/margarita-howard-on-how-hx5s-defense-origins-launched-its-expansion-into-nasa-contracting.html
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