Got an email from my section lead this morning that 20 section leads (including mine) across the country were “eliminated” due to staffing issues and team performance as of 1/1 during a call today with managers and senior leadership. My section lead was one of the only reasons that I have stayed in this position for as long as I have. Unbelievable that CACI is doing this in the face of having won the new contract.
Wow I haven’t heard anything about that, that’s crazy!
I heard it as well. Crazy. I heard that Peraton just posted over 100 new openings. I’m heading over. They seem more organized.
We have a mandatory meeting with our SL tomorrow ….
Peraton is no better. Beware. They will tear you down.
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Our SL email made it sound like teams were being consolidated. There was zero mention of Section Leads being terminated.
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I thought the SLs were being pushed back into the field and teams were being consolidated. Makes sense as we have lost so many investigators and there were teams of 10 people. That being said, it sounds like they didn’t make the decisions geographically. I would kind of understand if they pushed a SL back into the field in an area were we have nobody….or if they pushed an SL back to the field that ran off half his/her team because they sucked….but it doesn’t look like they did it that way.
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I did not get any official announcement from my SL, but it was verbally put as a “temporary” change for the 20 SLs. I would classify it as a “demotion” - or, that SLs are useless and CACI has finally figured that out (not likely). No one let go - though I am sure that some of the SLs won’t like having to work in the field, so they might quit (which is what CACI wants).
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How demoralizing. Depending on where you are, a section lead is the heart of this job. Anyone above the section lead position is absolutely out of touch and clueless and are
drones in demanding more, more and more so the company profits and stays on top. The amount of pressure and expectations that is put on section leads is unreal. However, they hold no power whatsoever and are purely a middle man between the field and PMO and they take the brunt of the cockamamie coming from above. It was not always like this. This industry has turned to pure trash.
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Not to get in an argument, Discrepancies, but, I am not sure if you have the “sarcasm font” on for the first part of your post - “SLs are the heart and soul”. I am sorry - only Investigators are the heart and soul as we are in the field. You are correct in stating that SLs are just “middle management” that have no power, but that is by design. SLs (and above) state that we in the field can send a suggestion via email…Ha, ha. I guess they never saw the cartoons about suggestion boxes.
Yes, the industry is trash (started at USIS). It isonly about corporate profits and not national security.
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Well was told today my SL is going to be an FI to do clean up work . And I now have a new SL.
Let me clarify; my SL is one of the only reasons I have stuck around for as long as I have. He is truly a phenomenal manager and SL. The epitome of what a supervisor should be. That’s why I noted depending on where you are. To me, he’s the last straw holding together what is otherwise crumbling. SL’s did have more autonomy once upon a time. They are now just puppets. But one million percent yes, FI’s ARE what drive this industry. The expectations are absurd yet many keep giving, and giving. There are genuinely good folks that are FI’s with CACI and it’s unfair that they are treated so poorly. I’ve been doing this a long while now and I’ve watched the industry evolve, change and ultimately become destroyed. It is not what it once was and never will be. And that is a sad shame.
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I think it depends who your field manager is. I love mine and have been with Peraton for 10 years (started when they were KeyPoint).
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whereas I like the first one i had - for a whole two months. Then a different, never worked the field but lived in Loveland CO became our field manager and wiped out the 15 person, all experienced, investigator team in less than a year. I was the last one to jump - taking a huge pay cut to become a fed whereas most fled to CACI or one of the other contractors. KGS had to bring in newbies and outside transfers in attempt to backfill. To my knowledge, none of them lasted either.
Best choice i ever made - i’ve made up the lost income, better life/work balance, and much better treatment by my supervisors.
But, yes, your supervisor in this profession counts alot…
Agree with the fed agent. This isn’t the first time CACI has done this. They let go my SL a few years ago during a RIF. This is just a way of CACI of reducing costs by letting go the SL’s and asking the others left behind to carry more FI’s on their team.
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DCSA has been posting job openings so I’m thinking about it but the pay cut is very extreme. I’m talking more than $30,000 pay decrease. But we all know these contracting agencies are temporary, unstable. So with that said, the current pay is good for now but not for later.
If you don’t mind sharing, how long did it take you at DCSA to get back to what you were getting paid? (I believe DCSA starts at GG-7 which is approximately $50,000/year. Disheartening that they start tenured investigators at this rate! That’s college student pay!)
Your experience is similar to mine. I have been a contractor for 10 years now and make close to 100k a year now (level 6 salary plus quarterly bonuses + mileage). I was previously offered an investigator position with DCSA but it was around 50k. I was told it would take close another 10 years as a fed to make 100k. Needless to say, I passed on becoming a fed.
At about four years i made up the lost wages, but I also heavily invested in my TSP as a contractor (and now a fed) so i just put less into my TSP for three years. The life/work balance is much better, SACs leave you alone as long as you are producing, you can actually use your PTO when you want to include summer and holidays, and you will be earning a pension. You will also find a lot of “you have to do this because DCSA requires it” to be BS from the contracting companies.
I had offers to join the Feds before i finally jumped and now kick myself for waiting. The initial pay cut was worth it.
You might be able to join as a GS9 - you will have to pass a test and meet the GS9 standards but DCSA finally caved and are letting contractors come in at the next level. Sadly, the rules are supposed to let us join at the appropriate level we held as contractors but from what i was told - too many contractors came over at the higher level and just couldn’t do the work.
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Good to know! Yes I’ve heard the life balance as a fed is extremely worth the initial pay cut. And the reporting over there is minimal as it’s focused on adjudicative criteria vs having to report why the cell phone number is the same as the home number and how on earth did the Subject attend school while maintaining a job. Plus the job stability, can’t beat that! Contract rebid time is always so damn stressful and I’m over it.
Are you familiar with the highest investigator level expected metrics in WTPD?
For Feds or contractors?
The fed is approximately 23 (varies a little by area) and we allow admin and training time.
The focus report writing is how the ROIs are supposed to be written. This is another area where the contracting company execs try to “out do” the Feds on their own.