top of page
Search

Hiring Cleared Talent: Why Your Timeline Starts Before the Job Posting

Writer: Nick Ingaciola
Nick Ingaciola
Oct 3
3 min read

Updated: Oct 10

For most technical roles, the hardest part of hiring is finding the right person. For cleared defense roles, the wait often starts after you've found them.

A strong candidate can interview well, accept your offer and still not be able to start, because the clearance the job needs hasn't been granted yet. If that wait isn't in the plan, the program schedule absorbs it.

How long does a new clearance take?

The government publishes quarterly figures on clearance processing. In the latest end-to-end numbers, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, the fastest 90% of initial clearances took an average of 92 days for Secret and 205 days for Top Secret, from the start of the case to the final decision.

Those are the faster cases. The slowest 10% aren't included in the averages, and any individual case can take longer. Treat these numbers as a planning baseline, not a promise.

What each clearance level means for a start date

  • Secret: the most common level for defense contractor roles, and the shortest of the initial timelines.

  • Top Secret: a deeper investigation that, in the latest figures, takes more than twice as long as Secret.

  • TS/SCI: Top Secret eligibility plus access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. SCI access is a separate approval from the government customer, so it can add time after the Top Secret decision.

  • Polygraph: some programs also require a polygraph exam. It's scheduled separately and can push a start date out further.

Already cleared or clearable?

Hiring someone who already holds a current clearance at the right level is by far the fastest route. When a cleared person moves to a new employer at the same or a lower level, the government reports that these “transfer of trust” decisions within the Department of War take up to about two days.

Hiring someone who is clearable but not yet cleared widens your candidate pool, but you're signing up for the full investigation timeline. Many new hires can start classified work sooner on temporary (interim) eligibility, but it isn't guaranteed. Federal rules say it can't be granted if there's adverse information, it isn't available to non-U.S. citizens, and it normally lasts no more than a year.

A clearance that has lapsed isn't always a dead end. If the person's eligibility is still current and their last investigation is recent enough, it may be reinstated without starting over. Check early rather than assume either way.

Build clearance time into the plan

  • Set the clearance level before you post the role. Asking for TS/SCI when Secret will do shrinks the candidate pool and lengthens the wait.

  • For roles that need a new clearance, start the search earlier. Work back from the contract or program start date.

  • Make sure there's a real contract need. Federal rules don't allow contractors to request clearances just to build a bench of cleared staff.

  • Line up unclassified work a new hire can do while the clearance is processed.

  • Ask candidates early about their clearance level, its status and when their last investigation was.

How StaffRight helps

We place cleared, compliance-ready technical professionals with defense and national security programs across the United States. We interview every candidate, review their credentials and screen them before they reach your desk, so you can plan around where each person really stands.

Have a cleared role coming up? Submit a staffing request and tell us the clearance level you need. We'll follow up within one business day.

 
 
bottom of page