FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
The federal hiring process has a reputation. The Defense Logistics Agency is trying to change it.
DLA will host a Virtual Career Fair on Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT, offering job seekers a new way to explore civilian careers that support the nation’s military.
The event will connect prospective applicants with DLA hiring teams and provide insight into the wide range of roles that keep the agency’s global logistics mission moving. The fair is designed especially for current Department of War civilians, transitioning military members, military spouses, veterans and individuals with disabilities who are interested in continuing their service in a civilian capacity. Interested participants can register for the career fair.
Registered participants will join the event through Zoom, where they can meet recruiters, learn about DLA career pathways and ask questions about opportunities across the agency.
This year’s event also introduces a new technology designed to make that first connection easier.
This fall, DLA quietly rolled out a new recruitment platform, a candidate relationship management system designed to modernize how the agency connects with potential hires. The system allows candidates to share their resume, register for recruiting events and stay connected with the agency’s hiring teams. The platform functions as an early engagement tool that helps candidates express interest and learn about opportunities before completing the full federal application process.
At recruiting events such as the April career fair, candidates can quickly upload their resume using a smartphone, tablet or computer. No 20-page questionnaire. No immediate deep dive into federal forms. Just a handshake — digital, but intentional. Once submitted, the information enters DLA’s talent community. Recruiters can then share updates about future hiring opportunities, upcoming events and roles that align with a candidate’s experience.
We are actively seeking talented professionals across several mission‑critical fields, including logistics and supply chain management, contracting and acquisition, information technology and data analysis, public safety, and engineering.
USAJOBS remains the official platform for federal hiring. The new system complements that process by helping candidates connect with recruiters earlier and remain informed about opportunities as they arise.
For an agency that manages more than $40 billion in global logistics each year, attracting the right workforce is essential, said DLA Recruitment Program Analyst Tony Pounds. DLA civilians support the delivery of food, fuel, medical supplies, aviation parts and other critical resources that sustain the U.S. military around the world.
Programs like the virtual career fair help introduce job seekers to the people and mission behind that work.
Recruitment today looks very different than it did even a decade ago, Pounds explained. Private-sector companies use sophisticated systems to track candidate engagement and build pipelines before a vacancy ever opens. The event is part of DLA’s broader effort to strengthen its workforce and ensure the agency remains ready to meet evolving defense logistics challenges.
“DLA’s move suggests an acknowledgment that competing for talent requires meeting candidates where they are: on their phones, at events and in digital communities, not just on a static job board,” Pounds said.
In an era when defense readiness increasingly depends on data analysts as much as delivery trucks, attracting the next generation of civilian talent is not a peripheral task, Pounds said. It is central to the mission.
The message behind the rollout is straightforward: The agency that modernizes global supply chains is now modernizing how it finds the people who run them. For those curious about federal service, the door is no longer buried deep within a government website.
It’s one scan away.