Unmanned undersea vehicles don’t build themselves. Neither do the specialized teams that engineer them to exacting specs.
It is one thing to recruit an electrician with the technical chops to wire a subsea vehicle. It’s another to assemble a whole team — designers, engineers, electricians, assembly techs and cyber specialists — and get them delivering mission-ready hardware on deadline.
At HII Mission Technologies, that balancing act falls to Vice President of Talent Acquisition and HR Shared Services Nicole Goldman. Goldman runs talent acquisition for one of the largest defense technology firms in the country. Her assignment spans every area the company touches — from autonomous sea drones and AI tools to electronic warfare systems, cyber capabilities, sensors, communication systems, surveillance devices and more.
“These are highly specialized areas where only a small number of companies can operate at scale,” Goldman said. “My teams ensure we have the right talent in place to execute on those missions. It starts with understanding what the organization is trying to accomplish and aligning our workforce strategy to those needs.”
But Goldman didn’t start out connecting her early recruiting work to mission impact. The discovery came through an early-career move in which she advocated strongly for a candidate despite some initial challenges.
“That individual later helped develop a capability that allowed warfighters to gain critical standoff distance during a conflict in the Middle East,” Goldman said. “It was a defining moment. It showed me that talent acquisition isn’t just about hiring — it directly affects mission outcomes.”
An ‘Aha’ Moment
Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, Goldman understood early that defense contracting mattered to the region’s economy and national security. Fresh out of college with a psychology degree in the early 1990s, she interviewed for several roles. She struggled to find one that fit. Somewhere along the way, she realized she identified more with the recruiters than the opportunities they were pitching.
“That was the moment I knew talent acquisition was my calling,” she said. “I’ve spent my career supporting defense, intelligence and government organizations and I’ve always been motivated by the mission.”
Her first job was commission-based, pre-internet, and required her to work from phone books. But she was hungry to learn. Slowly, she began piecing together how building systems, processes and teams at scale could make the difference in whether a business succeeded or not.
She took on increasingly senior roles at large companies, moving through talent acquisition, HR, operations and business strategy. Each role showed her something new.
“Early in my career, urgency and demand drove my days,” she explained. “Later, in recruiting operations and HR, I saw how broader business strategy influences workforce needs. I completed a three-year HR rotation at Northrop Grumman that helped me understand how talent, organizational design and business development intersect.”
That shift in perspective positioned her to eventually lead an entire sector at a major player in the government contracting market. Talent, she realized, was a competitive advantage. Later, she would navigate complicated awards processes, hone her skills in policy, governance and organizational design, and continue learning firsthand the value of an organization’s culture.
Strategy at Scale
In 2019, Goldman took an HR job that opened at HII Mission Technologies. Three years later, she found herself inside a major transformation.
She began as senior director of talent acquisition. But she quickly slid into roles and circumstances where she brought her talent strategy experience to the mission. When Alion Science and Technology was acquired in 2022, Mission Technologies doubled in size and sent the HR team into some of its most significant work to date.
Goldman was tasked with leading the talent acquisition team that integrated more than 3,500 new employees across two organizations — weaving different systems, processes, job structures and cultures into one seamless organization.
“It was a significant undertaking, and the team earned a 2023 Impact Award for that work,” Goldman said. “It reinforced how critical organizational strategy is during periods of growth and transformation.”
Today, Goldman said she is focused on building processes that won’t break when an organization suddenly doubles.
The repeatable, scalable systems she built and continues to strengthen now are designed to support growth while ensuring recruiters and leaders understand exactly what Mission Technologies does and why.
Culture is also key. Goldman said she is focused on ensuring Mission Technologies provides an environment where employees feel valued, supported and connected to the work they do.
“Talent acquisition is a strategic business function, and it’s essential to delivering on our commitments to customers and the country,” she said.
Looking Ahead
Goldman is enthusiastic about her work because it is key to her broader passion to support the national defense mission by aligning talent strategy with mission capability.
“I don’t come from a military family, but I believe deeply in providing offense and defense to this country,” she said. “Not every day is easy, but I love what I do. I love the opportunity to continually learn, solve problems and help build teams that make a real impact.”