RAF WYTON, England –
My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and diverse workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today we meet Timothy Giordano.
My name is Timothy Giordano, and this is “My DCMA.”
I am currently a technical lead with DCMA International as a part of the United Kingdom office.
My position is unique, compared to most lead positions in DCMA, in that I not only provide assistance to functional specialists’ specific tasks, but I also ensure we are executing cross functionally to our processes and procedures while aligning to the agency’s strategic goals. DCMA Europe has leveraged my position to fully embrace DCMA’s strategic plan.
We work to reform the agency's business practices by working smarter, not harder, as outlined in Goal 4 of the strategic plan by instituting a culture of collaboration, ensuring consistent execution of our processes and procedures, and spearheading a culture of change.
My current job entails that I take the lead on many multifunctional policies and processes like Non-Conforming Material, or NCM; Quality System Audit, or QSA; and Foreign Military Sales, or FMS. Many of these processes have a uniqueness to them due to the international environment. For example, when we perform QSAs, there may be policies or procedures that are in a foreign language. Another example may be dealing with FMS customers in which we cannot delegate surveillance to our partners in the respective ministries of defense.”
My technical experience began with the Marine Corps where I started my work as an electo-mechanical ordnance repair technician. After my enlistment, I transitioned to the civil service as an electronics technician with the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
I have been with DCMA for seven years. My journey with DCMA began shortly after I earned my bachelor’s degree in business administration and program management. I applied for a quality assurance specialist position with DCMA Raytheon Los Angeles. After 18 months, I was promoted to become a quality assurance lead. The key to that quick promotion was my ability to cross-train with each function, read and understand our policies, and find out how we impact getting the product to the warfighter. This gave me the understanding of how each position in DCMA is dependent upon one another and how essential cross-functional communication is to mission success. I continued to build upon my knowledge of each function and leveraged it to streamline processes, open communication, breakdown functional silos, and teach others on how we are interdependent upon one another.
After a year of being the lead, I was promoted to quality assurance supervisor. During those three years, I not only learned how to become a leader and a mentor, but I became involved in many of the new initiatives used to align the agency in the strategic plan such as the Business Capability Framework (contract maintenance), our Integrated Workload Management System, multi-functional policies, and the organization’s mentoring program.
Being a part of the evolving edge of DCMA allowed me, and in turn, my employees, the understanding of how our job flows back to DCMA’s mission and strategic plan. I found being a first-line supervisor one of the hardest jobs I’ve done in DCMA, but it was also the most rewarding. The thing I miss most is the direct connection with my employees, which I had the opportunity to mentor them and do everything possible to ensure they were successful in their career and life aspirations.
I have now been a part of DCMA International’s Europe office for over a year as a technical lead. After only being in a resident facility environment, I jumped at the opportunity to diversify my work experience, learn more about DCMA and have the ability to travel around the world.
DCMA International has been an incredible opportunity where I get to work with multiple countries and our partners in the respective ministries of defense and support programs like the Joint Strike Fighter with its international supply chain. Due to the competitiveness of international positions, this has provided me an opportunity to work with an exceptional group of functional specialists.
If employees want to be challenged, work in a high-paced environment, be empowered to make change, and like to immerse themselves in other cultures, then I would recommend DCMA International to those people.