I applied for a subcontract administrator position in June and in August Blue Origin invited me to present a personal presentation prior to a virtual panel interview with five supply chain managers, including the hiring manager. Individual 30-minute sessions followed with each manager.
Prior to the panel interview, I completed a technical interview with the hiring manager to discuss my technical skills and work experience. The hiring manager had my resume to review.
My work experience encompasses US government procurement and subcontract administration experience in supply chain management at defense contractors. It has been in research and development, engineering design and development, with some production utilizing Oracle ERP and MRP.
The Blue Origin job description listed in the Qualifications section at the fourth bullet, “Must have understanding and knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).” After I completed my personal presentation, I learned from the hiring manager that the position was pure commercial subcontracting with no FAR required. That was quite a surprise to me since all my work experience in preparation for this panel interview involved compliance with FAR, public laws, Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR) activities, etc. The hiring manager also told me that his group does not use checklists to work and complete subcontracts. Imagine that in a FAR / CPSR environment.
The actual interviews with the supply chain managers were difficult since they did not operate under FAR requirements. Even more challenging was that all of them had engineering / technical backgrounds working in supply chain management positions, and purely commercial environment. This made answering their scripted behavior questions daunting as I have a business background, and experience in the FAR environment.
Things to be aware of during the panel interview:
1. Although Blue Origin human resources warn you to not discuss confidential or proprietary information during interviews, supply chain managers asked to discuss this type of information on two occasions. I informed each supply chain manager that I could not discuss this type of information.
2. Be sure to read the job description carefully and make notes prior to the initial technical interview with the hiring manager. Ask questions. I should have stressed that the work experience listed on my resume was solely US government under FAR guidelines, and not pure commercial only. The hiring manager should have realized that huge differences exist between working in a pure commercial subcontracting environment vis-à-vis one that has as its basis the FAR.