Ross Hecox doesn’t see people as a “function” to manage — he sees them as the core product of Synergy ECP.
As chief people officer, he’s shaping culture, strengthening talent pipelines and building leadership capacity to ensure employees are prepared to meet national security missions with strength and purpose. His work spans human resources, recruiting, employee development and retention, with a focus on aligning people strategy directly to business outcomes.
Below, Hecox reflects on how growing up in a national security household influenced his leadership philosophy, why psychological safety is central to his management style, and how Synergy ECP is positioning itself for growth in cyber, IT, software engineering and data-driven solutions.
Tell us about your role at Synergy ECP.
As Chief People Officer, I am responsible for shaping the future of the business through people. This includes leading human resources, talent acquisition, employee development, retention, and marketing initiatives, while driving programs that enhance leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. My focus is on building and cultivating a resilient culture that directly supports our clients’ national security missions. By aligning people strategy with business strategy, I ensure that our teams remain engaged and prepared to meet the evolving needs of our customers.
What do you consider your top priorities in this role?
My top priorities are balancing people-first leadership with mission-critical execution. It’s focusing on culture, development, and engagement, while building strong talent pipelines, ensuring compliance, and scaling our workforce effectively. At the core of this balance is an unwavering commitment to the human experience.
People are our primary product. Much like a Chief Product Officer evolves features to better serve customers, my role is about evolving the “features” of our people. Their skills, leadership capacity, and well-being, so they can consistently show up as the best versions of themselves. By investing in both our people and our processes, we ensure that Synergy ECP is positioned to meet our clients’ national security needs with strength, agility, and purpose.
What prepared you for this role?
I was born into the national security mission. Growing up in a household where conversations about the workday were absent because of the classified nature of my parents’ work, I gained a unique perspective on the personal challenges that national security professionals and their families face. That experience instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to support employees who work in environments (like SCIFs), where work-related stress often cannot be shared at home. This perspective has become a cornerstone of how I approach the people side of our business, and it is the part of my work I take most seriously.
Professionally, my journey began in recruiting. I started at a small boutique headhunting firm but quickly realized that work often felt transactional. I wanted my work to be more purposeful, which led me into corporate recruiting. There, I found more alignment, but I also saw firsthand how inconsistent leadership and uninspired management could negatively affect employees’ experiences.
Those observations motivated me to broaden my expertise beyond talent acquisition and deepen my knowledge across HR. Over time, I became committed to shaping not just how organizations hire, but how they develop leaders, create culture, and support the whole employee. That evolution, from seeing the national security mission up close, to understanding the realities of recruiting, to focusing on the broader employee experience, has prepared me to step into the Chief People Officer role with both perspective and purpose.
Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for Synergy ECP?
I see tremendous opportunity for expanding our presence across cyber, enterprise IT, software and systems engineering, and data-driven solutions. At the same time, we’re pursuing strategic partnerships and acquisitions that will expand our capabilities and accelerate our ability to meet customer missions. The future for Synergy ECP is about scaling with purpose, driving growth that creates meaningful impact for our clients, employees and the nation.
What’s something people might not know about you as a leader?
Something people might not know about me as a leader is how much I prioritize psychological safety in the workplace. Early in my career, I thought leadership meant always having the answers, possessing an executive presence, and commanding respect. Over time, I’ve learned that my greatest impact comes from leading with dignity and creating space for others to share their perspectives openly and honestly.
Some of the best examples of leadership I’ve seen didn’t come from the top, they came from employees who felt heard and empowered. For me, leadership is less about directing and more about enabling people to bring their best forward.