The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is National Security / DHS Executive of the Year finalist Jim Moos, who’s Civil Group president at Leidos. Here, he talks key achievements, primary focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2020/2021?
Over the last two years, and in the midst of the pandemic, I have demonstrated the ability to lead my business areas to consistently outperform the market. I attribute this to three key achievements:
First, I spearheaded the $1 billion transaction to acquire the L3Harris Technologies’ security detection and automation business in May 2020. This acquisition created a comprehensive security detection portfolio for Leidos and significantly increased our presence internationally, now with operations in more than 100 countries.
Second, my team successfully converted opportunities into key wins across Leidos’ civil portfolio. This included awards such as the $4 billion Hanford Mission Essential Services Contract for the Department of Energy, the 20-year sole-source $7 billion En Route Automation Modernization contract for the Federal Aviation Administration, and the ~$400 million for delivery and integration of non-intrusive inspection systems for Customs and Border Protection.
Third, my team remained mission-ready and committed to delivering major milestones for our customers during a global pandemic. During the 2021 government fiscal year, our Antarctic Support Contract team successfully delivered over 2.5 million pounds of cargo and 1,400 personnel to support the Antarctic research stations.
The team worked diligently to meet customer expectations while managing international and programmatic COVID-19 protocols to ensure the National Science Foundation research operations remained on schedule.
Through our efforts, there have been no cases of COVID-19 on the continent. Our NASA End-User Services and Technologies contract deployed IT services and hardware to 60,000 end users across 18 sites in the U.S., Russia and the International Space Station. In order to continue to effectively serve our customers during the pandemic, the team established a drive-thru location where end users could receive the services and hardware they needed to do their jobs.
Perhaps the most impressive milestone was the deployment of the NII system in Brownsville, Texas — a pilot entrusted to Leidos by CBP and our first step toward establishing 100% cargo and vehicle screening at the southern border.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
Supporting and developing the next generation of leaders has always been a high priority for me. Throughout my career, I have championed efforts to invest in future leaders from one-on-one mentoring to creating larger leadership development opportunities.
One example is the Emerging Leaders program within Leidos’ Civil Group. The program, now in its fifth year, has equipped hundreds of our next-generation business leaders with the skills necessary to become successful division and operations managers.
This program is primarily focused on helping our business leaders learn how to be more strategically focused — a skill usually lacking in execution-focused project leaders. It also provides an opportunity for participants to expand their networks up to the CEO of Leidos. Ultimately, this program is geared toward ensuring that one day, these leaders will be ready and prepared to perform my job.
Having started my career in the U.S. Navy, I also put a special focus on supporting career development for veterans. I’m heavily involved as an executive sponsor for the Leidos’ Military Alliance Group to inspire other veterans across the company.
To that end, the Leidos MAG works with the American Corporate Partners each year to offer one-on-one mentorship to veterans and their spouses to aid in career coaching tailored to help our veterans meet their professional development goals. In 2020, we successfully paired 39 veterans, and in 2021 that number has grown to 50.
What’s the biggest professional risk you’ve ever taken?
Like all acquisitions, Leidos’ 2020 acquisition of L3Harris Technologies’ security detection and automation businesses came with uncertainties. As the executive leading this acquisition, I took a risk on this new area of business, but this $1 billion transaction proved pivotal for the company.
Leidos was already a leader in providing NII solutions for border security before this acquisition. Now, we have expanded our portfolio to include security detection technology solutions for aviation, ports, borders and critical infrastructure customers around the world.
We have more than 24,000 security detection and automation products deployed in more than 120 countries and territories. If fact, you have likely seen the Leidos brand at many airport security checkpoints across the U.S.
While greatly expanding our footprint, no one could have predicted the impact of COVID on the aviation industry and this business in particular. Our long-term outlook for the business and market is strong, but it will require Leidos to have the patience and perseverance to see through the impacts of the pandemic.
That being said, our strategy has always been about investing in the business and new technologies that will be ready when the market recovers.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
I go back to three core leadership tenets that my leadership team and I discuss often. First, it is imperative to always be a student of your role. Throughout my career, I have continually found opportunities to listen and learn from those around me. My advice is to always know your job better than your boss — that’s why they hired you!
Second, act to include and inspire. To be an effective leader, you must seek to be inclusive of diverse viewpoints and inspire your team to build a culture of success and collaboration, two things that I believe go hand in hand. Leadership is all about inspiration. I ask myself every day: “How can I inspire my team to accomplish things that others think are impossible?”
Finally, operate with drive and purpose. Every decision has an impact, so I encourage others to be thoughtful in their approach wherever they are in their careers and act with the end goal in mind. At the end of the day, our business is about producing results independent of the role you play, and I feel that following these leadership tenets will go a long way in achieving that outcome.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
Leidos’ Civil Group is focused on modernizing infrastructure, systems and security for both government and highly-regulated commercial customers. Specific to the national security space, I am committed to growing our support of customer missions’ that safeguard people and commerce. One area of continued emphasis is border security, and my team is poised to create ports of the future.
The Leidos NII system that is deployed in Brownsville, Texas, is the first step toward CBP automating its inspection process and attaining the desired goal of 100% cargo screening. Leidos’ innovative system provides a low-energy scan for the driver cab and higher penetrating X-ray dose for the container. The system is the first of its kind to be deployed at the nation’s land borders. Under this new concept, Leidos NII technology begins the screening process as a truck approaches the port of entry.
The system automatically pulls the driver’s immigration information and cargo manifest data. From our state-of-the-art command center, this information is combined into an integrated display that enables CPB officers to adjudicate the cargo/conveyance without the driver ever leaving the cab. The screening process is faster, enabling CBP to scan more trucks, thus protecting the nation’s borders while facilitating legitimate commerce.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
Within the Leidos Civil Group, I am most proud our many business development successes. We all know the civil domain is broad, but with a win rate of nearly 80% and $10 billion in awards over the last two years, it is clear that Leidos has an effective process that is well complemented by our talented team of industry experts.
Every week, I have the opportunity to see my capture teams come together, spark innovation, create differentiation and grow this business. With every win, and loss, we learn as a team how we can help our customers evolve their businesses and support their missions.