Northrop Grumman finds diverse new talent to help fill its digital skills gap

Like many organisations operating in complex technology environments, Northrop Grumman UK (NGUK) faced growing pressure to access digital talent amid persistent skills shortages.

To address this challenge, NGUK’s HR team began evolving its recruitment approach — moving beyond traditional reliance on prior experience and focusing instead on aptitude, behaviours and future potential.

In partnership with WithYouWithMe (WYWM), NGUK adopted a skills-based hiring model designed to assess for potential within untapped talent pools. This approach enabled the organisation to identify individuals from diverse backgrounds who may not have followed conventional technology career paths but demonstrated the capability to succeed with targeted training and structured deployment.

We are passionate about attracting the broadest possible range of people and encouraging diversity of thought, experience and background to help solve our customer’s toughest challenges across space, air, land, sea and cyber globally.

The technology and digital skills divide is one that we are bridging as its key to our mission to secure the UK and our allies’ defence.

Northrop Grumman recognises the value of diversity and works hard to ensure that all our people can bring their full selves to work and so make the most of their skills and experience to build exciting and rewarding careers in technology and innovation.

Nick Chaffey
Chief Executive, Northrop Grumman UK
Europe and Middle East

In partnering with WYWM, Northrop Grumman is seeking talent that will support its cyber and intelligence business within the UK’s National Security Solutions division. Using Greenbeam, ten individuals were identified from WYWM’s diverse talent pool that could fill in demand roles. As an AI-powered solution, Greenbeam uses scientifically-based psychometric testing to identify candidates with the aptitude to thrive in tech-based roles, and provides them with certified training to make them rapidly proficient and job-ready.

Given the nature of Northrop Grumman’s business and its highly advanced technical offerings to its customers, the quality of talent delivered to Northrop Grumman by WYWM is of paramount importance.

In August 2022, WithYouWithMe deployed its first members of the ‘squad’ of ten to the cyber and intelligence business, NGUK’s biggest business unit. Roles include business analysts, as well as software and Java developers, based in both London and Manchester.

The squad’s backgrounds are broad and varied, from a former police officer with a disability to a neurodivergent military veteran.

As Sophie Ball, Head of Talent at Northrop Grumman in the UK, said: “I am genuinely excited for the diversity of thought these squad members will bring. Beyond having impressive tech skills in some of our highest-demand positions, they also have such different life experiences and have encountered different scenarios that they can bring fresh and new approaches. The fact that they are dispersed across more than one location within the business will also be beneficial.”

Tech skills are in high demand and this won’t change.

We know there are untapped pools of skill, knowledge and potential in the UK.

We want to uncover and develop that hidden talent by breaking down biases and barriers. Partnering with a company like WithYouWithMe has given us the opportunity to meet great new people and bring them into our team, offering them a new rewarding career path, which may not have been obvious to them before.

Working in the world of defence and security we can’t always talk about the work we do but it is critical and inspiring.

Rishi Badiani
Engineering Authority, Northrop Grumman