And i’m a defense machinist running 5-axis Inconel and titanium parts, active Secret since 2022, most work ITAR in a closed bay. For those who switched to shops with more classified builds, what kind of pay bump did you see and did your clearance transfer cleanly, including badging and indoctrination time?
Switched from general defense to a closed-area shop last year; got about 12% base bump plus a modest sign-on, and my ‘active Secret since 2022’ reciprocated in a week, but badging/indoctrination still took 3–4 weeks — classic hurry-up-and-wait. Ask them to run a DISS reciprocity check and submit the VAR before you give notice so your badge queue starts early. What city and is it a prime or a sub?
I saw about 15% base plus a small cleared adder when I moved to a tighter program, but badging/indoctrination still took about 3 weeks — the slowest CNC is onboarding. If your “active Secret since 2022” is in-scope, have their FSO submit a VAR and confirm you in DISS before your start date; that shaved a week for me. Are you open to nights for a diff or aiming strictly days?
At my place, moving onto SAP/SAR work added about 10–18% plus a small cleared adder; negotiate a “closed-area differential” and any shift premium up front. Reciprocity on your “active Secret” was quick, but indoctrination hinged on the customer and slowed when a site badge or SIPR token was needed — paperwork machines run at 5 IPM. Before you jump, ask the gaining FSO to pre-validate you in DISS/NBIS and confirm if a CI poly or customer badge is required; what region are you in, @OP?
If you jump to “more classified builds,” I’ve seen 10–20% plus a small secure-area premium when shift/OT are baked in, and bigger bumps if they want an upgrade. Before you give notice, have them send a DISS visit request and put bench pay for access delays in the offer (DCSA reciprocity: https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/pv/reciprocity/) — paperwork runs slower than titanium at 50 SFM.
Your 5‑axis Inconel/titanium work maps straight into engine‑core SAPs, so target primes/tier‑1s that cut that metal if you want a real bump… @ella2190 is right about premiums, but add a paid‑idle clause; have their SMO check you in DISS and kick off the PAR before you give notice so badges/briefs don’t stall your start. Bigger jumps tend to come when they need an upgrade (SCI/SAP) tied to a specific cell or shift.