Multibillion-dollar tech firms not immune to misinformation

If you’ve ever posted information to the Internet that wasn’t 100 percent accurate, don’t beat yourself up too much. Even multibillion-dollar tech corporations have their flubs.

Take Lockheed Martin Corp., for example, a company building everything from nanotech robots to exoskeleton power suits. According to the Federal Procurement Data System, they were the No. 1 government contractor in fiscal 2014 with over $32 billion in awarded contracts, some of which fuels development of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.

Although Lockheed is on the cutting edge of advanced technologies, they aren’t immune to misinformation.

 If you’re an experienced tech professional in Springfield and have been on the job hunt lately, you might already have come across 74 job openings earmarked for the Springfield market on Lockheed’s website or an employment search engine like Indeed.com. They’re looking for many 21st century job titles: data scientists, systems administrators, full-motion video analysts and geographic information system developers.

The catch? None of them are actually for jobs in Springfield. Lockheed hasn’t had a local presence since it vacated its space at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center in downtown Springfield during fall 2013. The Missouri State University Board of Governors approved termination of Lockheed’s contract of approximately 7,600 square feet of space. Rolla-based tech manufacturer Brewer Science, a JVIC tenant since 2007, took over some of Lockheed’s former space early in 2014.

If you click on the title of a Lockheed posting, you’ll find some confusing information. Job locations are listed as Springfield, Mo., and Springfield, Va. Scroll down to “additional job postings” and you’ll see “Springfield, St. Louis.” A qualified candidate approved for employment shouldn’t be surprised if they have to relocate, but the question is how far: 200 miles or over 1,000?

According to Lockheed spokesman Colin Thorn, who did some digging into the matter for me, the jobs are related to a pending project with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, an intelligence and combat support group under the Department of Defense. Since the contract for that particular project hasn’t been awarded, Lockheed doesn’t know for sure yet where the project is going to be developed – but it’s likely to be in Springfield, Va., or St. Louis – not the Queen City.

“I think anyone who’s qualified, regardless of their current location, would be encouraged to apply,” Thorn said via email. “That being said, I think the specific mention of Springfield, Mo., was a Web error and should have been listed as Springfield, Va.”

Still, if you have the skills to fit the bill, the jobs aren’t anything to sneeze at. According to Indeed.com, the lowest job salaries start compensation at $50,000 with a few plum positions reaching the $90,000-plus level. Lockheed’s website hosts a staggering list of annual reports on employee benefits such as health care and pension plans. Just be prepared for a thorough background check and fingerprinting.