Shaping Team Culture Through Effective Communication: A Q&A with Clay Thompson

As a Program Analyst at Jacobs, Clay Thompson’s career trajectory transformed when he joined the Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship Program. 

In this Q&A, Clay shares how this best-in-class workforce development program shaped his role and revolutionized financial communication.

Tell us about your role and what you are most passionate about.

As a program analyst with the Jacobs Missile Defense Group (JMDG), I support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Colorado Springs. In this role, I prepare various financial and performance deliverables for the customer and contract leadership. But what truly drives me is my passion for helping and training leaders to understand complex financial and performance data. I believe that by empowering them with this knowledge, they can make well-informed decisions to reduce risk and drive solutions.

What inspired you to pursue a career as a program analyst?

I have always had a passion for understanding data and numbers, from my studies of financial planning in school to my current role. I desired a role where I could spend time sifting through data, looking for that one piece of crucial information, or finding a hidden pattern that leadership needs to make an informed decision on in the future of a project.

What did you enjoy most about the Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship?

I most enjoyed the countless opportunities the Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship gave me while participating. I was able to explore various career opportunities, interview with multiple employers, network with countless veterans, and receive training in resume building, interviewing, salary negotiations, etc. The fellowship ultimately resulted in me receiving a fantastic job offer from Jacobs, where I am now three years later.

What advice would you give to a transitioning service member?

My advice to a transitioning service member would be to start offering planning early and take advantage of all the transition-related opportunities the military offers, including the various internship programs, credentialing courses, job fairs, skill-building workshops, etc.

How do you think your role helped shape the team’s culture?

In my role as program analyst, I have been granted the opportunity to teach numerous leaders the meaning behind financial numbers and help them better articulate their team’s current financial and performance positions. I’ve held formal and informal training sessions, redesignedfinancial briefings, and helped drive the improvement of processes such as forecasting. The company’s culture has improved from a place where terms such as ‘operating profit’ and ‘corporate forecast’ were thought to be exclusive to only the finance team to a place where leadership now better understands their team’s financial position and is engaged in improving it daily.