Public Trust Positions Aerospace & Defense Jobs
Public Trust is not a classified clearance but a suitability determination for positions of trust — common for federal contractors in aviation and aerospace support roles.
What is a Public Trust Positions?
Public Trust positions require a background investigation focused on suitability and reliability rather than access to classified information. They are common for roles supporting federal agencies such as the FAA, NASA, and the DoT.
Why aerospace & defense employers need it
Many aviation IT, program support, and FAA-adjacent roles require a Public Trust determination. It is an accessible entry point into government-adjacent aerospace work for candidates who do not yet hold a classified clearance.
Typical roles requiring Public Trust
Tips for cleared candidates
- Public Trust is a strong stepping stone — it demonstrates you can pass a federal background investigation.
- List any prior public trust determination; it can speed up onboarding for government-adjacent employers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Public Trust a security clearance?
Technically no. It is a suitability determination for positions of trust, not access to classified national security information — but it still requires a federal background investigation.
Find verified, cleared aerospace talent
WWAEN lets employers filter candidates by clearance level and verification status — the cleared-talent pool LinkedIn and Indeed can't surface. Hierarchical matching means a Public Trust holder also appears for lower-clearance roles.
Other clearance levels
Secret clearance is the most common requirement for aerospace and defense engineering roles. It covers information whose unauthorized disclosure could cause serious damage to national security.
Top Secret clearance covers information whose disclosure could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security — required for the most sensitive aerospace and defense programs.
TS/SCI (Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information) is the highest tier most aerospace engineers will encounter, gating access to compartmented intelligence programs.