Position and Unit: Program analyst, Combat Ammunition Systems, Program Executive Office for Ammunition
Years of Service in Workforce: 5
DAWIA Certifications: Level III in business – financial management
Education: B.A. in marketing, Rutgers University
Awards: Army Achievement Award for Civilian Service
From telecom to tanks
By Susan L. Follett
Much is made of the differences between working in the commercial world and working for the public sector. But when Joseph Marotta joined the Program Executive Office for Ammunition, he found that the biggest differences stemmed from moving from a small operation—a 10-person consulting firm—to a much larger one.
“It took a little while to get used to, but ultimately it wasn’t much different than any other job change,” said Marotta, a program analyst for Combat Ammunition Systems. “I went from the telecom industry to a tank program, so the biggest challenge for me was learning the subject matter.”
Joseph Marotta
Program analyst, Combat Ammunition Systems, Program Executive Office for Ammunition
He added that his small-business start has served him well as he moved to bigger workplaces. “My family owned a small business, and I grew up working there. That background built a good work ethic, instilled good business acumen and showed me that tomorrow holds no guarantees.” It also honed his skills at multitasking. “When you are working in a small organization, essentially you’re everything from the secretary to the office manager to human resources, and also responsible for your own clients and workload,” he said.
He added, “I have worked with wonderful professionals in the private sector and also throughout my tenure here in the public sector. Now that I am working in the public sector and seeing the amazing things people are doing, I resent the old government employee work ethic cliché. Whenever I hear it, I make sure that people know how complicated, demanding and involved our work is, so I can help dispel any of those beliefs.”
What do you do, and why is it important to the Army or the warfighter?
As a program analyst for PM CAS, I serve the conventional ammunition product line. Although it is not a technical position and I do not necessarily see or touch the product, the financial aspect of the product is just as important: We are monitoring budgets, creating spending plans, planning for the future and assisting with the contractual process of procuring items, all of which serves the warfighter and taxpayer since our objective is always looking at ways to be more efficient and creating cost savings wherever we can. The warfighter wins by getting more product for the dollar.
How did you become part of the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
Sort of by accident. I was living and working in New York as an auditor in the private sector when my wife became pregnant with our first child. I grew up close to Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, where most of our family still resides, and we decided that we wanted to raise our children close to home, so we moved back into the area. Before the move back, I was looking for employment close to home and knew that Picatinny was an option for a career in finance. I first came onboard as a contractor supporting Product Manager Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems as a cost analyst, then moved to PM CAS a couple of years later in a program analyst role that eventually became a civilian position. I didn’t necessarily seek out Army acquisition, but I am glad now that I found it: It has provided me with an array of challenges and opportunities and has been the most fulfilling job I have had, considering what’s at stake.
What do you see as the biggest differences between working in the private sector and the public sector?
I came from a small consulting firm into the Army enterprise, so I was going from a flat hierarchy to a vertical hierarchy. That comes with much more structure, protocol and politics. The one stark difference between the private and public sectors is that the private sector is much less forgiving: Success depends on making the right decisions to produce revenue, being as efficient as possible, limiting expenses and being able to adapt to changing environments—all of which will allow you to grow your business. Even with those differences, since I have been here, there has always been a directive to mirror ourselves closely to the private sector in terms of the emphasis on funding and revenue sources, since those same values apply in ensuring that we’re good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
I recently took a temporary assignment as a DA systems coordinator for the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, and this put all the pieces together for me: Now I have a view into how the entire process works. I had the benefit of coming from a project management office and having the interaction with HQDA, and I am very fortunate to see the other side of the coin and how HQDA interacts with program executive offices, Congress and other organizations. I am a firm believer that there is no substitute for experience. You can study or take all the classes you want on a particular topic or job, but you really never know it until you actually serve in that position and practice it.
What’s the greatest satisfaction you have in being a part of the Army Acquisition Workforce?
Simply stated, it is all the people I work with or have worked with. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful people who are also high-quality professionals. Every organization I have worked for has always strived to do a good job and do it right. More importantly though, we all owe it to ourselves to realize all the good people we are with daily and put a personal touch on our interactions. I try my best to not only talk shop with my colleagues but to get to know them. I think that helps us achieve our mission: We work better together when we understand and communicate with each other.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The telecom world had its share of regulations that were cumbersome and at times hard to navigate and understand. I think the same is true with regard to defense acquisition programs. For me, learning the policies and practices and putting them to work is the hardest part of doing the job well. One solution to that is experience. Also, the Army provides a tremendous amount of resources, like Defense Acquisition University, that assist in learning these processes so you can do your job as efficiently as possible.
What’s the most important skill you need to do your job well?
Listening in order to learn. I lean heavily on the people who have been here a while, have the knowledge and know the ins and outs of Army acquisition. I am in the early stages of my career, so I seek out and ask questions of the people who have done it before me. My goal is to learn the job as well as I can so I can keep progressing in my career and hopefully share that same knowledge down the road.
“Faces of the Force” is an online series highlighting members of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Communication and Support Branch, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in a variety of AL&T disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, please contact 703-805-1006.
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