David Dickey on Scaling Defense Tech Hiring

by Jon Forisha on May 01, 2026

David Dickey, CEO, Founder, & Executive Search Consultant of Patriot Group, has seen it happen: an executive placed into a PE-backed defense company and a year later, the firm was contracting operations and pushing to sell. It wasn’t because of the market, but because the hire who looked great on paper couldn't actually lead. David has founded and exited aerospace and defense companies before starting Patriot Group, and watched that pattern repeat enough times that he built his entire process around preventing it.

He walks through the Patriot Method, which focuses on the “p” being for “planning.” He also reflects on how most job descriptions are laundry lists that have to be torn apart before a search can even begin, how a scorecard keeps hiring teams from getting charmed by a good talker, and why running the same questions through the candidate, the brief, and the reference check is the only way to build real signal on something as hard to fake as leadership under pressure.

Topics discussed:

Using scorecards and structured job description reviews to eliminate "laundry list" hiring and focus searches on actual requirements
Navigating the talent gap facing defense tech startups competing for the same senior candidates from high-logo companies
Screening executive candidates for AI fluency through scenario questions, written questionnaires, and reference checks
Identifying what separates high-impact defense executives from candidates who perform well in interviews but fail in the seat
Why senior military operators face a harder transition into defense tech executive roles than technical veterans
How the Patriot Method (planning, scorecards, submission packages, and communication) reduces offer-stage surprises and failed placements
How competitive comp, defined growth path, and a differentiated story drives top defense tech talent to leave established companies
Why founders cannot delegate accountability for culture to a head of people and what happens to companies that do

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