At Amentum, we celebrate our people, our cultures, and we recognize the value of diversity and inclusion. In March, we’ll focus on Women’s History Month while shining a light on one employee at a time. Today’s Q&A is with Beth Fielding, Director of Contracts, National Security/Intelligence – Contracts.
How did you come to join Amentum?
I was looking for a new opportunity to grow in the Contracts field – and getting closer to home. I found an opening for a Sr. Contracts Administrator position with URS that was located in Quantico, VA, and applied. I immediately knew it was the right opportunity for me, and I agreed to join the company as soon as I received the offer letter.
What is your professional and personal background?
I have been working in the contracts field since 2004 and have been with one other company before joining Amentum. I also had some brief experience with purchasing with the Bureau of Indian Affairs when I was in college, which is where I first learned about this field.
Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.
Contracts is much more than just reading contracts and understanding the rules. It’s mentoring those that are new to the field. It’s ensuring that we are doing the right thing every day. It’s collaborating with other groups to help reduce risk to the company. It’s focusing on program success and recompetes to ensure that Amentum’s current employees continue to have a role here. It’s also helping to bring in new employees through new contract wins.
What are some of your accomplishments and/or what has been your proudest career moment?
I work to ensure that we are reducing risk as much as possible, as well as ensuring that everyone is aware of exactly what we are signing up for in our agreements. Some of my proudest career moments have been successfully negotiating various claims and requests for equitable adjustments for our contracts, which have resulted in Amentum being paid for the work performed on our contracts.
What do you enjoy about working for Amentum?
I truly enjoy getting to work with the people at Amentum. I have had the pleasure of working across many areas of the company since I joined in 2010, and every person I have worked with has been absolutely incredible. I especially enjoy working with the NS/Intelligence Contracts team – this is a group of intelligent and capable administrators who work hard every day to help Amentum be successful.
What are you passionate about?
In the contracts field, I’m passionate about ensuring that we are always learning from past mistakes and sharing that information to avoid making those mistakes again.
What’s your career advice?
Never stop learning. One of the things I love about contracts is that every single day is an opportunity to learn something new, no matter how long you have been in the field.
What does safety mean to you or do you have a favorite safety tip?
Amentum’s focus on safety is what allows us to show up to work every day and know that the company is truly invested in ensuring that we are safe, no matter what type of environment we work in.
What’s the best invention in the world and why?
The internet. While it can be unreliable at times, there is so much great information that is always at your fingertips. Having information readily available can help immensely in the contracts field.
Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?
Considering this monthly observance, tell us more about yourself. Please address one or more of the following questions:
What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book series is the Harry Potter series. My entire family read this series when the books were first released, and some of my absolute favorite family memories are related to these books and movies. I enjoy seeing the love of this series passed on as my nieces and nephews now have kids of their own, and I enjoy sharing it with my goddaughter as well.
