SSP Promotes Peer-to-Peer Learning through its Developmental Programs

13 August 2025

From Thomas Jones

WASHINGTON – Members of the Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) developmental workforce promote peer-to-peer growth via the Developmental Employee Enhancement Program Cohort (DEEP-C), a platform through which developmental employees are able to build professional relationships with one another while simultaneously preparing for the transition into a permanent position with the command.

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Built around the development and sustainment of the nation’s strategic deterrence capabilities, SSP’s mission is one that requires a highly competent and dedicated workforce. Maintaining such a workforce over the span of decades is a challenge in and of itself, and SSP actively works to overcome that challenge through strategic succession planning.

In the Developmental Employee Program, SSP takes recent college graduates and brings them on board as bright newcomers who will transition into the experienced professionals SSP needs. They are immersed in the SSP workplace and have formalized training and growth objectives designed to familiarize them with the culture and mission of the command from day one. In the developmental role they are taught directly by coworkers with decades of experience under their belts.

Dr. Gregory Bouton, SSP’s Talent Pipeline Program Manager and STEM Federal Action Officer, says that the benefits work in both directions.

“SSP’s Developmental Employee Program builds a skilled, diverse workforce by pairing recent graduates and junior professionals with experienced mentors. This program develops key competencies in communication, program management, and technical skills while participants contribute fresh perspectives to our evolving culture,” Bouton said. “The program creates a valuable knowledge exchange – experienced employees share expertise while developmental participants bring enthusiasm and new ideas to SSP.”

DEEP-C improves upon these programs further, allowing developmental employees to learn not just from their experienced coworkers, but from their peers, too.

Tyler Gregory, Management & Program Analyst for SSP’s Nuclear Weapons Surety branch, and one of the developmental employees who started the cohort, says that he realized the need for peer-to-peer communication early on.

“During my first several months in the program, I struggled to find consistent methods of communication regarding upcoming events, trainings, and opportunities that were relevant to me as a developing employee,” Gregory said. “I also wanted to learn more about the developmental program itself, and it could be difficult to find the answers I was looking for,” said Gregory.

Gregory approached Tommy Jones, Public Affairs Specialist and fellow SSP developmental employee, with his concerns. “With Tommy’s help, we came up with the idea of this developmental cohort. We wanted to solve the ‘what now?’ questions that we were having, and that we knew other developmental employees were probably having too,” Gregory said.

“The developmental cohort significantly enhances the developmental programs at SSP by creating a collaborative support network that benefits both participants and the organization. Cohort members engage in shared problem-solving, provide real-time program feedback, and develop leadership skills while building cross-functional relationships throughout SSP,” Bouton said. “This peer network strengthens cultural integration, reduces isolation, and increases retention by fostering a sense of community among participants. Additionally, the cohort serves as a valuable feedback mechanism for continuous program improvement, ensuring the developmental experience remains relevant and effective while supporting SSP’s evolving culture and organizational needs.”

Part of the process of beginning in a government role, particularly for first-time government employees, is learning how to navigate the often-complex systems of information. One of the goals of DEEP-C is to highlight exactly where to find information that is often scattered across different sections, branches, and sites.

To that end, as new developmental employees are brought into the fold, they are added to the Developmental Employee Microsoft Teams page, where they have the opportunity to directly share information and talk to other developmental employees. Some employees may have more familiarity navigating in a federal environment, whether it’s coming from a family with government experience or having other connections to support them, and sharing that familiarity with fellow developmental employees helps everyone evolve together.

“As we worked towards making our idea a reality, we realized that we had the tools to do more and more,” said Jones. “A distribution list that was initially stood up to get the conversation started became a platform by which I could release an informative bulletin to my peers, offering up new training and learning opportunities and sharing advice or materials that I found useful.”

“We learned that we were able to host brown bag lunches with guest speakers, offering a firsthand account on what it takes to become a leader at a prestigious command,” said Gregory.

One such guest speaker was David Macht, Director, Mission Support at SSP. Macht went over his career with the developmental employees, beginning from a place very similar to where many of the employees are now, to his current position as a leader at the SES-level at SSP.

Macht stressed the value that having a structured developmental employee program provides.

“My career began in a Navy developmental employee program right after college. Before starting, I didn’t recognize many of the opportunities and benefits the Navy offered. It helps a lot when you have good mentors and colleagues that are investing in your career and directing you towards those opportunities,” Macht said.

He also offered the developmental employees sound advice to hold onto throughout their careers.

“One of the most important things you can do if you want to keep advancing is to be a result driven, problem solver. However, it’s also important to be a team player when looking for those solutions. Finding the balance between achieving results and taking care of yourself and your team is the key to a successful career,” Macht said.

In the future, as Jones and Gregory graduate from the developmental program, they expect to pass DEEP-C on to new developmental employees, ensuring that those employees continue to build off of one another and develop a sense of community that will last throughout their careers at SSP.

“While setting up and running DEEP-C, we learned about so many opportunities that would have passed us by if we didn’t go out of our way to find them. Those same opportunities are what we share with the cohort, and my hope is that this cohort will lead future developmental employees to valuable opportunities of their own,” Jones said.

“I see the cohort remaining a community-ran program that continues to raise the number of quality employees and valuable leaders here at SSP. Developmental employee alumni should come away from their programs with a lifetime of valuable contacts and working relationships thanks to the experiences this cohort creates,” Gregory said.

“DEEP-C has exceeded every expectation I had for this program. Watching these talented individuals build genuine connections and develop seamless continuity in real-time has been absolutely inspiring. What strikes me most is how this collaborative foundation is preparing them to excel in senior leadership roles – and we’re already seeing this success with former developmental employees who have advanced throughout the organization,” Bouton said. “As each graduating class transitions into permanent roles, they’re creating an expanding network of peer mentors who can guide future cohorts. This organic growth will strengthen the program’s foundation while allowing it to evolve with SSP’s changing needs. The positive impact this cohort is having on our culture, our standards, and our future leadership pipeline will only deepen as this peer-driven approach matures.”

SSP is focused on supporting the warfighter through acquisition excellence as the command responsible for sustaining strategic weapon system (SWS) on the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) and supporting the integration of the D5LE weapon system on the new Columbia-class SSBNs. Looking to the future, SSP is integral to nuclear triad modernization with the development of the D5LE2 SWS and creating regional strike capabilities with the development of the nuclear sea launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) and the non-nuclear hypersonic conventional prompt strike system (CPS).

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SSP Promotes Peer-to-Peer Learning through its Developmental Programs

From Thomas Jones