Infantryman
The civilian and federal jobs that hire Army Infantrymans — with real salaries and the resume that gets callbacks.
Every 11B has more options than a Google search will tell you. Below: career paths, BLS salary data, federal GS series, certifications by target career, and how to translate your experience without losing what made you valuable to the Army in the first place.
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After the Navy I got hired into 6 federal career fields and tech sales, and sat on federal hiring panels along the way. I spent the last 2 years rebuilding everything I learned into BMR, tuned for how AI actually screens resumes today. This is the system I wish I'd had on day one.
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Military Role Overview
The Army 11B Infantryman is the foundation of the U.S. Army's ground combat force and one of the largest MOSs in the military. 11Bs are trained to close with and destroy enemy forces using small arms, anti-armor weapons, and squad-level tactics. They operate in every environment — urban, jungle, mountain, desert, and arctic — and are the primary ground combat element of the Army.
Training begins at Fort Moore, GA (formerly Fort Benning) with a 22-week OSUT program that combines basic soldiering with infantry-specific skills: weapons systems, land navigation, patrolling, urban operations, and squad tactics. Many 11Bs pursue additional qualifications — Airborne School, Ranger School, Air Assault School, Sniper School, and Pathfinder Course — each adding specialized capabilities.
What makes 11Bs uniquely valuable in the civilian workforce is not the combat skills themselves, but the leadership, discipline, decision-making under pressure, and ability to manage teams in chaotic, high-stakes environments. An infantry squad leader at E-6 has more direct leadership experience than most civilian managers twice their age — they've led 9-12 people through life-or-death situations with accountability for millions of dollars in equipment.
11B is the MOS where the translation problem hurts the most. After my Navy time I went 18 months with no callbacks before I figured out that "infantryman" on a resume reads as a dead end to civilian recruiters who haven't served. The skills under that title — small-unit leadership, planning under uncertainty, decision-making with imperfect information — are exactly what corporate operations and security teams pay for. The work is real; the words are the problem. — Brad Tachi, Navy Diver veteran & BMR founder
Pay Reality Check
The number that matters when you're deciding what's next: how does civilian pay compare to what you make now?
Military comp is approximate (varies by location/dependents). Civilian is BLS median. Federal includes locality pay. Your real number depends on duty station, family status, GS step, and overtime.
Private Sector Career Paths
Infantry veterans transition into a wide range of civilian careers. Common direct paths include law enforcement, private security, and protective services — fields where the tactical mindset and physical readiness translate on day one. According to BLS May 2024 data, police and sheriff's patrol officers earn a median of $76,290, while protective service supervisors earn $74,960.
The strongest salary growth comes outside the security field. Operations management (median $102,950), project management (median $100,750), logistics (median $80,880), and corporate training (median $65,850) all draw heavily from infantry veterans. Companies like Amazon and FedEx have formal military hiring pipelines that fast-track NCOs into warehouse operations, distribution management, and supply chain roles — positions where managing dozens of people and millions of dollars in inventory is the daily job description.
Defense contractors (Lockheed Martin, CACI, Booz Allen Hamilton) hire for training development, field service engineering, and program management where military operational knowledge is a job requirement. These roles typically start in the $65,000-$90,000 range for junior positions, with cleared program managers earning well above $100,000.
Civilian Job Title Translations
| Civilian Job Title | Industry | BLS Median Salary | Outlook | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officer O*NET: 33-3051.00 | Law Enforcement | $76,290 | About as fast as average (3%) | strong |
Security Guard O*NET: 33-9032.00 | Security Services | $38,370 | About as fast as average (3%) | strong |
First-Line Supervisor of Protective Service Workers O*NET: 33-1099.00 | Security / Law Enforcement | $74,960 | About as fast as average | strong |
Private Detective / Investigator O*NET: 33-9021.00 | Investigation Services | $52,370 | About as fast as average | moderate |
General and Operations Manager O*NET: 11-1021.00 | Multiple Industries | $102,950 | About as fast as average | moderate |
Logistician O*NET: 13-1081.00 | Government / Manufacturing / Transportation | $80,880 | Much faster than average (17%) | moderate |
Training and Development Specialist O*NET: 13-1151.00 | Multiple Industries | $65,850 | Faster than average (6%) | moderate |
Emergency Management Director O*NET: 11-9161.00 | Government / Healthcare / Education | $86,130 | About as fast as average | moderate |
Companies That Hire This Background
See a salary you want? Build a resume targeting it.
BMR rewrites your 11B experience for any of the civilian roles above — keywords, achievements, and language hiring managers actually scan for.
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“I am still getting compliments on my resume. Still getting interviews left and right, and now I have to say no. Very grateful to have so many options suddenly.”
Federal Career Paths
Federal law enforcement is the most natural federal career path for infantry veterans — and the hiring pipeline is direct. CBP, ICE, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, and Federal Protective Service all hire former infantry at the GS-5 to GS-9 level, and physical fitness standards that screen out civilian applicants are baseline for any 11B.
Beyond law enforcement, 11Bs with Secret clearances qualify for security specialist (GS-0080), intelligence (GS-0132), and program management (GS-0340) positions. Infantry NCOs also compete well for management analyst (GS-0343), logistics management (GS-0346), and training instructor (GS-1712) roles across the Department of Defense, DHS, and other agencies.
Veterans' Preference adds 5 or 10 points to federal hiring assessments. For infantry veterans, the combination of clearance, documented team and squad-level leadership, and physical readiness makes federal employment one of the most accessible transition paths available.
GS Series & Position Matches
| GS Series | Federal Job Title | Typical Grades | Match | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-0083 | Police | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | View Details → | |
| GS-0080 | Security Administration | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | View Details → | |
| GS-0082 | United States Marshal | GS-7, GS-9 | View Details → | |
| GS-0084 | Nuclear Materials Courier | GS-7, GS-8 | View Details → | |
| GS-0085 | Security Guard | GS-3, GS-4, GS-5, GS-6 | View Details → | |
| GS-0132 | Intelligence | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | View Details → | |
| GS-1801 | General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | View Details → | |
| GS-1811 | Criminal Investigator | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11, GS-13 | View Details → | |
| GS-0340 | Program Management | GS-9, GS-11, GS-12 | View Details → | |
| GS-0343 | Management and Program Analyst | GS-9, GS-11, GS-12 | View Details → | |
| GS-0346 | Logistics Management | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | View Details → | |
| GS-1712 | Training Instruction | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | View Details → | |
| GS-0301 | Miscellaneous Administration and Program | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | View Details → | |
| GS-0025 | Park Ranger | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | View Details → |
Federal resumes follow different rules. We know them.
Federal hiring uses keyword-matching and structured experience. BMR builds federal-format resumes (USAJobs-ready) with the right keywords, hours/week, and supervisor info — for any GS series above.
Free to start · Federal + civilian resume formats included
Want to Change Careers Entirely?
Not everyone wants to stay in a related field. These career paths leverage your transferable skills — leadership, risk management, logistics, project planning — in completely different industries.
Outside Sales Representative
Outside sales rewards the exact traits combat builds: composure under pressure, relentless goal focus, and the discipline to keep going after a hard no. Quota-driven B2B sales is a different world from infantry, but the temperament that wins firefights wins deals.
Construction Superintendent
Running a job site is running a mission: a schedule, a crew, changing conditions, and a standard that cannot slip. Infantry leaders who managed people and timelines under pressure step into superintendent work in a completely different industry without missing the leadership beat.
Strength and Conditioning Coach
If physical training and pushing people to perform was your wheelhouse, strength and conditioning is a clean jump into the fitness industry. You already know how to build a program, scale it to the individual, and hold the line on standards. The clients change, the coaching does not.
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor
Infantry NCOs spend years pulling people through their worst days. Counseling channels that into a healthcare career helping others, often other veterans, work through addiction and behavioral health. A different field entirely, but holding steady with someone in crisis is the core skill.
Financial Examiner
Financial examining is about enforcing rules and catching what does not add up. The discipline, attention to detail, and integrity infantry leaders run on transfer into a finance and compliance career that looks nothing like the field, and pays for the rigor.
Operations Manager
Senior infantry leaders run large organizations: people, equipment, schedules, and reporting. Operations management across many industries is the same job with a different mission, and a safe, well-paid landing spot that values the leadership directly.
Project Management Specialist
Every operation you planned and executed was a project: objective, timeline, resources, risk. Civilian project management formalizes what you already did, in industries from tech to healthcare. A PMP turns the experience into a credential.
Pivoting industries? You don't need to start from scratch.
The skills that made you a good Marine, Sailor, Airman, or Soldier transfer further than you think. BMR rewrites your bullets for any of the pivot careers above — without making you sound like you've never done the work.
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Skills Translation Guide
If you're applying to law enforcement, security, or defense contractor positions, your tactical and leadership terminology translates directly. Recruiters in these fields know what a squad leader, fire team leader, and platoon sergeant do.
But if you're applying to corporate operations, project management, logistics, or any non-defense industry — the hiring manager has never heard of a 'battle drill' or 'OPORD.' Below are translations that reframe your infantry experience into business language for non-military industries. These show how to quantify and contextualize combat arms experience for a civilian hiring audience.
Resume Bullet Examples
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BMR turns your 11B duties and accomplishments into civilian bullets that match the job you're applying for — no manual translation, no rewriting.
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Certifications by Career Path
Which certifications you need depends on where you're headed. Find your target career path below.
Emergency Management
Federal Employment
GIS & Geospatial
Human Resources
Law Enforcement
Operations Management
Project Management
Security Management
Training & Development
Got a cert? Don't bury it. List it the right way.
The wrong placement can sink an otherwise strong application. BMR knows where each cert ranks, what to call it, and how to frame it for ATS keyword matching and hiring manager attention.
Free to start · Built around your real certs and clearance
Transition Resources
For Staying in Security/Defense
Federal Law Enforcement: CBP, ICE, U.S. Marshals Service, Secret Service, and Federal Protective Service all recruit from infantry backgrounds. Apply through USAJobs. Most require a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience — your military time counts. Start applying 6 months before separation.
Defense Contractors: Companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, CACI, and Booz Allen Hamilton hire infantry veterans for training, operations, and program management roles. Your Secret clearance is a major asset — use ClearanceJobs.com to find positions that require active clearances.
Private Security: Companies like Allied Universal, Securitas, and Pinkerton hire veterans for physical security, executive protection, and security consulting. ASIS International's CPP certification is the industry standard for senior security management.
SkillBridge Programs: Many defense contractors and security firms participate in DOD SkillBridge. Search the SkillBridge database — programs like Amazon's Military Apprenticeship and Microsoft MSSA are popular with infantry veterans.
For Careers Outside of Security/Defense
Project Management: The PMP certification (PMI) is the gold standard. Infantry NCOs with documented operational planning and execution hours often qualify. Your experience planning and executing missions IS project management — you just need the credential to prove it.
Operations & Logistics: Start with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt for operations roles. For logistics, the APICS CSCP from ASCM is the industry standard. Your experience managing equipment, supplies, and personnel movement translates directly.
GI Bill Strategy: If you don't have a bachelor's degree, use your GI Bill. Business administration, criminal justice, project management, and information technology are strong choices. Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to verify program approval.
Veteran Networking: American Corporate Partners (ACP) provides free mentorship from corporate executives. ACP is legitimate and completely free for veterans.
Clearance Leverage: Your Secret clearance has real market value — it saves employers $5,000-15,000+ and months of processing. It stays active for up to 24 months after separation. Defense contractors, intelligence agencies, and cleared facilities all need personnel with active clearances. ClearanceJobs.com is the go-to resource.
BMR Career Resources
Army Resume Guide: MOS Translation | Complete Military Resume Guide | Army ETS Checklist | Build Your Resume Free
Your 30 / 60 / 90-Day Transition Plan
Most people do this backwards. They wait until terminal leave to start, then panic. Here's the sequence that works. Already out? Same plan, start at day one today.
Set the foundation
- Pull your DD-214 (request from Milconnect if separated)
- List your top 3 civilian roles AND top 3 GS series
- Build your tailored 11B resume — BMR does it free
- Write 1 strong LinkedIn headline (not "veteran seeking opportunities")
- Pull together your evals/performance reports for accomplishments
Apply with intent
- Apply to 5–10 jobs/week — quality over quantity
- Tailor every resume to the job description (BMR auto-tailors)
- Connect with 5 people/week on LinkedIn (not a spray)
- Set up a USAJobs profile and a saved-search alert for your GS series
- Practice translating your military bullets out loud — explain to a civilian friend
Close the offer
- Track every application — date, status, contact, notes
- Follow up 7–10 days after each application
- Prep for behavioral interviews using the STAR method
- Negotiate salary — don't take the first offer (BLS median is your floor)
- Stay applying even after one offer — leverage = options
Print this. Tape it to your monitor. Veterans who treat the job search like a 90-day op get hired faster than the ones who treat it like an emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What civilian jobs can I get with infantry experience?
How much do former infantrymen make in civilian careers?
Is my infantry experience useful outside of security and law enforcement?
Should I go into law enforcement after the infantry?
How valuable is my Secret clearance?
How does Veterans' Preference help me get a federal job?
What certifications should I get before leaving the Army?
Can I use my GI Bill for a career change?
Where are the best job markets for former infantry soldiers?
How do I explain combat experience in a civilian job interview?
Translate your 11B Infantryman experience into a resume that gets callbacks
Stop rewriting from scratch every time you apply. BMR turns your military experience into civilian and federal resumes — tailored to each job.