Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP)
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) is a federal government program run by the Department of Defense (DoD) Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO). It’s designed to help military spouses find jobs and continue their careers after a PCS or other relocation.
Civilian companies and agencies join MSEP by publicly agreeing to recruit, hire, promote, and keep military spouses on staff, creating opportunities for both employers and potential new hires.
Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) Program
The official site describes MSEP as follows:
“The Military Spouse Employment Partnership is a targeted recruitment and employment solution for spouses and companies that:
- Connects corporate and non-profit organizations with military spouses representing ALL Military Services.
- Provides human resource managers with recruitment solutions – military spouses.
- Prepares military spouses to become competitive, “job-ready” applicants.
- Connects military spouses with employers seeking the essential 21st-century workforce skills and attributes they possess.”
Eligible military spouses can use MSEP job search tools and resources at no cost. The program supports military spouses from every branch of the Armed Forces, including the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
Eligibility also extends to spouses of active-duty service members, surviving spouses, and family members of the DoD civilian workforce. Spouses of National Guard and Reserve members also qualify for MSEP services.
To begin, you must register for an account on the MySECO portal. The MSEP Job Search portal tool lets you search for open positions posted directly by partner companies and organizations.
You can narrow down job listings by title, location, industry, and partner company. You should create or update your MySECO profile, including your professional details and job skills. You must also actively opt-in to the MSEP Candidate Search function.
This feature allows private sector recruiters and federal partners to find your information and contact you directly about potential job openings. If you need help using the portal, you can call Military OneSource to speak with a SECO career coach.
These coaches help spouses with resume updates, interview practice, and job search strategies tailored to MSEP opportunities. MSEP handles the private-sector connection, working alongside SECO’s coaching and financial aid services.
Advantages of the MSEP Program
MSEP offers military spouses concrete benefits, helping them establish career stability and financial confidence despite the constant challenge of a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move.
Direct Access to Employers Who Understand Military Life
Hundreds of corporate and federal entities join MSEP by signing a formal Statement of Support, confirming their commitment to hiring military spouses.
MSEP partners actively look for military spouse candidates, recognizing their unique professional skills in adaptability, leadership, and resilience. Partners work hard to place and retain spouses in portable, sustainable careers.
This may include positions with clear, flexible, part-time, and remote work options that help reduce career gaps during a move. Furthermore, MSEP partners agree to offer advancement opportunities for high-performing military spouse employees and must report spouse hires and job retention statistics to the DoD.
Job Listings and Career Support Services
The MSEP Job Search portal posts thousands of open job opportunities globally.
Job types cover many sectors, including Information Technology and Cybersecurity, Healthcare and Social Services, Business and Finance, and Education and Training.
MSEP works with SECO to ensure spouses have the necessary skills and to help them build professional networks. The program connects spouses through partner-to-partner mentoring and the Spouse Ambassador Network, a group focused on mentorship and entrepreneurial support.
MSEP Wider Impact
The partnerships MSEP creates directly help support military readiness and service member retention. When spouses struggle to find and keep fulfilling work, it hurts the quality of life and financial stability of the military family.
Since MSEP started in 2011, its partners have hired hundreds of thousands of military spouses across many sectors. MSEP remains a key part of the DoD’s effort to secure the economic future of military families.
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
