Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., a global professional services company, will create 208 new jobs in Cumberland County over the next five years, according to an announcement by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Booz Allen expects to invest more than $5 million in the Cumberland County project by the end of 2020.

Cooper said the military spouses and veterans living and working around military bases such as Fort Bragg are the reason for Booz Allen’s expansion to Cumberland County.

“The majority of these new jobs will be IT focused, and Booz Allen knows we have the IT talent and training resources to deliver so they can continue tackling the complex military, business and government challenges of today and the future,” Cooper said.

Joseph Dodd, vice president at Booz Allen, reinforced the military presence in Cumberland County as being key to its decision.

“In addition to a strong business community, Fayetteville’s proximity to Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune provides an important access point to an exciting talent pipeline of military spouses with diverse skill sets, as well as veterans who are transitioning from the military and seeking high-impact, mission-focused careers,” Dodd said.

The McLean, Virginia-based company provides consulting, engineering, digital solutions and more to a variety of industries, including defense, health and international development.

According to the announcement, the N.C. Department of Commerce worked with state and county economic development programs to lead the state’s “support for the company’s selection” to expand in Cumberland County.

As of Aug. 29, Cumberland County had seen 476 jobs lost in 2018 through WARN notices. Those lost jobs were a result of mass layoffs in the county by ARMA Global Inc. and Sykes Enterprises.

“The creation of these high-quality jobs confirms our status as a defense and innovation hub and brings important new career opportunities to our community,” Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said.

The state’s Economic Investment Committee approved a 12-year job development grant to facilitate the company’s growth. Over the course of that grant, the project is expected to grow North Carolina’s economy by around $213 million.

That agreement also spells out a potential reimbursement to Booz Allen by the state of up to $1.8 million over the course of the grant.

According to the announcement, projections still show positive tax revenue to the state treasury over the course of the grant after accounting for those potential reimbursements.