RESPONSIBILITIES
As part of the offensive mission, NSA provides foreign Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), consistent with our authorities, to our nation's policy makers and military forces in order to defend our nation, save lives, protect U.S. interests, and advance U.S. alliances. Given today's rapid evolution of signals and advancements in adversarial technologies, the NSA must maintain and develop a highly talented and diverse workforce of SIGINT analysis professionals, such as Signals Analysts and Target Systems Analysts spanning expertise in communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT), and PROFORMA (formatted data communications) intelligence. These professionals play a vital part in maintaining our technical capabilities to recover, understand, exploit and derive intelligence from foreign signals. COMINT is technical and intelligence information derived from foreign communications; it includes intelligence derived from the content of the communications and data derived from tracking communication patterns and protocols (traffic analysis) and establishing links between intercommunicating parties or groups. ELINT is technical and geolocation information derived from foreign non-communication electromagnetic emissions, most commonly from radars and electromagnetic interference. ELINT analysis reveals capabilities, limitations, vulnerabilities, tactical use, and strategic applications of these systems. FISINT consists of technical information and intelligence derived from the intercept of foreign electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment of spacecraft, aircraft, and weapons systems; FISINT signals include but are not limited to telemetry, beaconry, and video data links. PROFORMA is machine-generated data communications associated with military C4ISR, civil, industrial, commercial and personal applications; analysis of PROFORMA data conveys information derived from sensors and/or control systems. Do any of the items below interest you? If so, this position may be the perfect fit for you. - Enjoy abstract puzzles and other problem-solving challenges - Tinkering with hardware or have technological curiosity - Reverse engineering of hardware or equipment, such as disassembling or repair - Appreciation and interest in weaponry systems, rockets, or other aerial projectiles - Interest in clandestine intelligence activities - Open to applying your skills in new and nontraditional ways - Desire to help NSA/DoD in accomplishing missions Responsibilities of Signals Analyst Professionals may include: - Conduct target analysis and research. - Use knowledge of customer requirements to collect, process, analyze and/or report on signals intelligence information. - Identify and analyze signal waveforms (e.g., weapon systems or communication systems), bit streams (e.g., multiplexers, error correction, voice and video compression, or instrumentation systems), and/or protocols (e.g., link layer, network layer, or application layer). - Report signal parametric data and intelligence information in databases, narrative reports, and oral presentations. - Collaborate with collection managers, developers, analysts, and reporters to optimize resources, develop new solutions to analytic challenges, fuse multiple sources of information, and deliver critical intelligence to a variety of customers. Responsibilities of Target Systems Analysts may include: - Derive performance characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of a target system (often a weapon or space system) and its employment in military theaters by analyzing its emanated signals and performing additional data analysis as necessary. - Produce intelligence on characteristics, behavior, tactics and trends of the system and signals.
SKILLS
The ideal candidate is someone with a desire for continual learning and strong problem-solving, analytic and interpersonal skills who is/can: - accountable - flexible - resilient - communicate effectively - collaborate with others Specialized skills and experience in one or more of the following is desired: - applying specialized tools and computer-based programs to process data for analytic problems - assessing applicability of available tools to various situations - combining analytics, tools, and visualization to support analysis - interpreting output of specialized tools and computer-based programs - programming / script development - weapon system design or testing - telemetry system design or implementation NOTE: A copy of your unofficial transcript is highly encouraged to be submitted with your application to expedite processing.
PAY BENEFITS & WORK SCHEDULE
Salary Range: $74,682 - $164,102 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior) Salary is commensurate with education and experience, and varies based on job location. On-the-job training, internal NSA courses, and external training will be made available based on the need and experience of the selectee. Typical schedule: Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirements between 0600 to 1800 (flexible). Applicants should be aware that some positions support 24/7 operations, based on mission requirements, and shift schedules may vary to include night shifts.
POSITION SUMMARY
Signals Analysis is a cutting-edge technical discipline that seeks to identify the purpose, content and user(s) of signals. Given today's rapidly evolving global communications, the NSA must maintain and develop a highly talented and diverse workforce of Signals Analysts who are a vital part in maintaining our technical capabilities to use the most sophisticated means to recover, understand, and derive intelligence from all manner of foreign signals.
HOW TO APPLY
U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph. Due to time sensitive communications regarding your application, please ensure your spam filters are configured to accept email from noreply@intelligencecareers.gov. Please review the job posting thoroughly to ensure you meet the described qualifications and are aware of all associated requirements. To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply' button located at the top right of this posting. After completing the application for the first time, or reviewing previously entered information, and clicking the 'Submit' button, you will receive a confirmation email. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as job postings could close earlier than the closing date due to sufficient number of applicants, or the position is no longer available. You may be asked a series of questions depending on the position you apply for. Your responses will be used as part of the application screening process and will assist in determining your eligibility for the position. Be sure to showcase within your resume those experiences relevant to this position. Failure to provide the required information or providing inaccurate information will result in your application not being considered for this position. Only those applicants who meet all position qualifications, may be contacted to begin employment processing. Please remain diligent in monitoring email and your SPAM folder. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. Please visit our Diversity link for more information. This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.
DCIPS Disclaimer
The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority.