Engagement Officer - Entry to Expert (Maryland) Job in Fort Meade, MD

Vacancy No. 1261976 Department National Security Agency/Central Security Service
Salary $57,736.00 to $197,200.00 Grade 2 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/28/2026 Close Date 10/1/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Fort Meade, MD


Engagement Officer - Entry to Expert (Maryland)

Department of Defense
National Security Agency/Central Security Service

Summary

Engagement Officers engage with internal and external stakeholders to deliver products; protect assets - for example: make procurements; influence policy; protect, develop and acquire human resources; develop partnerships; and share and receive knowledge.

Duties

Engagement Officers' responsibilities include:
- Developing, nurturing, and/or negotiating relationships with the Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community (IC), Industry and foreign partners.
- Operating in a collaborative and responsive environment, maximizing dynamic partner capabilities.
- Assessing stakeholder needs and identifying capabilities to address those needs.
- Providing timely and effective support and information sharing within appropriate legal authorities.
- Researching, planning, implementing, and evaluating media engagements, public communication campaigns, and other external communication and engagement efforts.
- Analyze the news and social media information environment for risk factors that may affect an organization's operations or reputation.
- Engage externally to represent the agency in a Public Affairs capacity across U.S. government partners, members of the news media and public.
- Identifying the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization and responding accordingly.

The Agency is currently hiring Engagement Officer to specialize in:
- Foreign Affairs
- National Affairs
- Knowledge Management
- COMSEC
- Public Affairs
- Cryptologic Engagement
- Commercial Engagement
- Operational Integration
- Academic Engagement

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564

Qualifications

ENTRY/DEVELOPMENTAL
Entry is with high school diploma or GED plus 4 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree and no experience.

FULL PERFORMANCE
Entry is with a high school diploma or GED plus 7 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience.

SENIOR
Entryis with a high school diploma or GED plus 10 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 6 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 4 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 2 years of relevant experience.

EXPERT
Entry is with a high school diploma or GED plus 13 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 9 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 5 years of relevant experience.

Education

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.

A degree in any field is acceptable. Relevant experience must include one or more of the following: NSA/IC/DoW; Communications; Public Affairs; development, delivery, or interpretation of technical products; cybersecurity or threat intelligence work; program, account or project management; business; cryptology; establishing strategic partnerships (foreign or domestic, industry, academic, governmental); diplomacy; foreign affairs; foreign policy.

Successful completion of the Defense Information School (DINFOS) Public Affairs & Communications Strategy Qualification (PACS-Q) Course can count for 1 year of experience..

Additional information

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Salary Range: $57,736 - $197,200 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior, Expert) Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position.

Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience. Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The ideal candidate is someone with a desire for continual learning and who possesses strong communication (oral and written), problem-solving, analytic, interpersonal skills, and is:
- Customer and results oriented.
- Able to negotiate with and influence others
. - Able to build relationships across the Agency and with external stakeholders, as appropriate.
- Able to work effectively (independently and/or within teams) across functional areas in a collaborative environment.
- Able to take action in highly complex situations
. - Detail-oriented.
- Able to manage multiple tasks with competing timelines and deliverables.
- Able to identify, manage and resolve conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner
. - Accountable.
- Adaptable. Preferred qualifications for one of the Engagement Officer focus areas include the following:
- 3+ years of experience supporting Joint, Service and Inter-Agency planning processes (CONPLANs, OPLANs, Campaign Plans) and/or planning processes that support the Joint Exercise Life Cycle (JELC) in order to meet Command, Service, and Agency training objectives.
- Broad knowledge and understanding of structure, functions, capabilities, and products related to assigned Combatant Commands (CCMD) or military units.
- Experience supporting Joint, Service and Inter-Agency processes in order to understand and support the Joint Exercise Life Cycle (JELC) including exercise execution, to successfully meet the CCMD or military service training objectives
. - Must have the ability to communicate effectively with individuals (military and civilian) of higher grade/rank. Experience in support to military operations and a general knowledge of support to CCMDs is helpful, but not mandatory. New employees will undergo a training program to set them up for success in the job.

Required Documents

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. 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.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

National Security Agency/Central Security Service

Agency contact information

NSA POC

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