Intelligence Research Specialist Job

Vacancy No. IOD-DE-12991212-26-MYC Department Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Salary $143,913.00 to $187,093.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/24/2026 Close Date 7/2/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DCArlington, VA


Intelligence Research Specialist

Department of Homeland Security
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Integrated Operations Division (IOD)

Summary

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the Nation's risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today's threats and collaborating with industry to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

• U.S. Citizens • Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) • lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)

Duties

Typical work assignments include, but are not limited to:

  • Identifying threat vulnerabilities, threat tactics, and methodologies.
  • Producing timely, fused, all-source cyber operations intelligence and/or indications and warnings intelligence products (e.g. threat assessments, intelligence studies, country studies).
  • Establishing innovative research methodologies to solve analytical problems.
  • Providing evaluation and feedback necessary for improving intelligence production, intelligence reporting, collection requirements, and operations.
  • Providing information and assessments for the purposes of informing leadership and customers.
  • Conducting intelligence short- and long-term planning, projection and revision of estimates with respect to identifying vulnerabilities and protection requirements of critical infrastructure to evaluate the actual and potential risk to the Nation's critical infrastructure.
  • Developing and maintaining coordination and liaison with counterparts and colleagues throughout the infrastructure protection, intelligence and security community.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USA Hire Assessment, if required.
  • Selective Service - Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service see http://www.sss.gov/
  • All Federal employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
  • DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
  • This position has been identified as a drug testing designated position (TDP) for purposes of the CISA's Drug-Free Workplace Program. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illicit/illegal drug use prior to receiving a final offer of employment. A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result. After appointment, you may be subject to periodic random drug testing.

Qualifications

Do NOT copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Your resume must describe your work and experience, in your own words.

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying.

You qualify at the GS-14 grade level, if you have:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level (or equivalent) performing all the following duties:

  1. Identifying threat vulnerabilities, threat tactics, and methodologies;
  2. Conducting intelligence short- and long-term planning, projection and revision of estimates; AND
  3. Identifying vulnerabilities and Protection requirements of critical infrastructure to evaluate the actual and potential risk to the Nation's critical infrastructure.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level. You must meet the qualifications listed in the "Requirements" section of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Other incentives may be authorized.
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • Additional vacancies may be filled with this announcement.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. We may consider your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

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.

Review our 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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Rule of Many Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be ranked in score order based on your assessment rating plus Veterans' preference points, as applicable, using the following referral mechanism:
  • Cut-off Score (Assessment-Based): All applicants with a score of 85 or higher, including Veterans' preference points, will be referred to the hiring manager. This cut-off score was established based on job analysis findings and assessment development input to identify highly qualified candidates. This includes all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF), as determined by the job analysis.
Minimum Certification Requirement: The hiring manager will receive a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least three (3) candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three (3) eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, we will expand the group in accordance with our preannounced supplement strategy and OPM policy.

Veterans' Preference:
  • Veterans' preference points are added to the passing score of candidates eligible for either 10-point or 5-point preference.
  • Qualified disabled veterans with a 10% or more service-connected disability are placed at the top of a certificate of eligibles regardless of score (except for scientific and professional positions at GS-9 or above grade levels). This position is not considered scientific/professional.
  • Ties in ratings are broken by veterans' preference eligibility, that is, preference eligible candidates are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each rating. For example, a 5-point preference eligible with a score of 94.0 is listed ahead of a non-preference eligible with the same score. View information on https://www.fedshirevets.gov.
Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under I/CTAP, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

To preview the application questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12991212

Required Documents

All documents, including transcripts, must be in English.

1. RESUME: Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. Be clear and specific in describing your job-related qualifications, as HR cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Include dates (month and year) and hours worked per week. For military or Federal civilian service, you MUST include your pay plan/band, series, and/or rank/grade (e.g., Captain, E-5, GS-0301-9). Do NOT include photographs, social media links (e.g., LinkedIn), inappropriate content, or other personal or sensitive information such as date of birth, social security number, gender, religious affiliation. IF INCLUDED YOUR RESUME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

2. COMPLETE APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE AND ONLINE USA HIRE ASSESSMENTS

3. OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (only submit if applicable):
  • CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows the grade, step, tenure (block 24) "1" (Career) or "2" (Career-Conditional), and position occupied (block 34) "1" (Competitive Service). Provide proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an Interchange Agreement. If applying for a higher grade, provide a SF-50 which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade or promotion potential held. You may need to provide more than one (1) SF-50,if your SF-50 does not clearly demonstrate that you meet the one-year time-in-grade requirement(examples of appropriate SF-50s include Appointment/Conversion, Within-Grade/Range Increases and Promotion actions). NOTE: Pay adjustments and awards are NOT acceptable.
  • VETERAN DOCUMENTATION: Submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 or equivalent).
    • ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of active service, rank/grade, expected character of service (i.e., honorable or general) and type of separation (i.e., separation or retirement). NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If selected, a DD-214 must be provided prior to appointment.
    • 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE: Submit a SF-15 and provide an official document from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying your overall compensable service-connected disability rating (NOTE: Your overall percentage must be clearly shown), and/or any other associated documentation based on your preference.
  • INTERAGENCY/CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (I/CTAP): Submit a copy of the following:
    • Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
    • SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through reemployment priority list (RPL), etc.;
    • Latest performance appraisal including your rating; AND
    • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
  • CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL SCHEDULE A, SCHEDULE C, NON-CAREER SES OR PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
    • Position title;
    • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
    • Agency; AND
    • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/02/2026 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

The application process is as follows:

  1. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. If you submit multiple versions of your resume, only the most recent version, based on the submission date and/or time, will be reviewed for qualification determinations.
  3. Click Submit Application prior to 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/02/2026.
  4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
  5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
  6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
  7. Set aside about 2 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
  8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account at https://usajobs.gov, all your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Shared Certificate: After CISA completes its hiring, the resumes of the remaining candidates referred for selection consideration may be shared with other DHS Components and other federal agencies. During the application process, you may choose to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results to be shared. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

Short Essay Questions: The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Agency contact information

Mirian Cook
Phone
202-285-0952
Email
mirian.cook@cisa.dhs.gov
Address
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
1110 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22201
US

Next steps

Your status will be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. We expect to make a job offer within 30-60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an in-person or phone panel interview. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Notice to Applicants - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is subject to the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019. Unless excluded by law, all CISA hiring officials and agency representatives are statutorily prohibited from asking applicants to disclose their criminal history record information prior to receiving a conditional offer of employment. Applicants may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the CISA Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Human Capital Policy and Programs Subdivision at email cisa.ochco.hcp@cisa.dhs.gov within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance by a CISA hiring manager or agency representative.

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency!

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the national effort to defend critical infrastructure against the threats of today, while working with partners across all levels of government and in the private sector to secure against the evolving risks of tomorrow. CISA's mission includes protecting the Federal Government's networks and physical infrastructure, to helping entities in the public and private sectors manage potential risk, to enhancing public safety communications at all levels of government. CISA's multi-faceted mission is home to a wide range of career fields including cybersecurity, program management, business administration, communications, and data science.

Joining CISA means being part of the team focused on securing the Nation's physical and cyber infrastructure against threats to public health and safety, economy, and national security; we Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow.

Agency contact information

Mirian Cook
Phone
202-285-0952
Email
mirian.cook@cisa.dhs.gov
Address
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
1110 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22201
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.cisa.gov/careers


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