Summary
You will use your skills to create the systems and tools that will be used to enhance the operation of intelligence. You will advise, administer and perform scientific projects, such as planning, designing, and constructing specialized equipment, and ensuring adherence to sound engineering and scientific standards and principles. The NSA offers multiple areas of focus for facilities engineers, including computer, architectural, electrical, mechanical, and structural.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.
Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Duties
Every day, NSA solves unique intelligence problems for scenarios not found anywhere else in the defense of our nation. Are you interested in applying your knowledge to cutting-edge technologies having far-reaching applications and global implications? Do you want the opportunity gain new skills that support fulfilling our country's most critical intelligence needs? If so, RF Engineering, a core component capability development activity within NSA, may be for you!
The communications of our foreign adversaries are accelerating and gaining in complexity. NSA's Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cybersecurity missions must keep pace with advances in the high speed, multi-functional technologies of communications in order to guard against possible harm to our Nation and stay ahead of potential threats. From short wave radio to sophisticated satellites, transmissions in the RF spectrum crowd the airwaves. NSA's goal is to intercept those signals and collect the ones most likely to produce timely and valuable foreign intelligence needed by US military and national policymakers.
Our highly technical RF workforce is dedicated to keeping pace with advances to address threats to our Nation and our Allies. NSA is responsible for designing, developing, building, and deploying small form factor, mobile systems as well as larger sustained systems. We also build the underlying framework to run systems for data collection and processing to meet national intelligence mission requirements.
NSA is seeking talented colleagues to join world class team of analysts, engineers, researchers and developers who create RF technologies, communications, and capabilities to acquire target signals, condition them for follow-on processing, and deliver end-to-end solutions for survey, collection and emitter location and follow on analysis for advancing global advantage in both information gathering and national defense. RF Engineers work on projects using antenna and receiver design, signals analysis, digital signal processing (software defined radio), end-to-end system design, and emitter location and direction finding techniques in order to design, develop and deploy advanced survey and collection capabilities to propel our mission.
As an RF Engineer, your responsibilities can include:
- Design, build, test and deploy end-to-end RF systems, from the antenna through follow-on processors.
- Design, build, test and deploy communications systems using commercial off the shelf (COTS)/government off the shelf (GOTS) radios, software-defined radios (SDR) and SDR frameworks, as well as field programmable gate array (FPGA) technologies.
- Design, develop, construct, test and maintain hardware and software processing components; typically subsystems of communication, collection, processing or analysis systems.
- Conduct RF site surveys and include results in the design and performance assessments of RF systems.
- Work with and/or lead project teams to satisfy operational requirements for RF systems.
- Analyze results of RF collection in support of national mission requirements
- Lead new advances in RF engineering and push the leading edge of RF communications technologies
- Antenna theory, design, and fabrication techniques with particular focus on beam-forming technologies
- Modulation (BPSK, QPSK, spread spectrum, etc.), demodulation and signal separation techniques
- Low power, space and cooling environments (including embedded systems)
- Commercial telecommunication standards, protocols and topologies
- Compression and other bandwidth optimization techniques
- RF interference detection and mitigation approaches
- Active RF techniques
- Low probability intercept (LPI) and low probability of detection (LPD) techniques
- Service-oriented architectures
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph.
Qualifications
The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Relevant experience must be in the design and engineering of communication systems and/or radio frequency (RF) systems, and/or experience with test equipment.
FULL PERFORMANCE
Entry is with a degree in Engineering, entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience. The program must be ABET accredited or include specified coursework.*
With a degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a relevant professional technical field, entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's or Doctoral degree plus 1 year of relevant experience. These degrees must include specified coursework.*
SENIOR
Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 3 years of relevant experience.
Degree must be in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a relevant professional technical field. For Engineering degrees, the program must be ABET accredited or include specified coursework.* For Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or other relevant degrees, the program must include the specified coursework.*
*Specified coursework includes courses in differential and integral calculus and 5 of the following 18 areas: (a) statics or dynamics, (b) strength of materials/stress-strain relationships, (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics, (d) thermodynamics, (e) electromagnetic fields, (f) nature and properties of materials/relating particle and aggregate structure to properties, (g) solid state electronics, (h) microprocessor applications, (i), computer systems, (j) signal processing, (k) digital design, (l) systems and control theory, (m) circuits or generalized circuits, (n) communication systems, (o) power systems, (p) computer networks, (q) software development, (r) Any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, or soil mechanics.
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: $105,262 - $192,764 (Full Performance, Senior)
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).
DCIPS Trial Period:
If selected for this position, you will be required to serve a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless you are a veterans' preference-eligible employee, in which case you are required to serve a one-year trial period. This trial period runs concurrently with your commitment to the position, if applicable. Before finalizing your appointment at the conclusion of your trial period, NSA will determine whether your continued employment advances the public interest. This decision will be based on factors such as your performance and conduct; the Agency's needs and interests; whether your continued employment would advance the Agency's organizational goals; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your trial period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.
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.
The ideal candidate is someone with excellent problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills who is able to:
- Work equally well independently and in a team environment
- Effectively address multiple concurrent projects
- Synthesize information to solve complex problems
- Apply knowledge of communications theory to RF engineering problems
- Develop, diagnose, and operate survey and collection systems
- Identify customer needs and validate system design
- Operate in a fast-paced environment
Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following is desired:
- Applying principles, methods, analysis, and applications of radio frequency theory such as radio wave propagation, antenna theory, antenna usage
- Applying principles, methods, and applications of communication theory such as signal processing, decision theory, estimation theory
and modulation-demodulation
- Applying concepts, theories, and methods for designing, analyzing, testing, and integrating electrical and communications systems; includes aspects of energy conversion, electrical power generation, and energy transmission, control, distribution, or use
- Applying principles of math, physics, electronics theory, electrical network theory, and control systems to the design, fabrication, and testing of devices that are designed to operate in the radio frequency spectrum
- Hardware design; includes analog (A/D, amplifiers, power supplies, switches), board-level (board layout, circuit analysis, firmware), chip technologies (ASIC, CMOS, VHDL, VLSI), and digital (control logic, control systems, DSP, serial communications)
- Programming (e.g. Assembly Language; high level languages such as JAVA, Matlab, Python, Ruby, Shell Script; and hardware description languages VHDL, and SystemVerilog)
- Computer networking (e.g., communication protocols, distributed systems, Internet of Things, real-time systems, routing and switching)
- Lab equipment (e.g. spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, network analyzers, etc.)
- Amateur or HAM Radio clubs
- Open-source Wi-Fi tools
Required Documents
**VETERANS AND TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS**
Thank you for your service! The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions at NSA are in the Excepted Service under Title 10, United States Codes (U.S.C.), Section 1601 appointment authority.
Veterans' Preference
In accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, "DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System Employment and Placement," NSA applies veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5, U.S.C., to eligible candidates. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are required to provide acceptable documentation of your preference eligibility upon application.
Acceptable documentation includes:
- DD-214: "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions (Copy 4);
OR
- Certification of Service:
A written document on letterhead from the appropriate branch of the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. The certification should include the military service dates, including the expected discharge or release date;
AND
- Standard Form 15 (SF-15)
Application for 10-point Veteran Preference (http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf).
If you are claiming a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more, the documentation you provide must specifically demonstrate this level of disability;
AND
- VA Letter of Disability (for 10pt and Sole Survivorship rating)
You may obtain a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs reflecting your level of disability for preference eligibility by visiting a VA Regional Office, contacting a VA call center, or online (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/).
**Failure to provide sufficient documentation of veterans' preference eligibility may preclude NSA from identifying you as a preference eligible candidate during the hiring selection process.
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.