Duties
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 workforce of SIGINT analysis professionals, e.g. 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 communications and signals.
- COMINT is technical and intelligence information derived from foreign communications; it includes intelligence derived from the content of the communications to and from individuals, networks, or devices.
- ELINT is technical and geolocation information derived from foreign non-communication electromagnetic emissions, most commonly from radars, weapons systems, beacons, navigational systems and electromagnetic interference.
- FISINT consists of technical information and intelligence derived from the intercept of foreign electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment of foreign aerospace, surface and subsurface systems.
- 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:
- Levy deep technical understanding of signal characteristics to determine signal structure, define signal parameters, identify signal content, and model signal behavior within the RF and digital domains.
- Transform signals between domains, and create processing models and scripts.
- Report technical characteristics of signals and maintain knowledge bases.
- Support access and follow-on analytic activities.
- Analyze engineering and technical information related to weapon and space systems.
- 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).
- Develop software code to support analysis and/or processing using a variety of architectures and solutions.
- 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.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- 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.
Qualifications
The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Degree must be in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, a Physical Science, or a related technical field. A broader range of degrees will be considered for those who have completed a relevant military training program.
Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: signals analysis (COMINT, ELINT, FISINT or PROFORMA), or design and engineering of aerospace, communications, electronic or industrial systems.
FULL PERFORMANCE
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. A high school diploma or GED plus 7 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience will be considered for applicants who have completed relevant military degree programs or completed relevant military training, for example, 9141 (Navy Intermediate Technical ELINT Analyst), 1N2A (Air Force Intermediate Technical ELINT Analyst), 451/461 (Intermediate Signals Analysis), 452 (Advanced Signals Analysis), or Military Signals Analysis Program (MSAP).
SENIOR
Entry is with 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. A high school diploma or GED plus 10 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience will be considered for applicants who have completed relevant military degree programs or completed relevant military training, for example, 9141 (Navy Intermediate Technical ELINT Analyst), 1N2A (Air Force Intermediate Technical ELINT Analyst), 451/461 (Intermediate Signals Analysis), 452 (Advanced Signals Analysis), or Military Signals Analysis Program (MSAP).
Education
The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Degree must be in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, a Physical Science, or a related technical field. A broader range of degrees will be considered for those who have completed a relevant military training program.
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.
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 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.
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.