Agency-wide Requirements
All applicants must be:
- U.S. citizens (dual U.S. citizens also eligible)
- At least 18 years of age
- Willing to move to the Washington, DC area
- Able to complete security and medical evaluations
- Registered for the Selective Service.
About the Job
As a Cyber Security Officer (CSO), you will protect Agency data and systems using sophisticated tools, instrumentation, and knowledge of CIA Information Technology (IT) and tradecraft to monitor, evaluate, and manage IT risk. You will identify current threats, mitigate vulnerabilities, anticipate future challenges, and innovate solutions. Utilizing new technologies, you will increase the security of our existing and emerging IT systems.
Your career as a Cyber Security Officer will progress through tours of duty where you will apply and develop a broad range of technical, leadership, resource management, and communication skills. Senior positions for Subject Matter Experts with advanced levels of knowledge in specific cyber specialties exist. As an advanced level CSO, you will lead business areas and activities and be responsible for managing a diverse range of cyber security projects. You will ensure the development, assessment, deployment, operations, and implementation of information systems consistent with cyber security policies and procedures. You will also have leadership opportunities to supervise and manage employees, develop and manage a budget according to strategic priorities, and represent your program area to senior officials at the Agency and the Intelligence Community.
As a CSO you will do the following work to support customers within the Agency:
- Analyze existing and future systems across the Agency, review security architectures, and develop engineering solutions that integrate information security requirements to proactively protect information.
- Perform audit and security compliance checks, including network penetration testing, vulnerability scans, and other configuration analysis.
- Conduct Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) activities, including forensic analysis and review and assessment of security events and logs via sophisticated cyber security /event management tools.
- Implement and support network defense, identification/authentication/access control, data protection mechanisms, and data transfer mechanisms.
- Develop threat models and security risk assessments and recommend mitigations and countermeasures to address risks, vulnerabilities, and threats.
- Review and validate security documentation, including the system security requirements definition and System Security Plans.
- Implement security designs in hardware, software, data, and procedures.
- Provide guidance to partners on CIA's and the Intelligence Community's information security policies and regulations.
Most positions are located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, but opportunities to serve overseas exist as your career and abilities develop.
Who You'll Work With
At the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), we recognize our Nation’s strength comes from the diversity of its people. People from a broad range of backgrounds and viewpoints work at CIA, and our diverse teams are the reason we can keep our country safe.
Read more about diversity and inclusion
What You’ll Get
Our benefits support every aspect of a working professional’s life, including health and wellness, time off, family, finances, and continuing education. Our programs include highly sought-after government health benefits, flexible schedules, sick leave, and childcare. In some cases, we also offer sign-on incentives and cover moving expenses if you relocate.
As a CIA employee, you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing your work is part of something bigger than yourself. Our work is driven by one mission: to keep our Nation safe. Every day is an opportunity to enhance U.S. national security.
Learn more about working at CIA
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields:
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Cybersecurity
- Information Security/Assurance
- Other related engineering and STEM fields
- Or, relevant, verifiable work experience and/or professional certifications.
- At least a 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale is preferred, but exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances.
- Verbal and written communication skills that convey technical cybersecurity concepts in a clear and concise manner
- Strong commitment to continuous learning.
- Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
- Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation
Desired Qualifications:
Track record of progressively responsible cyber experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Networks, operating systems, and application-layers
- Cloud technologies, wireless technologies, email security and filtering technologies, and mobile technologies
- Hunt operations for malicious actors
- System security penetration testing
- Big-data cyber analytics
- Security operations/network monitoring
- Security information management/security event management
- Network mapping
- Reverse engineering
- Forensic examination, evidence collection, and preservation
- Vulnerability scanners, firewalls, routers and other security tools
- Public key infrastructure and encryption systems
- Cybersecurity incident response best practices
- Intrusion detection and prevention systems
- Security principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability