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IT Engineer

IT Engineers design and deploy a secure, global communications infrastructure that allows CIA officers to collaborate with each other and Intelligence Community and federal government partners.
  • Full time
  • Starting salary: $68,287 - $172,075*
  • *Higher starting salary possible depending on experience level
  • Bachelor's degree

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 an IT Engineer for the CIA, you will specialize in the engineering, development, integration, and product evaluation services for the Agency’s worldwide workgroup platform. You will work in a collaborative environment, providing critical support to the overall Agency mission, and are responsible for designing and deploying a secure, global communications infrastructure that allows CIA officers to communicate and collaborate with each other and partners throughout the Intelligence Community (IC) and federal government. This includes participating in the design of enterprise desktop, engineering collaborative solutions (e-mail, team collaboration, web and video conferencing) for the Agency and the IC, and introducing state-of-the-art technologies into the corporate baseline.

The Agency’s network and application platforms leverage the best of industry and internally developed solutions to create an engineering environment that is both technically challenging and innovative. Opportunities to develop the most secure IT solutions from tactical platforms to high-speed optical networking are available.

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 or related studies:
    • Electronic Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Computer Engineering
    • Computer Science
    • Equivalent relevant experience accepted
  • At least a 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale
  • Experience in systems engineering, computer and electrical engineering, software development, or network engineering experience with an emphasis on full lifecycle development, hardware and software analysis, platform and/or network development
  • Knowledge of a range of communications technologies, network systems and certifications, such as:
    • Operating Systems (i.e. Windows, Unix, Linux)
    • Collaborative tools and back-end infrastructure for e-mail, instant messaging, web and video conferencing
    • Programming and scripting languages (i.e. C, Python, Java, Bash, PowerShell)
    • Hardware and software testing and evaluation
    • Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies (e.g., DWDM, SONET, ATM, MSPP, etc.)
    • Local Area Network (LAN) technologies
    • Video
    • Satellite
    • Network security
    • Cyber security and encryption technologies
  • Aptitude for working in a multi-disciplined, diverse, and technically challenging environment
  • Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience with full software development lifecycle developing applications with database, search, and presentation layer technologies
  • Possession of a range of technical certifications, such as:
    • Professional systems-engineering certifications
    • Professional network-related certifications
    • Professional platform-related certifications
    • Professional cloud computing certifications
    • Professional certification in software development, full-stack development, enterprise computing, or data engineering
  • Familiarity with cloud computing technologies
  • Knowledge of Agile development methods and framework
  • Familiarity with automated test tools and storage technologies
  • Ability to engage and collaborate across teams