National Security Agency

National Security Agency

Fort Meade, MD

Cyber Mitigations Engineer/System Vulnerability Analyst – Entry to Experienced

$72,351-$170,800 / YEAR

Responsibilities

The professionals at the National Security Agency (NSA) have one common goal: to protect our nation. The mission requires a strong offense and a steadfast defense. The offense collects, processes and disseminates intelligence information derived from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. The defense prevents adversaries from gaining access to sensitive classified national security information. Do you want to be at the forefront of strengthening our National Cyber-security posture; do you want to do work you can’t do anywhere else? Do you want to help chart the course for NSA’s innovative Cybersecurity and help prevent future cyber-attacks against the United States? If so, NSA is the place for you! System Vulnerability Analysts identify vulnerabilities and attacks to the design and operation of a system (H/W, S/W, personnel, procedures, logistics, and physical security). They compare and contrast various system attack techniques and develop effective defensive mitigations. Additionally, System Vulnerability Analysts produce formal and informal reports, briefings, and perspectives of actual and potential attacks against the systems or missions being studied. They perform a broad spectrum of duties that may include: – critical infrastructure defense – control system security – wired and wireless network security – vulnerability analysis and research – scalable defensive mitigation development – perimeter/boundary defense – malware analysis – web and cloud security – mobile network security (LTE, Baseband) – tailored security solution and methodology automation – researching emerging network industry technologies and solutions If you routinely visit network security websites or you attend network security conferences or maintain your own network; we would like to talk to you! If you are a computer hobbyist, enjoy setting up new networks, love the Black Hat / DEFCON Briefings, and Capture the Flag events; then you need to talk to us!

Job Summary

Are you a cyber professional with the drive and expertise to be on the forefront of the cyber fight; tackling NSA’s complex mission to defend against cyber threats of today and tomorrow? NSA, the nation’s leading cyber agency, has exciting and challenging positions in Cyber Security Engineering and Cyber and TEMPEST vulnerability analysis/mitigation. Are you ready to help secure our Nation’s critical Infrastructure? If so, NSA is the place for you!

Qualifications

Salary Range: $72,351 – $90,157 (Entry/Developmental) *The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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. Entry is with a Bachelor’s degree and no experience. An Associate’s degree plus 2 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position. Degree must be in Computer Science or a related field (e.g., General Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Forensics, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Information Assurance, and Information Security). Relevant experience must be in computer or information systems design/development, programming, information/cyber/network security, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, computer forensics, information assurance, and/or systems engineering. Network and system administration may account for some, but not all, of the experience. Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis course), Undergraduate Cyber Training (UCT), Network Warfare Bridge Course (NWBC)/Intermediate Network Warfare Training (INWT), Cyber Defense Operations will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 20-24 weeks course will count as 6 months of experience, 10-14 weeks will count as 3 months of experience). Salary Range: $83,692 – $112,240 (Full Performance) *The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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. 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. An Associate’s degree plus 5 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position. Degree must be in Computer Science or a related field (e.g., General Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Forensics, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Information Assurance, and Information Security). Relevant experience must be in vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and/or computer forensics. In addition, may include computer or information systems design/development, programming, information/cyber/network security, information assurance, systems engineering, and/or network and/or system administration. Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis course), Undergraduate Cyber Training (UCT), Network Warfare Bridge Course (NWBC)/Intermediate Network Warfare Training (INWT), Cyber Defense Operations will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 20-24 weeks course will count as 6 months of experience, 10-14 weeks will count as 3 months of experience). Salary Range: $102,663 – $157,709 (Senior) *The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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. 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. An Associate’s degree plus 8 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position. Degree must be in Computer Science or a related field (e.g., General Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Forensics, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Information Assurance, and Information Security). Relevant experience must be in vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and/or computer forensics. In addition, may include computer or information systems design/development, programming, information/cyber/network security, information assurance, systems engineering, and/or network and/or system administration. Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis course), Undergraduate Cyber Training (UCT), Network Warfare Bridge Course (NWBC)/Intermediate Network Warfare Training (INWT), Cyber Defense Operations will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 20-24 weeks course will count as 6 months of experience, 10-14 weeks will count as 3 months of experience). Salary Range: $142,701 – $170,800 (Expert) *The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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. Entry is with a Bachelor’s degree plus 9 years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 5 years of relevant experience. An Associate’s degree plus 11 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position. Degree must be in Computer Science or a related field (e.g., General Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Forensics, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Information Assurance, and Information Security). Relevant experience must be in vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and/or computer forensics. In addition, may include computer or information systems design/development, programming, information/cyber/network security, information assurance, systems engineering, and/or network and/or system administration. Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis course), Undergraduate Cyber Training (UCT), Network Warfare Bridge Course (NWBC)/Intermediate Network Warfare Training (INWT), Cyber Defense Operations will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 20-24 weeks course will count as 6 months of experience, 10-14 weeks will count as 3 months of experience).

Competencies

The optimal candidate is someone with strong problem-solving, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills and who has knowledge or experience in several of the following areas: – defending against and/or mitigating system vulnerabilities, including at the infrastructure, host and enterprise levels – intrusion detection and incident response – network operating systems and network data/traffic analysis – scripting languages (e.g., PowerShell, Python) – software reverse engineering – fuzzing – virtualization – penetration testing – ports, protocol and services analysis – vulnerability detection and analysis – network security devices (e.g., firewalls, intrusion and detection systems) – packet analysis – malicious code analysis – SCADA and Control Systems Devices

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule

On-the job training, Internal NSA courses, and external training will be made available based on the need and experience of the selectee. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirements between 0600 to 1800 (flexible).

How to apply

To apply for this position, please click the ‘Apply’ button located at the top right of this posting. After completing the application for the first time, or reviewing previously entered information, and clicking the ‘Submit’ button, you will receive a confirmation email. Please ensure your spam filters are configured to accept emails from [email protected] . ***PLEASE NOTE: U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. Reasonable accommodations provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. 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. This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. 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. Please note that you may be asked a series of questions depending on the position you apply for. Your responses will be used as part of the screening process of your application and will assist in determining your eligibility for the position. Be sure to elaborate on experiences in your resume. Failure to provide the required information or providing inaccurate information will result in your application not being considered for this position. Only those applicants who meet the qualifications for the position will be contacted to begin employment processing. Please Note: Job Posting could close earlier than the closing date due to sufficient number of applicants or position no longer available. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

DCIPS Disclaimer

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.


About National Security Agency

Response to Covid Thank you for your interest in employment with the National Security Agency (NSA). We are especially humbled given all that we, as part of a global community, are facing as we join with each other in the battle against COVID-19, the Coronavirus. We will continue to accept and review applications, but processing times will take longer than usual during this time as we too are practicing vital social distancing and minimizing risk to the health of our team (which includes you). So, apply, be patient, stay healthy and safe, and get ready for a journey like no other as we prepare for beyond COVID-19 and our Nation’s future. National Security Agency Introduction Whatever your technical specialty, the National Security Agency has a position that combines your expertise with our mission: the safety and security of our families, our communities and our country.  The mission requires a strong offense and a steadfast defense. The offense collects, processes and disseminates intelligence information derived from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. The defense prevents adversaries from gaining access to sensitive or classified national security information. The results of the mission are stories that you might see on the nightly news: the disruption of terrorist plans, the interruption of international drug trafficking or the prevention of significant and debilitating cyber attacks. These activities require the highest degree of innovation. NSA applies advanced technical concepts to create groundbreaking solutions for safeguarding U.S. information and collecting foreign signals. We constantly seek new ways to accomplish the mission and meet the challenges of tomorrow, driving new solutions from invention to operation. The nature of our work demands that we attain and keep the technological upper hand. We are dedicated to developing an exceptional workforce prepared to succeed in every facet of the mission. Employees of NSA, whether fresh out of college or experienced, expand the scope of their expertise and sharpen their skills through a variety of activities, including ongoing academic education, professional training and development, leadership opportunities and job mobility. We work in a dynamic culture that welcomes diversity, encourages intellectual exploration, demands unbreakable ethics and covets the pursuit of the greater good. For more information about the National Security Agency, please visit IntelligenceCareers.gov/NSA.