Clandestine Service Trainee Program
Work Schedule: |
Full Time |
Salary: |
$54,525 – $75,669 |
Location: |
Washington, DC metropolitan area |
Core
Collectors, following successful completion of the 12-month Clandestine Service
Trainee (CST) Program, serve on the
front lines of human intelligence collection overseas for the National
Clandestine Service (NCS). The CST Program
trains and certifies individuals to perform the full range of steps leading to
the clandestine recruitment and handling of sources with access to vital foreign
intelligence. Within the Core Collector
profession, there are two career tracks—Operations Officer and Collection
Management Officer—described below. NCS
management places an individual in one of these career tracks based on skills
demonstrated during the training phase and/or the needs of the service. All Core Collectors, whether designated as OO
or CMO, are expected to engage in the full cycle of clandestine operations
while serving in overseas assignments. Therefore, all applicants seeking entry into the Core Collector ranks of
the NCS must demonstrate the skills, abilities and personality traits necessary
for the safe, secure, and effective conduct of clandestine intelligence
collection operations overseas.
Core
Collector/Operations Officer
Operations
Officers (OO’s) are focused full time on clandestinely spotting, assessing,
developing, recruiting, and handling individuals with access to vital foreign
intelligence on the full range of national security issues. This human intelligence plays a critical role
in developing and implementing US foreign and national security policy and in
protecting US interests. OO’s use their sound judgment, high integrity,
strong interpersonal skills, and ability to assess the character and
motivations of others to establish strong human relationships and trust that
provides the foundation needed to acquire high-value intelligence from foreign
sources. OO’s deal with fast-moving, ambiguous, and unstructured situations by
combining their “people and street smarts” with subject matter expertise and a
knowledge of foreign languages, areas, and cultures. An OO’s career can include assignments in the
NCS’s three key areas of activity—human intelligence collection, counterintelligence,
and covert action—on issues of highest
interest to US national security, such as international terrorism, weapons
proliferation, international crime and narcotics trafficking, and capabilities
and intentions of rogue nations. Operations Officers serve the bulk of their
time in overseas assignments that range typically from 2-3 years.
Operations
Officers are given great amounts of responsibility and trust early in their
careers. While they work in teams, they
often need to “think on their feet”, using
common sense and flexibility to make quick decisions on their own. OO’s
have demanding responsibilities, often requiring them to work long,
irregular hours so it is essential that they be physically and psychologically
fit, energetic, and able to cope with stress. They must know themselves very well and a sense of humor is also a plus.
Core
Collector/Collection Management Officer
Core
Collector-certified Collection Management Officers (CMO’s) oversee and
facilitate the collection, evaluation, classification, and dissemination of foreign
intelligence developed from clandestine sources. CMO’s play a critical role in ensuring that
foreign intelligence collected by clandestine sources is relevant, timely, and
addresses the highest foreign policy and national security needs of the nation. They are substantive experts in their area of
specialty, have a comprehensive knowledge of how National Clandestine Service
operations are conducted, and an in depth understanding of overseas operating
environments as well as current and looming international issues.
During
overseas assignments, CMO’s work closely with the OO’s to ensure that
collection operations are designed to meet intelligence priorities fully and
accurately; that recruitment of and interaction with clandestine sources is as
effective as possible; and that resulting intelligence reports convey relevant
information clearly and accurately—while at the same time protecting
collection operations as well as individual sources. In addition and as required, CMO’s--like OO’s—are
engaged in the full cycle of collection operations (spotting, assessing,
developing, recruiting and handling sources).
During
Headquarters assignments, CMO’s interact directly with the full range of
intelligence consumers—from the most senior policymakers to analysts
throughout the intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities—to
identify and prioritize intelligence collection needs and to ensure they are
communicated accurately to Operations Officers in the field. Typically, Core Collector/CMO’s spend
approximately 40-50 percent of their career overseas.
Working as
part of a team or independently with minimal supervision, CMO’s must be able to deal effectively with
individuals at all levels, often under the pressure of fast breaking, sometimes
ambiguous, situations and rapidly changing intelligence priorities. Excellent verbal and written communications
skills are a must for CMO’s, as are well developed time management and
multitasking abilities along with rock solid judgment.
Minimum
requirements for Core Collector positions include a bachelor's degree and a
strong academic record, with a strong interest in international affairs and
solid interpersonal and communications skills, including the ability to write
clearly and accurately. Foreign travel and area knowledge, prior residency
abroad, cross-cultural sensitivity, and foreign language proficiency
(particularly in the critical languages of Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Indonesian,
Korean, Pashto/Pashtu, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Urdu) are desirable.
All applicants must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview and an extensive background investigation. US citizenship is required for both applicant and spouse.
To be considered suitable for Agency employment, applicants must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last twelve months. The issue of illegal drug use prior to twelve months ago is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing.
Important Notice:
Knowledge by non-Agency personnel of your association with the Central
Intelligence Agency or the Intelligence Community may limit your ability to perform
or preclude you from certain assignments. NCS applicants should therefore
endeavor to protect the fact that they have applied and/or are thinking of
applying to the NCS. We urge your discretion throughout the entire hiring
process to ensure maximum flexibility for your potential NCS career. Further
guidance will be provided as competitive applicants move through the hiring
steps.
To Apply:
Submit Resume Online
Note: Multiple submissions are unnecessary and will slow the processing of your resume. Of course, if you made an error in your submission or need to update your resume, you may submit another resume. The second resume will overwrite the first.
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An equal opportunity employer and a drug-free work force.