Clandestine Service Trainee Program
Work Schedule: |
Full Time |
Salary: |
$57,129 – $79,280 |
Location: |
Washington, DC metropolitan area |
The Clandestine Service (CST) Program
is the entry-level program for field-based Core Collector careers. CSTs have a
minimum of a bachelor's degree and several years of substantive business/work
or military experience before applying, and are generally in the 25-35 year age
range. The 35 year maximum age requirement can be waived on a case-by-case
basis.
Minimum requirements
include a bachelor's or master's degree and a strong academic
record, with a
preferred GPA of 3.0 or better, and a strong interest in international
affairs.
Candidates must possess 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, Kurdish
and Urdu) are highly desirable. Degrees of interest include, but are
not
limited to, international business, finance or international relations,
economics, physical science or nuclear, biological or chemical
engineering. Competitive candidates will also possess personality
traits that will allow
them to be successful Core Collectors, including the ability to work
both
independently and as part of a team, the ability to “think on their
feet”, and
the ability to deal effectively with individuals at all levels—often in
fast-breaking and rapidly changing situations.
All applicants must successfully
complete two personal interviews, a thorough medical and psychological
examination, a polygraph interview, and extensive background
investigation.
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. (Processing
generally takes approximately 12 months.)
Core Collector
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—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 Operations
Officers (OO) or Collection Management Officers (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 (OOs) 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. OOs employ 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. OOs
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 OOs career can include assignments in the NCSs 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 approximately 50-70 percent 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. OOs have
demanding responsibilities, often requiring them to work long hours so it is essential
that they be 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 (CMOs) oversee and
facilitate the collection, evaluation, classification, and dissemination of
foreign intelligence developed from clandestine sources. CMOs 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, CMOs work closely with the OOs 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, CMOs—like OOs—are engaged in the full cycle of
collection operations (spotting, assessing, developing, recruiting and handling
sources).
During Headquarters
assignments, CMOs 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/CMOs spend approximately 40-50 percent of
their career overseas.
Working as
part of a team or independently with minimal supervision, CMOs 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. CMOs must have excellent verbal and written
communications skills and well developed
time management and multitasking abilities along with rock solid judgment.
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:
Make a note of the position(s) that interest you, as you can apply for up to four positions in one application. DO NOT submit multiple applications; this will only slow
the review of your application, and delay processing. Please read the Application Instructions carefully before you begin the
online application process.
Application Instructions
An equal opportunity employer and a drug-free work force.