Technical Research, Development and Engineering Officer

Technical Research, Development, and Engineering Officers use their specialized expertise to create and manage technical solutions to meet Agency mission needs.

Major Duties

Technical Research, Development, and Engineering (TRDE) Officers create technical solutions to CIA's unique challenges. They research, develop, and operate new technologies, leveraging skills and experience in project management, engineering, the physical and life sciences, hardware, software, computing, and data processing. They work with industry, national labs, universities, and partners throughout the U.S. Government to design, build, and operate technical solutions. By applying their knowledge and skills, they are able to meet a wide range of needs to support and fulfill CIA overall mission. This position calls for a strong grasp of new and developing technologies, excellent communication skills with a variety of audiences, and strong leadership in using technology to make intelligence gathering and operations more effective.

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the US Constitution. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Minimum Qualifications: All Directorate of Science and Technology candidates are expected to be effective in a mission-focused environment by: Displaying interpersonal and team-oriented skills to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams Demonstrating an ability to think critically towards solving complex problems Applying and improving technical aptitude Demonstrating strong organizational and planning skills, Demonstrating effective written and verbal communication and an ability to convey complex concepts to all audiences Demonstrating integrity, judgment, initiative and creativity In addition, TRDE Officers will have skills, experience, and interest in one or more of the following areas: Strong project and program management principles, methods, and tools Management of programmatic risks, resources, schedules Systems engineering Design, modeling, fabrication, and prototyping Validation, verification, and testing Drafting technical documentation to include system performance, training, operations, and maintenance Signatures processing or analysis, to include principles and phenomena, theories, and concepts Conducting or leading research programs The latest trends in the industry and the future of technology and its applications to the intelligence mission Manufacturing, especially in creating custom products Working with metal, wood, plastics, textiles, make up, paper, machining, graphic design, printing, costume design, cosmetology, prosthetics, mold making, aesthetics, material science, industrial design, paper science Software development/coding/scripting in contemporary programming languages (C/C++, Python, Rust, GO, JavaScript, C#, Java, SQL, etc.) Design, development, testing, maintenance and/or governance of computers and associated hardware, software, networks, and / or data Data ingestion, transformation, modeling, and processing (including bulk data sets) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Al/ML) Architecture design/development leveraging High Performance Computing (HPC), commercial cloud platforms, and application of Quantum technology Traffic analysis, vulnerability assessment, exploitation methods, forensic analysis, and data recovery methods for digital networks and mobile devices Common industry lab and analysis methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, microscopy, mass spectrometry, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) Knowledge/Experience conducting experiments in a lab setting by conducting testing, data collection, and analysis Computational methods, software, and bioinformatics tools to analyze large biological datasets to find patterns and develop strategies Biotechnology trends and/or biosecurity and biodefense concepts Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear hazards and associated detection, monitoring, countermeasures, and defense strategies Ability to meet the minimum requirements for CIA, including U.S. citizenship and background investigation Desired Qualifications: Advanced degree and/or professional technical experience in a relevant STEM discipline Program or Project Management Certification In some cases, a degree or certification and/or professional technical experience in a relevant an Arts or Trade discipline

Education

A Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant STEM discipline (e.g., engineering; computers, networks and data science; physics; chemistry; biology or other life science; math) GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (if less than X years relevant experience)

Promotion Potential

GS-15

How You Will Be Evaluated

For more information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/.

Benefits

View benefits details ↗

Who Can Apply

• Current federal employees — competitive service
• Current federal employees — excepted service
• Open to the public

Required Documents

For further information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/.

How to Apply

This post is for viewing purposes only. To get started, please visit https://www.cia.gov/careers/, where you can read more about this position and express your interest in up to four jobs. Upon expressing your interest, you will be taken to MyLINK, which allows you to submit your resume and job rankings and provide basic information about yourself.

What to Expect Next

After you express interest for up to four positions on cia.gov/careers, a CIA recruiter may contact you for further discussion if your qualifications meet our needs. See the MyLINK FAQs on our website for more information.

About the Agency

We are the Nation's first line of defense, and we have a mission for you. Join us as we leverage the power of information to keep our Nation safe by collecting foreign intelligence, producing objective all-source analysis, conducting covert action at the president's direction, and safeguarding secrets that protect the United States. Our workforce is our strength. CIA is a place that values people with different backgrounds and perspectives. The goal being to create a community that fosters a sense of belonging in a way that enriches officers and empowers them to advance CIA's mission. Read more about life at CIA here: https://www.cia.gov/careers/working-at-cia/