Co-op: IT and Engineering

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS); Toronto; On-site; CAD 46,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

The CSIS offers an enriching internship opportunity for students aiming to gain valuable hands-on experience in diverse technical fields. Candidates will join a collaborative work environment, work on impactful projects, and develop essential technical skills under mentorship. This position is ideal for those pursuing degrees related to computer science, engineering, or IT.

Qualifications

• Registered full-time in an accredited Co-op or Internship program.
• Must be in a field of study relevant to the position.
• Experience may include formal and informal settings.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on work experience with projects across various technical streams.
• Collaborative work environments paired with experienced employees.
• Focus on cultivating skills in specialized technical areas.

Skills

Problem Solving

Analytical Skills

Teamwork

Client Service

Initiative

Education

College Diploma student in their 3rd year

Undergraduate degree student in their 3rd year or higher

Graduate-level student (Master’s or Ph.D.)

Job description

Job Summary

Work Term: Fall 2026 (September – December)

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is seeking to hire students who are looking for a Co-op or internship placement opportunity from September 2026 to December 2026.

Eligibility: We will only be considering applicants enrolled in an accredited Co-op or Internship program in line with their program requirements from their post-secondary academic institution.

CSIS is committed to building a workforce that is truly representative of the Canadians it serves by cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. This will be achieved by increasing employment equity group representation (including persons with disabilities, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples and women) at all levels within the organization through hiring and talent management practices. We will also ensure that appropriate accommodations are made (e.g., specialized equipment, changes to the physical workspace) to provide employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. In support of achieving a greater, diverse and skilled workforce, we strongly encourage those individuals who belong to one or more of the employment equity groups to self-identify when applying.

CSIS is looking for students who thrive on tackling diverse challenges in a unique environment. If you are up for the challenge and want to join one of our highest performing teams, there is no doubt that your contributions to CSIS will provide a meaningful impact to our mission of helping keep Canadians safe against national security threats.

CSIS offers opportunities for students to gain valuable experience in science and technology, with the possibility to return for multiple placements within the directorate.

Students will be given the opportunity to cultivate their skills and knowledge by being paired with experienced employees who will provide feedback during the work term. They will have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience before choosing a career specialization.

The system will allow you to select only one location of work. If you are interested to be considered for various locations of work as mentioned above, please highlight, in your cover letter, the additional locations you would like to apply to.

Our program is designed to identify and develop potential full-time employees.

Special consideration may be given to those with a proficiency in both official languages of Canada.

Science and Technologies offers a wide variety of specializations; you can apply to one or multiple areas of interest within the branch for student job opportunities.

Placement Will Provide Opportunities In The Following Areas

• Hands on work experience with projects;
• Teamwork and individual contributions;
• Exposure to knowledgeable and passionate subject matter experts;
• Collaborative work environments;
• Improve time and project management skills;
• Diverse work force.

Summary of functions

Students can cultivate their skills and gain valuable experience in the following fields:

Stream 1 – Database Administration

• Install, configure, monitor and support databases, performing database backups, restores/refreshes;
• Advise/assist developers in database design and queries best practices.

Stream 2 – Embedded Systems Programming/Hardware

• Work with analog and digital electronic circuits and troubleshooting hardware/software/firmware within embedded systems.
• Assist with testing and evaluation of systems to ensure they meet their functional and operational requirements.
• Analyze test results and track issues resolution to ensure that systems can be successfully deployed operationally with high confidence.
• Gain experience with microcontroller architecture (Raspberry Pi, Arduino), embedded PC hardware or VME based single board computers, and ARM architectures.

Stream 3 – IT Infrastructure Support

• Provide operational infrastructure services that enable the collection of intelligence in order to advance CSIS’ investigations;
• Create and sustain a centralized operational environment that offers high performance and high speed networks through the development of a core set of services of cost-effective, scalable and adaptive infrastructure;
• Maintain, support and administer elements in an Enterprise environment such as: Linux/Windows servers, virtualization technologies (VMware, OpenStack); storage technologies (Storage Area Network, Network Attached Storage, backups/restores); identity and access management (LDAP, Active Directory); web infrastructure.

Stream 4 – IT/Network Security

• Research latest security practices. Validate operational tools and make recommendations for improvements to standard practices;
• Apply network security best practices involving commercial hardware and software;
• Develop software tools and scripts for system security audits;
• Assess/provide/use/validate secure network infrastructure for technical solutions.
• Test vulnerability of products or software, proof of concepts, refine requirements and conduct research;
• Install, configure and support security related products;
• Conduct in depth security assessments including but not limited to Statements of Sensitivity (SOS), Security Reviews, Threat and Risk Assessments (TRA) and Certification & Accreditations (C&A) or Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A);
• Obtain solid foundation of Government of Canada IT Security standards;
• Learn how to work in a Security Operations Center environment;
• Familiarize oneself with Wireless Intruder Detection Systems (WIDS) and their role in IT Security;
• Participate in the forensic acquisition and analysis of various equipment using modern tools and techniques.

Stream 5 – Networking/Network Engineering/Telecommunications

• Develop tools for the delivery and processing of telecommunications data;
• Test and maintain mobile devices using networking protocols and software development tools;
• Analyze and configure LAN/WAN communications networks and appliances;
• Maintain, support and administer of LAN/WAN.

Stream 6 – Software Development

• Use programming language such as, but not limited to: Java, C#, Javascript, Python, C/C++ and Go;
• Perform development and integration of software systems using Pega Business Process Management (BPM) rules engine;
• Build tools, APIs, native or web based frontends;
• Interact with end users and provide recommendations;
• Participate in designing, programming, testing, documenting and optimizing solutions;
• Learn best practices through mentorship and code review;
• Support or modernize legacy applications.

Stream 7 – Specialized Intelligence Collection Systems

• Validate the functionality of technical solutions to ensure the capabilities will be effective in an operational environment;
• Provide/use/validate secure network infrastructure for technical solutions;
• Investigate, troubleshoot and determine remedial action to issues reported by clients;
• Configure and deploy various solutions involving networking equipment, computers, software applications and tools.

Stream 8 – Support Technicians

• Hardware repairs / setup (computer, printer, mouse, keyboard, etc.);
• Application Support;
• Passwords Resets;
• Samsung Cell Phone Troubleshooting / Install;
• Network/ Connectivity Issues;
• Video Conference Support;
• File Transfers or Restoration (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.);
• Telephone and Fax Support;
• General IT Questions / Support.

Stream 9 – Quality Assurance and Testing

• Ensure data quality and data assurance in a processing system for collection, organization, filtering, triaging, and reporting of data types, collected using various techniques on a big data system in a complexly distributed mission critical system;
• Assist with testing and evaluation of systems to ensure they meet user requirements;
• Coordinate with development and operational teams to identify valuable tests and writing/developing new test cases and participate in continuous improvement testing;
• Analyze test results and track issues until resolution;
• Use tools and systems that directly support the collection, processing, storage, handling and safeguarding.

Education

Registered full-time in one of the following academic paths at the time of placement:

• College Diploma student in their 3 rd year;
• Undergraduate degree student in their 3rd year or higher;
• Graduate-level student (Master’s or Ph.D.)

Must Be In a Field Of Study Relevant To The Functions Of The Position For Which The Candidates Apply To; Such As, But Not Limited To

• Computer Science
• Computer and Electrical Engineering
• Engineering in technical areas
• Mechanical Engineering
• Network Security
• Information Technology
• Telecommunications
• Software Engineering
• Informatics

Applicants must be registered as a full-time, post-secondary student in an accredited academic institution recognized in Canada during their work term.

Experience

Experience may have been acquired through formal and informal settings (e.g. school, volunteer work experience or projects).

Assets

Stream 6 – Software Development

• Develop on mobile platforms (iOS / Android) with one or more mobile applications focused programming languages (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Objective C, Swift);
• Develop Web application components such as frontend or backend
• Desktop application development;
• Linux environments and Bash scripting (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Fedora, etc.)
• Encryption technologies (SSL, RSA, AES, etc.);
• Use programming language such as, but not limited to: Java/Kotlin, C#, Javascript/Typescript, Python, C/C++ and Go.

Competencies

• Problem Solving
• Analytical Skills
• Teamwork
• Client Service
• Initiative

Notes

How To Submit Application

Applicants must include the following information in their cover letter in order to be given further consideration:

Name Of Student

Graduation date:

Program Of Study

Post Secondary School:

• Location of interest.
  • Indicate your desired location of work if applicable.
  • Travel costs benefits may apply. Further information will be disclosed during the interview process.
• Specify if you are enrolled in a co-op placement or internship.
• Indicate your desired stream(s) in order of preference.
• Availability of your work term (4, 8, 12 or 16 months)?
• Your current year of study and expected graduation date.

Tips For Your Cover Letter And Resume

• Tell us your story: why do you want to work for CSIS?
• Work objectives.
• Technical abilities (where applicable).
• Volunteer or work Experience (where applicable).
• Projects (where applicable).

Salary Range

College or undergraduate

Annual Rate: $46,548-$66,035

Hourly Rate: $23.79-$33.75

Graduate

Annual Rate: $53,220-$67,151

Hourly Rate: $27.20-$34.32

Reference Links

• Hourly salary
• Public Service Commission Approved CO-OP (Co-operative Education)/Internship Programs

Security Requirements

Candidates must be eligible to receive an Enhanced Top Secret security clearance. The process involves a security interview, a polygraph, and a background investigation that includes credit and financial verifications. The use of illegal drugs is a criminal offense. Drug use is an important factor considered in your reliability and suitability assessment during the selection process. Therefore it is important not to use any illegal drugs from the time you submit your application.

Others

Important

Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application how they meet each Education and Experience criteria. Failure to do so will result in the applicant being screened out of the career opportunity.

CSIS is a separate employer and is not subject to the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) . CSIS has its own classification, compensation system, and a different staffing regime. As such, we use a different staffing process and terminology.

CSIS is committed to building a workforce that is truly representative of the Canadians it serves by cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. This will be achieved by increasing employment equity group representation (including persons with disabilities, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, and women) at all levels within the organization through hiring and talent management practices. We will also ensure that appropriate accommodations are made (e.g., specialized equipment, changes to physical workspace) to provide employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. In support of achieving a greater, diverse and skilled workforce, we strongly encourage those individuals who belong to one or more of the employment equity groups to self-identify when applying.

Should you require accommodation in relation to a disability, please tell us at the beginning of the selection process. This information will be kept confidential.

CSIS Offices in Canada are located on various ancestral and traditional lands. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge all Indigenous People across Canada and their connection to these lands.

The personal information provided in your application is protected under the Privacy Act and will be held in Personal Information Bank SIS/P-PU-025.

We thank all applicants for their interest in CSIS. However, only those who are selected for further consideration will be contacted.