Signals Analyst - Mid to Experienced Level (MD, CO)

CNSS • National Security Systems; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CNSS • National Security Systems seeks a Signals Analyst to identify signal purpose, content, and users across COMINT, ELINT, FISINT, and PROFORMA domains. The role requires a strong technical foundation in engineering or related fields and relevant military training or education.

Protections for national security and complex data handling are emphasized. The ideal candidate will leverage deep domain knowledge to recover and interpret intelligence from foreign signals, contributing to strategic

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, a Physical Science, or related field.
• A broader range of degrees may be considered with relevant military training.
• Relevant military education or training or military development program.
• Experience in signals analysis (COMINT, ELINT, FISINT or PROFORMA) or related areas.
• Experience in protocol analysis, network troubleshooting, or network security analysis.

Responsibilities

• Apply deep technical understanding of signal characteristics to define parameters and model behavior in RF and digital domains.
• Transform signals between domains and develop processing scripts.
• Report technical signal characteristics and maintain knowledge bases.
• Support analytic activities and follow-on work.
• Analyze data related to weapons and space systems and conduct target research.
• Identify and analyze signal waveforms, bit streams, and protocols.
• Develop software code to support analysis and processing.
• Collaborate with managers, developers, analysts, and reporters to fuse information and deliver intelligence.

Skills

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Engineering/Math/CS/Physical Science degree

Military education or training

Tools

Specialized analysis tools

Job description

Qualifications

Signals Analysis is a cutting-edge technical discipline that seeks to identify the purpose, content and user(s) of signals. Given today's rapidly evolving global communications, the NSA must maintain and develop a highly talented and diverse workforce of Signals Analysts who are a vital part in maintaining our technical capabilities to use the most sophisticated means to recover, understand, and derive intelligence from all manner of foreign signals. The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position:

Qualifications

Signals Analysis is a cutting-edge technical discipline that seeks to identify the purpose, content and user(s) of signals. Given today's rapidly evolving global communications, the NSA must maintain and develop a highly talented and diverse workforce of Signals Analysts who are a vital part in maintaining our technical capabilities to use the most sophisticated means to recover, understand, and derive intelligence from all manner of foreign signals. The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position: Degree must be in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, a Physical Science, or a related technical field. A broader range of degrees may be considered for those who have completed a relevant military training program. Relevant military education in a relevant military degree, relevant military training, or military development program (for example, Intermediate Tech ELINT Analyst, 451/461 (Intermediate Signals Analysis), 452 (Advanced Signals Analysis), Military Signals Analysis Program (MSAP), Military ELINT Signals Analysis Program (MESAP), or Military Operational Signals Analysis Program (MOSAP)). Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: signals analysis (COMINT, ELINT, FISINT or PROFORMA); protocol analysis; network troubleshooting; network traffic characterization; network security analysis; or design and engineering of aerospace, communications, electronic or industrial systems. If not credited toward education requirement, completion of relevant military training will be considered towards the experience requirement.

Full Performance

Entry is with a high school diploma or GED plus 7 years of relevant experience plus relevant military education; or an Associate's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, plus relevant military education; or 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.

Senior

Entry is with a high school diploma or GED plus 10 years of relevant experience plus relevant military education; or an Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience, plus relevant military education; or 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. Given today's rapid evolution of signals and advancements in adversarial technologies, the NSA must maintain and develop a highly talented workforce of SIGINT analysis professionals, e.g. Signals Analysts and Target Systems Analysts, spanning expertise in communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT), and PROFORMA (formatted data communications) intelligence. These professionals play a vital part in maintaining our technical capabilities to recover, understand, exploit and derive intelligence from foreign communications and signals.

• COMINT is technical and intelligence information derived from foreign communications; it includes intelligence derived from the content of the communications to and from individuals, networks, or devices.
• ELINT is technical and geolocation information derived from foreign non-communication electromagnetic emissions, most commonly from radars, weapons systems, beacons, navigational systems and electromagnetic interference.
• FISINT consists of technical information and intelligence derived from the intercept of foreign electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment of foreign aerospace, surface and subsurface systems.
• PROFORMA is machine-generated data communications associated with military C4ISR, civil, industrial, commercial and personal applications; analysis of PROFORMA data conveys information derived from sensors and/or control systems.

Responsibilities Of Signals Analyst Professionals May Include

• Levy deep technical understanding of signal characteristics to determine signal structure, define signal parameters, identify signal content, and model signal behavior within the RF and digital domains.
• Transform signals between domains, and create processing models and scripts.
• Report technical characteristics of signals and maintain knowledge bases.
• Support access and follow-on analytic activities.
• Analyze engineering and technical information related to weapon and space systems.
• Conduct target analysis and research.
• Use knowledge of customer requirements to collect, process, analyze and/or report on signals intelligence information.
• Identify and analyze signal waveforms (e.g., weapon systems or communication systems), bit streams (e.g., multiplexers, error correction, voice and video compression, or instrumentation systems), and/or protocols (e.g., link layer, network layer, or application layer).
• Develop software code to support analysis and/or processing using a variety of architectures and solutions.
• Report signal parametric data and intelligence information in databases, narrative reports, and oral presentations.
• Collaborate with collection managers, developers, analysts, and reporters to optimize resources, develop new solutions to analytic challenges, fuse multiple sources of information, and deliver critical intelligence to a variety of customers. The ideal candidate is someone with a desire for continual learning and strong problem-solving, analytic and interpersonal skills who is/can:
• accountable
• flexible
• resilient
• communicate effectively
• collaborate with others

Specialized skills and experience in one or more of the following is desired:

• applying specialized tools and computer-based programs to process data for analytic problems
• assessing applicability of available tools to various situations
• combining analytics, tools, and visualization to support analysis
• interpreting output of specialized tools and computer-based programs
• programming / script development
• weapon system design or testing
• telemetry system design or implementation

Potential Areas Of Specialization Include

• ELINT
• Bauded Discovery Analysis
• Bauded Internals Analysis
• Bauded Waveform Analysis
• COMINT Protocol Analysis
• FISINT Protocol Analysis
• Operational Target Tracking
• PROFORMA Analysis

NOTE: A copy of your unofficial transcript is highly encouraged to be submitted with your application to expedite processing.