Chinese Multidisciplined Language Analyst / Language Analyst Development Program (LADP) - Entry to Experienced Level (MD, HI, GA, UT)

About the role

NSA's Linguists, known as Multidisciplined Language Analysts (MDLAs), play a crucial role in the Intelligence Community by analyzing, transcribing, and translating foreign language materials. They contribute to the SIGINT mission, helping U.S. policymakers and military leaders understand foreign language worlds, cultures, and geopolitical contexts.

Responsibilities

• Offer insights to U.S. policymakers and military leaders by analyzing, transcribing, and translating key information.
• Research and understand other cultures and their operations within the broader geo-political context.
• Develop creative solutions to address complex analytic problems, such as synthesizing large volumes of data and disparate sources of information.
• Craft written and oral assessments that provide unique insights unavailable from other intelligence disciplines.
• Work independently and collaboratively, both within NSA and with other analysts in the Intelligence Community, to research, analyze, and report.

Requirements

• A minimum language proficiency of Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) level 2/2 in reading and listening in the target language for which the applicant is being considered.
• Relevant experience in performing professional work in the language, military, teaching, or analysis; or non-language work in fields such as intelligence analysis, international relations, security studies, intelligence studies, journalism, law, STEM fields, and other topics relevant to NSA mission.
• Applicant must have a high school diploma or GED, with 4 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree with 2 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree with no experience, or a Master's degree with 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience for Entry/Developmental level.
• 7 years of relevant experience for Full Performance level, 10 years of relevant experience for Senior level.

Qualifications

• A degree in any field is acceptable.
• Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: performing professional work in the language, military, teaching, and analysis; OR non-language work in a field such as intelligence analysis, international relations, security studies, intelligence studies, journalism, law, STEM fields, and other topics relevant to NSA mission.
• Applicant must have a minimum language proficiency of ILR level 2/2 in reading and listening in the target language for which the applicant is being considered.

Skills

• Intellectually curious and a desire for continual learning.
• Well organized and able to handle multiple assignments.
• A strong written and oral communicator.
• Able to synthesize information to solve complex problems.
• Able to provide timely and accurate customer service.
• Coursework, knowledge, and experience in target development, social network analysis, metadata analysis, research methodology, topical or regional studies relevant to national security, quantitative/statistical analysis, data modeling, mining, or science, cyber security, computer science or networking, telecommunications, etc.
• Relevant internships, extracurricular activities, and/or foreign study.
• Prior military without a degree but with language analysis cryptologic experience.
• Experience in areas such as language quality control, serving as an SME, authoring and releasing reports, mentoring, coaching, and leading other Language Analysts, ensuring the technical health of the mission, mastering and coaching others on the use of a variety of internal tools, testing at ILR 3/3 levels for one or more mission languages, and displaying a broad knowledge of the Intelligence Community and how various elements work together to prosecute mission.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package offered by NSA.

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule

• Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position.
• Salary range: $50,460 - $187,093 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance, Senior).
• Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience.
• Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package.
• Work Schedule: Full-time position, Monday - Friday, with a basic 8-hour/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).

How to apply

Apply soonest, as job postings can close earlier than stated end dates due to changes in requirements. Review and note the minimum qualifications, as only those applicants who meet the required qualifications will be contacted to continue the employment process. Populate the resume tool to showcase any relevant work experience and education related to the position and answer any applicable screening questions. Information collected will be used to determine eligibility, and failure to provide accurate information may result in disqualification for this position. A confirmation email will be sent after submission of the first application and also after any future updates to submitted applications. Due to time-sensitive communications regarding applications, ensure your spam filters are configured to accept emails from noreply@intelligencecareers.gov. For job vacancies that include stated testing requirements, also include the following: @uwe.nsa.gov, @nsa.gov, and @pearson.com. U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph. NSA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process. The following four narrative questions provide an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. (Please attach in application)

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are relevant to this role.