Development Program (CNODP) / Capabilities Development Specialist - Entry to Mid Level (Maryland)

About the role

NSA's development programs help employees enhance their skills and improve their understanding of a specific discipline. The programs are generally three years long and feature rotational tours throughout the Agency.

Designed for entry to mid-level employees, development program participants are afforded the opportunity to receive tailored training, often with a cohort, and multiple assignments across Agency Directorates to develop skills and experience to ground their career at the NSA.

What you will do

• Are you driven by a passion to work at the cutting edge of technology?
• Do you dream to make the impossible possible?
• The National Security Agency is seeking highly motivated Computer Science and Computer/Electrical Engineering professionals to drive its mission to develop new capabilities, design new approaches, help solve complex problems, and research new solutions to propel our mission.
• As a Capabilities Development Specialist (CDS), your job will be to develop custom high-priority offensive and defensive capabilities targeting the hardest-to-reach adversarial networks in the world.
• In defense of our Nation, we conduct innovative research and produce hardware and software tools unlike anything in the world.
• By joining our team, you will apply and grow your expertise to create new ways to get critical information to our national decision makers.
• Whether it is in software, hardware, or cutting-edge research, if you are up for a challenge, have unbridled curiosity, and a drive to develop tomorrow's technologies and tools today, apply to join our team.
• Use your unique experiences and expertise to protect national security interests as part of the world's most advanced team of computer science and engineering professionals!
• Applicants will be considered for the Computer Network Operations Development Program (CNODP).
• For additional information on development programs please visit: *** For any questions regarding CNODP, please email ***.
• If you have interests, skills, or experience in one or more of the following areas, we'd like to hear from you: - Software Specialties: Strong software development skills (C, C++, Assembly, ARM); Software RE/interactive debugging tools (e.g., Ghidra, OllyDbg, gdb); Software application vulnerability analysis and exploitation; Operating system internals; Mobile platform development and analysis; algorithmic analysis; prototyping. - Malware Reverse Engineer: Perform advanced malware analysis/reverse engineering of specialized malware/complex files.
• CISSP, CEH, GREM, GPEN certifications are a plus. - Hardware Specialties: Hardware RE, design, development, or testing (Verilog, VHDL, FPGA, PCB); Testing and debugging tools (JTAG, Oscilloscopes, etc.); Job roles may include: - Developing exploitation capabilities and analytics to enable foreign target network collection - Designing hardware components and systems to further signals intelligence missions - Analyzing sophisticated malware ** When submitting your application, please ensure that you fully populate all sections of the resume tool with all relevant skills, experience, and education, as the resume entered into the tool will be the primary resume used to evaluate your application.
• Please do NOT populate the resume tool with 'see resume.' **

Education

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS), Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field.

Degrees in Information Technology, Information Systems, Information Security, Networking (Systems Administration), Information Assurance, or Cybersecurity may be considered relevant if the programs contain, at minimum, a concentration of courses in the following foundational CS areas: algorithms; computer architecture (not network architecture); programming methodologies and languages; data structures; logic and computation; and upper-level mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics).

How you will be evaluated

The ideal candidate is someone who thrives on solving hard problems, has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and is able to: - work independently as well as in a team environment to build solutions - handle multiple assignments - synthesize information to solve complex problems - develop, diagnose, and operate complex computer systems Additionally, the ideal candidate is someone with knowledge and experience in one or more of the following: - programming and scripting experience (e.g., C, C++, Assembly, ARM, Python) - computer networking (e.g., communication protocols, distributed systems, Internet of Things, real-time systems, routing and switching) - protocol analysis (e.g. Wireshark, tcpdump) - hardware and software vulnerability analysis - software reverse engineering/interactive debugging tools (e.g., Ghidra, IDA Pro, Ollydbg, gdb) - hardware reverse engineering tools (e.g., JTAG, Oscilloscopes) - software development life-cycle (design, develop, implementation, debug, testing) - kernel and device driver development - network/socket programming - embedded systems development - operating systems - algorithm analysis and design - reverse engineering

Documents you must provide

• The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS).
• All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority.
• DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement.
• If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

What to expect next

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Additional information

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Salary Range: $87,362 - $153,082 (Entry/Developmental, Full Performance) Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position. Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience. Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement. Required start time between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.