Software Engineer

Company: National Security Agency
Location: Ames
Posted on: November 12, 2021

Job Description:

Responsibilities

The NSA Story

The National Security Agency (NSA) exists to obtain insight into foreign adversaries' plans and intentions and protect our U.S. cybersecurity interests. We provide national security insights and threat warnings to government decision-makers and eradicate cybersecurity threats.

How You Can Contribute

Do you desire to do something bigger than yourself? Do you want your job to matter to you and to others? You can do that by providing the technical capabilities necessary to successfully execute NSA's mission to protect our Nation. The increased complexity of supporting NSA's mission requires world class researchers, programmers, and developers who operate in teams in software engineering, information technology infrastructure, high performance computing, data science, architectures, cybersecurity, and networking in order to design and develop advanced tools, techniques, and systems. You can be part of that team!

Given the pace of technologies and myriad of adversaries in the cyber realm and foreign nation state actors, software engineers at the NSA develop the technologies and abilities to maintain our advantage in national defense and information gathering. Software engineers develop the systems needed to manage data (collect, extract value, route, etc.) at scale, build user interfaces, protect the nation's systems, and identify and develop support infrastructure as a service provider to the agency and Intelligence Community.

Responsibilities

* Creating secure applications that scale from small platforms to globally interconnected data centers
* Identifying and retrieving the most important pieces of information out of 100s of petabytes of data
* Leveraging open source software
* Integrating off-the-shelf and government developed software
* Conducting cybersecurity evaluations of system/architecture components
* Designing, developing, and implementing cybersecurity solutions based on established standards
* Leading new advances in computer science and riding the leading edge of computing technologies:
* Microprocessor-based and other architectural advances
* Beyond the horizon supercomputers
* Signals processing (including analog control)
* User interfaces
* Deep learning
* Information security and access controls
* Design and implementation of encryption and cryptography
* Advanced algorithms

Job Summary

Does solving unique problems energize you? Do you like to create distinctive solutions? The difference between NSA Computer Scientists and others are the problems we MUST solve. Our culture believes in solving "unsolvable" problems, which we do by creating new science and new technologies not yet discovered, that will protect and advance our Nation in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Are you ready for the challenge? Are you fearless? ...then click to read more!

Qualifications

Salary Range: $73,076 - $91,057 (Entry/Developmental)

* The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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.

Entry is with a Bachelor's degree and no experience. An Associate's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS). Related fields (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics) 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 advanced mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics). Information Technology (IT) or Information Systems (IS) degrees may be considered relevant if the programs contain the amount and type of coursework equivalent to a CS major.

Relevant experience must be in the software development process (i.e., requirements analysis, software design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance) and programming.

Salary Range: $84,529 - $113,362 (Full Performance)

* The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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.

Entry is with 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. An Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS). Related fields (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics) 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 advanced mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics). Information Technology (IT) or Information Systems (IS) degrees may be considered relevant if the programs contain the amount and type of coursework equivalent to a CS major.

Relevant experience must be in the software development process (i.e., requirements analysis, software design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance) and programming.

Salary Range: $103,690 - $159,286 (Senior)

* The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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.

Entry is with 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. An Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS). Related fields (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics) 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 advanced mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics). Information Technology (IT) or Information Systems (IS) degrees may be considered relevant if the programs contain the amount and type of coursework equivalent to a CS major.

Relevant experience must be in the software development process (i.e., requirements analysis, software design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance) and programming. Formal or informal leadership experience is preferred.

Salary Range: $144,128 - $172,500 (Expert)

* The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. 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.

Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 9 years of relevant experience or a Master's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience or a Doctoral degree plus 5 years of relevant experience. An Associate's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS). Related fields (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics) 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 advanced mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics). Information Technology (IT) or Information Systems (IS) degrees may be considered relevant if the programs contain the amount and type of coursework equivalent to a CS major.

Relevant experience must be in the software development process (i.e., requirements analysis, software design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance) and programming. Formal or informal leadership experience is preferred.

Competencies

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for someone who:

* Loves to learn
* Loves working as a contributing member of a team in a fast-paced environment
* Can juggle multiple priorities and deadlines
* Possesses strong communication and interpersonal skills
* Enjoys problem-solving and strategic-thinking

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule

On-the job training, Internal NSA courses, and external training will be made available based on the need and experience of the selectee.

Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirements between 0600 and 1800 (flexible).

How to apply

To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply' button located at the top right of this posting. After completing the application for the first time, or reviewing previously entered information, and clicking the 'Submit' button, you will receive a confirmation email. Please ensure your spam filters are configured to accept emails from noreply@intelligencecareers.gov.

Please attach an unofficial copy of your transcripts when applying for this position. Providing a copy of your transcripts is especially critical since the minimum qualifications for this position require a CS/CE degree OR a degree that demonstrates a concentration of CS coursework. For example, degrees in Computer Networking, Information Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Information Security, Information Assurance, Cyber Security, and Digital Forensics MAY be considered for this position IF your coursework/transcripts demonstrate a concentration of CS coursework. Foundational CS coursework includes the following courses: Computer Architecture, Programming Languages, Data Structures, and Algorithms.

* PLEASE NOTE: U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. Reasonable accommodations provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. 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.

This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. 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.

Please note that you may be asked a series of questions depending on the position you apply for. Your responses will be used as part of the screening process of your application and will assist in determining your eligibility for the position. Be sure to elaborate on experiences in your resume. Failure to provide the required information or providing inaccurate information will result in your application not being considered for this position. Only those applicants who meet the qualifications for the position will be contacted to begin employment processing.

Please Note: Job Posting could close earlier than the closing date due to sufficient number of applicants or position no longer available. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

DCIPS Disclaimer

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.

Keywords: National Security Agency, Ames , Software Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Ames, Iowa