PROGRAM ANALYST
Defense Information Systems Agency
Posted: March 16, 2026 (0 days ago)
This job was posted recently. Fresh listings typically have less competition.
National Security Agency/Central Security Service
Department of Defense
Location
Fort Meade, Maryland
Salary
$105,262 - $197,200
per year
Type
Full-Time
More Planning & Development jobs →Closes
This job at the National Security Agency involves creating advanced software and hardware tools to help protect the nation by targeting tough enemy networks and solving complex tech problems.
It's perfect for curious computer science or engineering experts who love innovating and working on cutting-edge projects in a team setting.
You'll need a strong technical background and experience in building or testing systems to get critical information to decision-makers.
Are you a computer science or computer/electrical engineering professional? Do you have strong software or hardware design, development, testing or reverse engineering skills?
Do you want to be part of a team that develops ground breaking solutions? The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
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).
Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: engineering hardware or software over their lifecycle (i.e., requirements analysis, design, development, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance), programming, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, computer forensics, or systems engineering.
Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis course) will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 24-week JCAC course will count as 6 months of experience).
FULL PERFORMANCE 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.
SENIOR 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.
EXPERT 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. Major Duties:
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!
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
Check your resume before applying to catch common mistakes