Language Officer

Industry: Language Specialist

Company: Central Intelligence Agency

Summary

Directorate of Operations Language Officers use their foreign language skills, cultural experience, and expertise to enable and produce translations and interpretations to clandestine operations.

This job is open to

• The public

  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Federal employees – Competitive service

  Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Federal employees – Excepted service

  Current excepted service federal employees.

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Duties

As a Directorate of Operations Language Officer at CIA, you will perform a critical and dynamic function within the Directorate of Operations by using your advanced foreign language skills combined with cultural experience and expertise to produce high-quality, accurate, and timely translations, interpretations, and other language-related support to clandestine operations. Language Officers are key to the success of many foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, cyber, and covert action operations and have native or near-native level fluency in one or more of the following languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese Mandarin
• Korean
• Persian/Farsi
• Russian
• Japanese
• Spanish

Language Officers generally are assigned to the Washington, DC area, but have opportunities for overseas travel. Opportunities to serve multi-year postings overseas are very limited and these positions are highly competitive.

You will receive specialized training to acquire an understanding of clandestine operations tradecraft and to maintain and/or advance your foreign language skills. Classroom training, practical exercises, and on-the-job experience are all part of the training process.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be physically in the United States or one of its territories when you submit your resume via MyLINK.
• You must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age (dual-national US citizens are eligible).
• You must be willing to move to the Washington, DC area.
• You must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview, and a comprehensive background investigation.
• For further information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/how-we-hire/

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Personal integrity
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written)
• Action- and results-oriented
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently
• Flexibility, adaptability, and commitment to the mission of the CIA and the Directorate of Operations
• Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation

Desired Qualifications

• Strong command of the foreign language(s) and English in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• Professional work experience as a translator and/or interpreter.
• Cultural and area knowledge of where the foreign language(s) is/are spoken.
• Strong critical/analytical thinking and research skills.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to establish respectful relationships and to work effectively in a diverse team environment.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (applicants within one year of earning a four-year degree will be considered); there is no preferred major or program of study (degrees from foreign academic institutions are accepted, but you are responsible for obtaining and providing CIA with a credential evaluation from an accredited firm confirming that the foreign degree is the equivalent of a BA/BS and/or MA/MS degree conferred by a U.S. college or university)
• At least a 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale is preferred

• Benefits

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

For more information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/directorate-of-operations-language-officer/.

• Benefits

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

  For further information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/directorate-of-operations-language-officer/.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• How to Apply

  This post is for viewing purposes only. To get started, please visit https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/directorate-of-operations-language-officer/, where you can read more about this position and express your interest in up to four jobs. Upon expressing your interest, you will be taken to MyLINK, which allows you to submit your resume and job rankings and provide basic information about yourself.

  Agency contact information

  Central Intelligence Agency

  Website

  https://cia.gov/careers

  Next steps

  After you express interest for up to four positions on cia.gov/careers, a CIA recruiter may contact you for further discussion if your qualifications meet our needs. See the MyLINK FAQs on our website for more information.

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

For further information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/directorate-of-operations-language-officer/.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

This post is for viewing purposes only. To get started, please visit https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/directorate-of-operations-language-officer/, where you can read more about this position and express your interest in up to four jobs. Upon expressing your interest, you will be taken to MyLINK, which allows you to submit your resume and job rankings and provide basic information about yourself.

Agency contact information

Central Intelligence Agency

Website

https://cia.gov/careers

Next steps

After you express interest for up to four positions on cia.gov/careers, a CIA recruiter may contact you for further discussion if your qualifications meet our needs. See the MyLINK FAQs on our website for more information.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request