The Directorate of Support (DS) is responsible for providing a comprehensive, worldwide security program that supports the analysts, clandestine officers, scientists and engineers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Security is critical to the overall mission of the CIA, so the DS employs security professionals who are called upon to protect the Agency’s people, information, facilities and missions.
Because of the breadth of CIA operations, security professionals may be involved in a wide range of activities, both domestically and abroad, that are geared toward protecting the Agency’s facilities, information systems, and sensitive information. They may be involved with the selection of personnel for positions of trust within the Agency, and they often work alongside analysts, scientists, and operations officers.
CIA Security Professional Job Description
Security professionals within the CIA are exposed to a wide variety of security disciplines, including:
- Personnel security
- Physical security
- Technical security
- Cyber security
- Program security
- Acquisitions security
The CIA’s Multidisciplinary Security Officer occupation is quite extensive, encompassing work that involves:
- The collection, analysis and reporting of security or counterintelligence information
- Resource and program management
- Policy
- Liaison with other members of the Intelligence community
- Liaison with U.S. government partners
Therefore, CIA security professional positions include:
- Polygraph examiners
- Background investigators
- Financial investigators
- Computer forensics investigators
- Clearance adjudication
- Counterintelligence analysts
- Deployed security support professionals
The security professionals of the CIA:
- Are highly organized
- Are analytic thinkers
- Have excellent communication and representational skills
- Easily work in a team environment
- Have only the highest levels of integrity
- Are willing and able to change assignments every two to three years
- Are willing to develop skills as to meet the mission needs of the CIA
Job Requirements for CIA Security Professionals
Individuals interested in pursuing CIA security professional jobs must be United States citizens, and they must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA.
Although the CIA accepts candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds, they are currently seeking individuals who have studied the following in their undergraduate degree program:
- Systems Analysis
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Languages
- Journalism
- Human Resources
- History
- Finance
- English
- Economics
- Criminal Justice
- Computer Security
- Computer Science
- Business
Degrees in Sociology
Sociology degrees prepare students for careers in security by providing them with study in all forms of human behavior and interaction, from the individual and small group level to institutions and globalization. Students in a sociology program will develop knowledge in research, empirical and theoretical analysis, critical thinking, and information literacy.
Degrees in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice degrees provide students with an understanding of the nature and causes of crime and delinquency, as well as social control and the nature of the criminal justice system.
Degrees in Business
Business degrees prepare students for careers in CIA security by teaching them to apply business concepts in solving problems, synthesizing information, and integrating knowledge learned in classroom and real-world settings. Other themes within business degrees include ethics, communication, critical thinking, and the organization of global knowledge from both a cultural and geographic perspective.
Candidates for the CIA must be able to pass a number of occupational tests, including a writing test, a personality interview, an aptitude test, and personal interviews. Further, they must successfully pass a medical examination, a psychological evaluation, a polygraph examination, and an extensive background investigation.
The CIA provides new security professionals with both classroom and on-the-job training, most of which is completed in the Washington D.C. Security professionals with the CIA must be willing to complete training in firearms, CPR, defensive tactics, and defensive driving, among others.