Technical security officers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are responsible for working with CIA technical security systems and equipment. This includes intrusion detection devices, access control devices, video, and CCTV, just to name a few. Their work involves the configuration, design, deployment, and maintenance of security systems in any number of environments, both domestically and abroad.
Technical security officers, both in the CIA and in the modern workplace, have become critical to the protection of network and computer systems, particularly against cyber-attacks. Technical security officers, in addition to creating, designing, and maintaining security systems, also oversee the overall information security process, which includes its development and expansion.
Meeting the Requirements to Become a CIA Technical Security Officer
Individuals with their sights set on technical security officer jobs with the CIA must be United States citizens, and they must be able to commit to a five-year contract-term employment agreement.
Due to the highly technical nature of this career field, all applicants must possess one of the following:
- A formal degree in electronics or information technology (IT)
- Certificate of completion from a military or commercially recognized electronics or IT school
- Comprehensive work experience; working knowledge should include experience with safe repair, safe locks, alarms with IT-based security integration equipment, and electricity
Degrees in Information Technology
Information technology (IT) degrees provide students with knowledge in the design, implementation, and administration of computer-based information solutions. These programs generally focus on web applications, languages, frameworks for designing complex web sites, and developing skills to use the tools, languages and frameworks.
Students in formal IT degree programs obtain a broad range of technical skills that allow them to create effective solutions to today’s knowledge-based problems. Topics within an IT program include quantitative methods, operating systems, networks, programming, and Internet essentials. Specialty study within an IT program may include web and multimedia design, system and network administration, networking, and security.
Major courses in an IT degree program include:
- Technology and information fluency
- Information systems for management
- Systems analysis and design
- Net security and legal issues
- Java programming
- Database management systems
- Operating systems concepts
- Network foundations
- Internet essentials
- Computer architecture and systems programming
- Wireless network technologies
- Organizational behavior
Degrees in Electronics Engineering
Bachelor’s degrees in electronics engineering are designed to allow students to develop technical skills in a variety of technical fields, such as technical security. Curriculum in an electronics engineering degree focuses on the application of electronics principles that are critical to the solution of practical problems. It also focuses on the fundamentals of electronics as to address real-world problems.
Core coursework in electronics engineering degrees includes:
- Digital communications
- Embedded controllers
- Energy conversion
- Power system analysis
- Calculus
- Differential equations
- Statistics
- Engineering physics
- Intermediate visual basic
- Java
- C++
- C#
Candidates for technical security officer jobs with the CIA must successfully complete a medical examination, a psychological examination, a polygraph interview, and an extensive background investigation.