Intelligence Analyst — Federal Agencies and Cleared Defense Contractors, U.S.

US federal agencies — the CIA, FBI, NSA, DIA and others — and the cleared defense contractors that support them hire intelligence analysts to collect, evaluate and interpret information for decision-makers.

What the work involves

Gathering data from open-source, signals and human sources, finding patterns and threats in it, writing assessments and briefings, and presenting findings to leadership, often under deadline and always inside secure systems.

Requirements

• US citizenship — required for a security clearance and for almost all intelligence roles
• At least a bachelor's degree, commonly in international relations, political science or a national security field
• The ability to obtain a clearance, usually Top Secret with SCI, including a background investigation and often a polygraph
• Strong analytical writing and briefing skills; a relevant foreign language is an advantage

How the pay works

• The General Schedule. Civilian analysts are graded on the GS scale; entry is often GS-7 or GS-9, journey level GS-11 or GS-12, with locality pay on top
• Cleared contractors often pay a premium above the GS scale, especially for an active clearance

Before you apply

Start the clearance conversation early, and be ready for a long background investigation. An active clearance makes you far more competitive.

Note: pay, clearance and eligibility are set by each agency — not by JobGader. Confirm the requirements on the agency's own site before applying.