About This Career

Signals intelligence specialists oversee the collection and exploitation of electromagnetic signals, including communication and non-communication signals. They operate sophisticated equipment to gather, sort, and scan intercepted foreign communications and non-communications. They identify and process the intercepted signals and perform analysis to establish target identification and operational patterns. Using this information, they produce combat, strategic, and tactical intelligence reports.

This career is part of the Government and Public Administration cluster National Security pathway.

A person in this career:

• Supervises and performs analysis and reporting of intercepted foreign communications and non-communications at all echelons
• Creates combat, strategic, and tactical intelligence reports
• Gathers, sorts, and scans intercepted messages to isolate valid intelligence
• Operates automated data processing (ADP) equipment for SIGINT collection, processing, and reporting
• Searches the radio frequency (RF) spectrum to collect, identify, and record target communications and selected categories or classes of electro-optic or foreign instrumentation signals (FIS)
• Performs and supervises acquisition, collection, collection resource management, analysis, and exploitation of foreign communications and radar signals at all echelons
• Prepares and issues reports to include translation summaries, intelligence reports, and technical reports as needed
• Performs signals analysis of Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) signals, other signals derived from worldwide Technical/Operational Electronic Intelligence (TECHELINT/OPELINT), Electronic Warfare (EW) collection, and other multiple intelligence production resources
• Acquires, processes, identifies, analyzes, and reports on electromagnetic emissions
• Utilizes a wide range of complex analysis hardware and software to process signals, including receivers, demodulators, spectrum analyzers, and other associated computer equipment

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Overnight travel