CI Referrent

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)•Chantilly, VA

13d•$143,913 - $187,093•Onsite

About The Position

The NRO Counterintelligence Division is seeking a dynamic officer to serve in a CI Referent position at NRO Headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia, requiring a depth of experience in counterintelligence and offering an opportunity to serve in a role of significant influence providing critical support to the NRO enterprise. The selected officer will serve as a CI Referent to NRO Directorates and Offices (D&Os), supporting force protection initiatives, defense critical infrastructure, research and development acquisition, and efforts to counter espionage, international terrorism, and insider threats. The Referent will engage with Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and Law Enforcement entities in support of NRO mission operations, acquisition programs, and critical infrastructure protection. Working closely with other CI Referents and NRO Security personnel, the Referent will collaborate with a broad base of U.S. Government and industry representatives at all management levels, performing a full range of CI support functions including threat assessments, activity support, and CI vetting that may inform organizational decisions involving personnel actions or policy recommendations, while effectively integrating CI techniques for protecting technologies and operations into key acquisition and program processes, working groups, and program milestone meetings. This position, aligned to the Office of Security and Counterintelligence (OS&CI), Counterintelligence Division (CID), CI Referent Program (CRP), plays a critical role in detecting, defeating, and deterring foreign intelligence threats to the NRO and providing CI support to over 57,000 NRO-accessed government and contractor personnel worldwide, requiring exceptional judgment and discretion in handling highly sensitive data and managing sensitive CI activities.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen
Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance
Will be subject to pre-employment and periodic drug testing
Will be subject to pre-employment and periodic polygraph examinations
Documented experience in a CI discipline gained through prior tours of increasing complexity and responsibility; well-honed interviewing and elicitation skills.
Demonstrated ability to prepare detailed and accurate narrative reports based on information gathered through a variety of means, such as investigative inquiries, personal interviews, site assessments, and information gathered through law enforcement and/or Intelligence Community representatives.
Documented experience analyzing and evaluating information gathered to support investigative inquiries to assess priorities, leads, and direction.
Documented knowledge of Department of War (DoW) and Intelligence Community (IC) security policies, directives, and procedures.
Strong working knowledge of Department of War (DoW) and IC counterintelligence policies, directives, and regulations.
Documented strong leadership skills; well-honed representational and briefing skills; and ability to interact with all levels of management.
Documented ability to establish and maintain effective liaison with law enforcement and Intelligence Community (IC) representatives.
Documented strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey relevant information in a concise, logical, and objective manner to diverse audiences.
Proven ability to manage multiple competing priorities and focus attention on high priority tasks in order to meet suspense dates.
Previously graduated from or have the ability to complete CI Agent Courses in the fields of analysis; operations; collections; inquiries; and investigations through Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Military Services; or equivalent. The panel would also consider a combination of CI experience and training in a U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) / DoW CI entity as acceptable.
Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform and is typically in or directly related to the duties of the position as described above. Experience must be reflected in your resume.
Applicants submitting a resume that exceeds the two-page limit per OPM Memorandum, “Merit Hiring Plan,” dated May 29, 2025, https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/merit-hiring-plan.pdf will not be eligible for consideration. For more information regarding resume writing, see “Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume” and visit the Resume Help Center.

Nice To Haves

Prior CI or Security tour at NRO.
Prior experience working CI activities in support of operational programs, acquisition activities, or field operations.
Experience and understanding of DoW digital media collection, concepts of first to respond, secure, preserve, and/or collect digital evidence at crime scenes.
Experience working with DoW entities, especially Special Access Programs (SAPs).
Experience working with contractors.
Experience reviewing existing policies and programs on a continuing basis for improvement and compliance; ability to identify policies, practices, procedures, and directives that are ineffective, inefficient, and/or impractical and propose/draft policy and procedural changes.

Responsibilities

Improve Counterintelligence (CI) support to the acquisition process, review National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) equities across the enterprise, and recommend appropriate CI countermeasures for NRO-related processes and information systems.
Integrate CI requirements for NRO Directorates and Offices, program security managers, and the Counterintelligence Division (CID) while supporting NRO experts developing innovative processes for Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of War (DoW) organizations.
Manage the implementation of counterintelligence projects and services to thwart clandestine activities by foreign intelligence entities targeting critical technologies and processes.
Provide CI oversight to government and contractor personnel.
Conduct CI Awareness Briefings and Debriefings to enhance threat recognition.
Collect CI information through liaison and other collection activities.
Utilize collected information in multi-disciplinary threat assessments supporting antiterrorism and force protection plans for critical technologies, facilities, programs, and Defense Critical Infrastructure (DCI).
Coordinate with CID on technical support and investigative analysis requests.
Provide input on foreign intelligence or terrorist targeting of organizational resources.
Generate Intelligence Information Reports (IIRs) documenting CI relevant information.
Coordinate complex CI concerns, including criminal violations such as espionage and terrorism, with CID and appropriate investigative or law enforcement agencies on matters with national or international implications.
Independently plan, organize, and coordinate with CID to address difficult, complex inquiries of alleged or suspected foreign intelligence or terrorist activity directed against organizational resources and matters of highest national priority.
Provide CI Insider Threat identification and mitigation support by researching and analyzing suspected foreign intelligence service or terrorist organization interest in NRO personnel, facilities, or programs.
Integrate counterintelligence considerations into personnel security, physical security, and information security operations to ensure comprehensive CI support to security programs.
Execute functions described in CI policy plans, procedures, and directives.
Deliver impactful CI Awareness Briefings—both verbally and in writing.
Participate in awareness campaigns to enhance the NRO workforce's overall security posture.
Serve as the primary CI partner to NRO Directorates and Offices (D&Os), providing comprehensive counterintelligence support across the enterprise.
Maintain close partnerships with Program Security Officers (PSOs), executing proactive threat mitigation activities, coordinating complex CI inquiries with the Counterintelligence Division (CID), conducting field outreach to cleared industry locations, and delivering specialized CI support to critical programs.
Maintain a strategic battle rhythm prioritizing support based on operational requirements, program criticality, and emerging threats while ensuring synchronized CI operations through continuous coordination with CID Field Offices and Mission Ground Station Referents.
Serve as primary CI partner to Chief PSOs by attending PSO/Program meetings, security team meetings, and D&O front office sessions.
Maintain current knowledge of all D&O offices and program portfolios to provide tailored CI support.
Establish day-to-day battle rhythm based on customer requirements, office structures, and program responsibilities.
Execute comprehensive CI functional services by delivering timely CI awareness briefings.
Conduct lead development for CI activities.
Generate CI activity reports ensuring timely production and dissemination.
Research and analyze suspected foreign intelligence service or terrorist organization interest in organizational personnel, facilities, or programs.
Submit CI threat reports to counter identified threats.
Conduct site visits to cleared industry locations to engage Company Program Security Officers (CPSOs) and assess CI requirements.
Maintain continuous coordination with Field Office CI Referents and ADF CI Referents to ensure synchronized CI operations and information sharing.
Deliver specialized CI support to Operations Security (OPSEC), Research and Development Acquisition (RDA), Defense Critical Infrastructure (DCI), and Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) programs by facilitating threat assessments and providing tailored CI training.