About the Clandestine Community
The Ultimate International Career
The CIA's Clandestine Service is the front-line source of clandestine information on critical international developments, from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction to military and political issues. The mission requires clandestine service officers to live and work overseas, making a true commitment to the Agency. This is more than just a job — it's a way of life that challenges the deepest resources of personal intelligence, self-reliance and responsibility.
Our officers fill three primary roles:
- Operations Officer
- Collection Management Officer
- Staff Operations Officer
The Role of an Operations Officer
These officers are assigned one of the toughest jobs in the US government: collecting foreign intelligence. To do this, an Operations Officer establishes and maintains networks and personal relationships with foreign "assets" in the field. Operations Officers work with Collection Management Officers to determine what kind of assets to seek and what information is needed. Living under cover, many Operations Officers also must work at their "day" job, a necessary challenge that is part of their clandestine role.
The Role of a Collection Management Officer
As the connection between the Operations Officer in the field and the foreign policy community, these officers are responsible for guiding intelligence collection and directing its dissemination. Managing the collection effort requires determining what US policy makers and intelligence analysts need to know, and then communicating those requirements to the Operations Officer. To be effective, they must understand operational tradecraft and international issues. These officers serve overseas and in the Washington, DC, headquarters.
The Role of a Staff Operations Officer
These officers contribute to the Clandestine Service mission primarily from our Washington, DC area headquarters, providing fast-paced research and case management in support of colleagues overseas. This includes monitoring counterintelligence issues and providing support needed to deal with our foreign contacts in the field. Staff Operations Officers must be knowledgeable on both operational tradecraft and international issues in order to enhance their interaction with field-based officers.
The Clandestine Life
Operations Officers and Collection Management Officers spend a significant portion of their time abroad, on tours of two to four years. Typically, Operations Officers will serve 60-70% of their careers overseas, while Collection Management Officers will be overseas for 30-40% of their careers. Staff Operations Officers, although based in the Washington, DC area, travel overseas on a temporary basis.
Officers in each of these careers are under cover. By the very nature of this clandestine business, officers can expect limited external recognition for themselves and their families. Instead, the Agency has its own internal promotions, awards and medals, and makes every effort to recognize the accomplishments of its personnel.
Officers are paid well in terms of regular, taxable income, and they receive non-taxable overseas allowances that generally permit them to focus on their work and enjoy a decent standard of living. The majority of officers live comfortably by the American standard of living, make significant contributions that impact our national security, and experience a high level of job satisfaction and camaraderie throughout their career.
Is This the Job for You?
Traditionally we have had an officer corps of considerable diversity in terms of politics, talent, personality, temperament and background. That said, there are some fundamental qualities common to most successful officers, including a strong record of academic and professional achievement, excellent writing skills, problem-solving abilities and highly developed interpersonal skills. Overseas experience and languages are important factors as well. Officers must be perennial students, in the sense that they are required to seek answers, learn other languages and study other cultures to enhance their abilities to deal effectively with foreign cultures and societies.
Getting Started: Clandestine Service Trainee (CST) Program
This is the launching pad for challenging positions in Clandestine Service, providing new officers an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of today's senior Directorate of Operations managers. Uniquely qualified trainees are groomed in an intensive year-long training program to prepare them for the foreign-intelligence-collection challenges facing the US today.
The Clandestine Service has a second program, the Professional Trainee (PT) Program, for recent college graduates, after which PTs may be considered for the CST Program.
