The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is Canada’s agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence, cyber operations and cyber security.
CSE is the national signals intelligence agency for foreign intelligence and the technical authority for cyber security and information assurance. The Communications Security Establishment Act (the CSE Act) sets out the five aspects of our mandate.
CSE is committed to fostering a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion. This isn’t just an ideal, it’s crucial to our mission.
Become part of our team and you’ll understand why CSE is the most important organization you’ve never heard of.
We’re looking to hire Foreign Language Intelligence Analysts from diverse backgrounds to work in a dynamic and innovative operational environment.
In this role, you’ll use your Mandarin linguistic skills and your interest in international affairs to protect Canada’s people, interests and national security from serious threats, including terrorism, organized crime, cyber attacks and espionage.
利用中文语言能力以及对国际事务与国际关系的兴趣来维护加拿大人民，国家利益，和国家安全，包括应对恐怖组织，有组织犯罪，网络攻击和间谍活动。
As a Foreign Language Intelligence Analyst, you’ll play an essential role in the foreign intelligence and foreign cyber operations aspects of CSE’s mandate to acquire information from or through the global information infrastructure. You’ll use, analyze and disseminate the information to provide foreign intelligence, in accordance with the Government of Canada’s priorities.
With your research and analytical skills, your creativity, and your ability to identify and solve problems, you’ll piece together information collected from a variety of sources. You’ll provide context to your findings based on your expertise and knowledge of international affairs. You’ll be working in a high-paced operational environment within a multidisciplinary team.
As a successful applicant, you have an eagerness to take on new challenges and learning opportunities. You’ll learn more about telecommunications technology and different analytical tools by working closely with technical experts in other parts of CSE. You’ll develop and strengthen the competencies required to support operational efforts on matters of national security by receiving training and mentoring.
All of CSE’s activities are conducted in accordance with the CSE Act, which requires that our activities not be directed at Canadians anywhere in the world, or at any person in Canada. The CSE Act also requires that we protect the privacy of Canadians and persons in Canada when we conduct operations.
These positions may be eligible for the Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP). The FLIP is an additional allowance on top of your annual salary. It is calculated as a percentage of your salary, up to a maximum of 8% depending on the language and your proficiency level. This allowance is negotiated through the collective bargaining process.
To find out more about our salary scale, vacation allowances and benefits (health, dental and pension plans, etc.), visit the Compensation page on our website.
Open to Canadian citizens. Preference may be given to candidates residing in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Ottawa, Ontario. All jobs require full-time onsite presence in one of our two accessible facilities.
A valid Enhanced Top Secret (ETS) security clearance is a condition of employment that must be met before an offer can be made.
More information about our hiring and security processes can be found on our website.
To be considered, your cover letter must clearly explain how you meet the following education and experience requirements.
- Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Note: The educational program must be recognized in Canada, and you must be able to provide proof of education credentials. Students graduating within the next 12 months are eligible to apply.
- Experience reading and listening to Mandarin at an advanced* level in any setting, including academic, professional or social settings
- Experience conducting research and analyzing information and data
- Experience developing written products and documentation, such as reports, business cases or briefing notes
- Note: “Advanced” is defined as full comprehension of the language as is it used by native speakers.
Various language requirements (English Essential or Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB).
The following technical, behavioural and leadership competencies will be assessed at a later date. You do not need to include information about them in your application.
- Foreign languages*
- Analytical thinking
- Target knowledge and world context
- Policies and procedures
- Data analysis
- Interactive communication
- Working in a team
- Accountability/autonomy
- Achieving results
- Collaboration
- Change and innovation
- Note: In the context of this selection process, candidates must demonstrate reading and listening at an advanced level in Mandarin.
Assets are “nice-to-have” expertise and skills we’re interested in. If you have them, they may be used to identify which team you could best complement, or they may be invoked as a volume management strategy.
Please demonstrate on your application if you meet or possess the asset education or asset experience listed below.
- Graduation from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field related to the position, such as linguistics, translation, foreign languages, international relations or political science
Note: The educational program must be recognized in Canada, and you must be able to provide proof of education credentials. Students graduating within the next 12 months are eligible to apply.
- Experience in written or verbal translation from Mandarin to English or English to Mandarin
- Practical experience working with IT systems in an enterprise or academic setting. Examples may include
- network administration, analysis or troubleshooting
- IT system development, maintenance, or administration
- working in an IT helpdesk
- security operations, incident response, threat intelligence, security research, or similar experience/certification
- Experience working in a domestic intelligence organization
Overtime and standby duty may be required.
Please ensure to submit a chronological résumé covering the past ten (10) years of work experience. For each position or other activities (such as volunteering, parental leave, etc.), the following information must be included:
- Job title (and level, if it was within the federal public service)
- Start and end dates
- Employer and its location (organization name, city, province/state, and country)
- Your location of work (city, province/state, and country)
- Work arrangement (in‑person, remote, or hybrid)
Applications that do not clearly outline this information may be rejected.
Do not discuss your application with anyone (including on social media) other than your partner or close family members, who should also be reminded about the need to be discreet.
This external selection process can take up to 12 months and is more comprehensive than that of many other organizations. You’ll have to complete a combination of assessments, including but not limited to various testing, interview, and security clearance processes. During this selection process, rescheduling assessments will be limited because this can create significant delays in processing applications. Therefore, before you apply to this process, we ask that you commit to each assessment phase.
Candidate assessments are conducted in the candidate’s official language of choice.
Please note that some of the assessments for this position will take place in person in one of the following cities: NCR, Montréal, Vancouver, Toronto, Kingston, Calgary and Halifax. If you live outside of these cities, you will be required to travel to one of these cities for the in-person evaluations. Travel expenses (for example, transportation, lodging and meals) will not be reimbursed by CSE. By applying for this position, you agree to cover any travel expenses that may apply.
To address CSE’s current representation gaps, priority may be given to persons who self-declare as belonging to one or more designated employment equity groups: women; Indigenous peoples, including First Nations who are status, or registered and non-status, or non-registered, Inuit and Métis; persons with disabilities, including people with a mental health condition and neurodivergent people; and persons from racial or ethnic groups.
Please note that the Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.
CSE offers an assessment process that will accommodate any reasonable measures you require to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Those measures are available to all candidates during our processes. Information you provide will be addressed confidentially.
All communications with CSE relating to this process, including email messages and telephone conversations, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.
The intent of this process is to fill vacant positions at CSE. The process may also be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates which could be used to staff similar or identical positions with various tenures.
Due to the nature of CSE’s mandate certain roles may expose employees to content that is difficult to process. Mental health is a priority at CSE and if any personnel require assistance to preserve their mental well-being, they have access to services, tools and other resources to help them in both their personal and professional lives.
Please note that in an effort to maintain balance between employee development and business needs, candidates who are hired at CSE must remain in their substantive position for a minimum of twelve (12) months subject to operational requirements.
We thank you for your interest in CSE. However, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
