The basic qualifications all candidates for ICE Intelligence Officer jobs must meet are as follows:
- U.S. citizenship
- Holding a master’s degree at minimum (some exception made for highly experienced candidates)
- Ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance
- Ability to pass a polygraph and exhaustive background check
- Resided in the U.S. for the three years prior to the hiring, unless stationed overseas
- Possess a valid state driver’s license
Education and Degree Requirements for ICE Intelligence Officers
In order to demonstrate the intellectual and cognitive prowess necessary to succeed as an ICE Intelligence Officer, candidates must possess a strong academic background as evidenced by the requirement for a Master’s degree, a PhD, or JD/LLB. In lieu of post-graduate education, a candidate may present strong professional experience in intelligence related fields.
GS-9 – In order to obtain an ICE Intelligence Officer job at the GS-9 level, the candidate must possess a master’s degree, two full years of post-graduate course work, a J.D./LLB or have performed for one year in a profession that required selection, analysis and formulation of conclusions from raw intelligence.
GS-11 – An entering GS-11 officer must possess a PhD, three years of post-graduate course work, or a LLM. This may be substituted with professional experience in the review of classified and unclassified documents, library resources and databases, supervision of new information and emerging topics, collection and management of data, and presentation of intelligence to organizations or agencies.
GS-12 – A GS-12 officer must possess the educational background of a GS-11 as well as at least one year of experience in maintaining the security of intelligence, evaluating new intelligence, proper sorting and responding to new intelligence, briefing diplomatic and governmental personnel, and organizing intelligence for researcher access.
GS-13 – GS-13 officers must possess a PhD or equivalent post-graduate education in addition to at least one year of work with creating high quality intelligence reports, the review of intelligence reports, providing situational briefs to managers about emerging threats and events, and maintaining standards, protocols, and policies regarding intelligence.
Applying for ICE Intelligence Officer Jobs
The application process begins by clicking on the link for an ICE Intelligence Officer Posting at www.USAJOBS.gov. Upon arriving at the Office of Personnel Management, the candidate will need to confirm they meet the basic requirements outlined at the top of this guide.
If the candidate’s responses permit continuation, they will be asked to provide documentation of academic achievement and employment history. Veterans, federal employees and law enforcement officers must also present the proper documentation at this time to receive preference.
If all of the requirements are met, then the candidate will be asked to submit to a series of interviews with ICE managers and personnel in order to determine personal character, intellectual ability and situational awareness.
A test will also be administered to determine the candidate’s knowledge of Federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures. The test will also evaluate skill in investigative and analytical skills with regard to database management and intelligence.
If the candidate passes all of the examinations, they will be subjected to a rigorous background check.