Language Instructor

Summary

A highly-skilled workforce like NSA continually needs professional Educators and Training Experts to advance our employees career development. Positions ranging from Career Advisors to Curriculum Managers to Instructional Designers currently exist.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Duties

Language Instructors at the National Security Agency employ the latest principles of adult learning and second language acquisition to design, develop and deliver platform training (including video and directed studies), and/or web-based training for beginning through advanced level language analysts.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph.

Qualifications

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Senior

Entry is with a high school diploma or equivalent plus 6 years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree plus 4 years relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience.

Degree in any field is acceptable.

At least one year of relevant experience must be in either: language instruction (formal or informal) at a secondary level or higher, or identifying and developing authentic materials to support language learning objectives. Additional relevant experience may include designing, developing, or evaluating course content in the relevant subject matter; assessing student performance; instructional systems design (ISD); or language-related experience in an area directly related to NSA mission. Applicant must have minimum language proficiency of Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 3/3 in reading and listening in the target foreign language for which the applicant is being considered.

In special cases (for example, hard to fill positions in critical or less-common languages/dialects) where no viable applicants are available with the minimum language proficiency level required, applicants with ILR Level 3 in one mode and 2 in the other will be considered, but will be required to reach Level 3/3 within 2 years.

Education

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.

Degree in any field is acceptable.

Additional information

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Salary Range: $120,579-185,234 (Senior Level)

Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position.

Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience.

Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).

DCIPS Trial Period:

If selected for this position, you will be required to serve a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless you are a veterans' preference-eligible employee, in which case you are required to serve a one-year trial period. This trial period runs concurrently with your commitment to the position, if applicable. Before finalizing your appointment at the conclusion of your trial period, NSA will determine whether your continued employment advances the public interest. This decision will be based on factors such as your performance and conduct; the Agency's needs and interests; whether your continued employment would advance the Agency's organizational goals; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your trial period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The ideal candidate will be proficient in Arabic and/or Korean. Will possess strong communications skills and effective interpersonal skills. As well as:

• Interpreting cultural references and the meaning of foreign language material including, acronyms, jargon, slang, idioms, and proverbs specific to a particular language.
• Exhibiting subject matter expertise related to a country, region, or people.
• Evaluating language proficiency (reading, listening, speaking, and writing).
• Determining difficulty level of written and aural language materials.

NOTE: If you are selected to process further, you will be required to take the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) which measures language proficiency and/or the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) which measures potential for learning a foreign language. Invitations and instructions for the scheduling of the language test will be emailed to you - you must complete these steps before your application can be considered for further processing. You will be required to schedule and test within three (3) weeks of receiving the language test email as this information will be used as part of the selection decision.

If you are selected to process, after testing is completed, you will be required to complete an online interview. Invitations and instructions for the online interview will be emailed to you ' you must complete these steps before your application can be considered for further processing. Please check your Spam folder just in case these emails landed there instead of your Inbox.

Required Documents

The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction , Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply, please visit:

Agency contact information

NSA POC

Phone

Email

Address

NSA External Hiring

9800 Savage Road

Fort Meade, MD 20755

US

Next steps

To apply, please visit:

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

12/30/2025 to 01/04/2026

Salary

$120,579 to - $185,234 per year

Pay scale & grade

GG

Location

Few vacancies in the following location:

Fort Meade, MD

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

No

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Excepted

Promotion potential

None

Job family (Series)

• 0132 Intelligence

Supervisory status

No

Security clearance

Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test

Yes

Position sensitivity and risk

Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process

• National security

Financial disclosure

Yes

Bargaining unit status

No

Announcement number

1252038

Control number

Salary : $120,579 - $185,234