Research Psychologist

Duties

As a Research Psychologist for the CIA, you will work in a consulting environment, eliciting client needs then designing, conducting and reporting applied research to meet those requirements. You will help answer questions, such as what is the most efficacious methodology for collecting or analyzing a particular set of "real world" data? What are the effects of major organizational changes on the workforce? Do employees have the tools and training they need to do their best work? What characteristics of individuals best predict success in non-standard occupations? What are the levels of customer satisfaction? Does this service or program effectively do what is said or designed to do?

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must apply online, while in the United States.
• You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age (dual-national U.S. citizens are eligible).
• You must be willing to move to the Washington, DC, area.
• You must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview, and a comprehensive background investigation.
• CIA is a drug-free workforce. The issue of illegal drug use is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing.

For further requirements information, please visit: https://www.cia.gov/careers/how-we-hire/requirements/

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. with a strong background and interest in applied behavioral science research, research methodology and statistics (applicants who are all but dissertation (ABD) are eligible to apply due to the lengthy application processing time).
• High proficiency in statistical computing, data management programming and coding logic.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Good writing and verbal presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in any of the following areas:

• Advanced proficiency in data management software highly desired particularly in the program R.
• Proficiency in or strong aptitude for other data management, coding and/or visualization tools (e.g. Python, R-Shiny, Tableau).
• Research methodology and experimental design.
• Item development.
• Experience using advanced statistical methods.
• Test validation and development.
• Research in job performance measurement and evaluation.
• Personnel assessment and selection research.

Education

• Ph.D. with a strong background and interest in applied behavioral science research, research methodology and statistics (applicants who are all but dissertation (ABD) are eligible to apply due to the lengthy application processing time).

Additional information

For more information on CIA careers and correct salary rates, visit https://www.cia.gov/careers

CIA Benefits: https://www.cia.gov/careers/working-at-cia/benefits/