Intelligence officers

Intelligence officer

Intelligence officers plan, develop and manage intelligence operations overseas, with the aim of protecting Australia's national interests and security.

Turning intellect into intelligence

Ever found yourself trying to figure out what someone else is thinking? That's intelligence gathering - the process of learning the intentions of others in order to make more informed decisions.

The intelligence officer's role, in essence, is to collect, manage and plan intelligence gathering from sources outside of Australia's borders. In many cases, the intelligence they're collecting involves an active threat to Australia's security or economic interests.

To do this, they use superior intellect, interpersonal skills and judgement to lead successful intelligence operations. Although they share these common traits, there is no stereotypical intelligence officer. So if you're highly motivated, curious about people and like to travel, this may be the role for you.

Skills

To succeed as an intelligence officer, you will need to demonstrate strong interpersonal and liaison skills in order to build effective relationships with people. You will have presence and impact, with a proven ability to interact well with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Intelligence officers must be curious, quick-thinking and highly self-motivated, with excellent written communication skills, high levels of maturity, excellent judgement and the ability to assess risk. As intelligence officers operate in difficult and high-pressure environments, you will also need to demonstrate the highest level of resilience, personal integrity and professionalism.

Live in Canberra, travel the world

ASIS's office is located in Canberra, and this is where you will live when you are not posted overseas. With easy access to an international airport, plenty of parks, cultural institutions and restaurants, it’s an excellent home base for an aspiring intelligence officer.

Mikhail - Intelligence officer

When I finished high school, I took a gap year and worked for an aid organisation in South America, and then I backpacked around Africa and Southeast Asia. When I returned home, I started my degree in political science, taking subjects in Asian studies, where I had the opportunity to study for a semester overseas. It was really interesting to see life and have a perspective from the other side of the world.

I had seen advertisements for ASIS and was drawn to the opportunity to do something meaningful with my life. It took quite a while from the time when I applied to the time I was hired. I was assessed on a range of things, including intelligence and aptitude, communications skills, and a host of other things I wasn’t even aware of at the time.

My career with ASIS began as a trainee intelligence officer. I enjoyed the training, as it taught me what I needed to know to do the job of an intelligence officer operating overseas. I also learnt a lot about myself, both my strengths and weaknesses, and my training was done with a group of people who I've remained close friends with.

I am privileged to be working with really capable and professional colleagues from all walks of life. I feel that the work I do as an intelligence officer really does make a difference. I am proud to be part of this organisation.

Personal

Education and employment

Extra-curricular and foreign experience

Extended reponse

Selection process

The specialist nature of ASIS's work demands the highest levels of dedication, integrity and professionalism from our staff. For this reason, our selection processes are competitive and rigorous. As a rough guide, the selection process for intelligence officers generally takes around 7 to 12 months from the date of application to the offer of employment and covers a range of different selection phases. The selection process may include some, or all, of the following:

written application
written test
interview
referee checks
psychological testing
assessment centre
security assessment
medical assessment, including testing for prohibited substances

Following this lengthy selection process, as a successful applicant you will still need to undertake extensive and demanding training in a residential environment. After passing the training course, you will then become an intelligence officer.

FAQs

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Importance of confidentiality

All applications for employment with ASIS are handled in the strictest confidence. It is essential that you maintain a similar level of confidentiality and that you do not discuss your application with anyone, as this could impact your career with ASIS.

Life at ASIS

Working at ASIS is an opportunity to broaden your understanding of the world, and Australia's place within it.

Benefits

ASIS offers our people attractive salaries, salary packaging and workplace learning.

Application Process

Working at ASIS isn't your average job, which means that this isn't your average job application.