Air Force - Intelligence Specialist

About the role

Test your skills at home and overseas as you learn how to produce accurate intelligence from imagery, electronic signals and geospatial information. As an Intelligence Specialist, you will be providing intelligence to assist in the preparation and planning for military air operations. This includes researching, analysing, and producing mission data. This may be presented as written reports, graphical reports, oral briefs or programmed software. The Intelligence Specialist trade is comprised of two separate specialisations, Geospatial Intelligence Analysts and Electronic Warfare Specialists.

If you specialise as a Geospatial Intelligence Analyst, you will receive training in the exploitation of satellite, electro-optical, infrared and radar imagery, as well as full motion video. You will also be trained in the use of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) software, enabling you to display and analyse spatial data for the creation of maps and various graphics that supplement intelligence reports.

If you specialise as an Electronic Warfare Specialist you will receive training in the analysis, production and programming of data across the electromagnetic spectrum in order to support electronic warfare equipment across the Air Force fleet. A technically challenging role, you will be responsible for locating and identifying adversary emissions in order to provide valuable mission intelligence to keep our aircraft and aircrew safe.

The NZDF’s commitment to international peace and security necessitates the deployment of aircraft and military personnel overseas. This can be alongside the deployment of RNZAF aircraft, in support of internationally led peacekeeping missions, or to assist with humanitarian aid and disaster relief. As an Intelligence Specialist, you’ll play a vital role to support these operations either from New Zealand or deployed within the operating environment.

Requirements

Basics

• Must be 18 years old by the time you graduate from recruit course.
• Must have been a New Zealand citizen for at least 10 years. Alternatively, must hold a NZ Permanent Residence visa or a current NZ Residency class visa and have been a citizen of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, or Australia for at least ten years.

Your training is some of the most thorough and advanced in the world. Once you have graduated as an Intelligence Specialist, you’ll be contractually obliged to spend another 24 months in the Air Force.

We offer guidance on entry requirements in our eligibility section. Apply if you are uncertain, as we’ll work through the criteria with you to determine if you can proceed.

Job on base

The RNZAF supports missions 24 hours a day seven days a week, so you may need to work some weekends, holidays and shift work. At times you may be required to cover a duty call-out roster and be prepared to work at short notice.

Initially you will work as part of a team under the leadership of an Intelligence Officer and an experienced Intelligence Specialist. Your job will be to support the military planning and decision-making process. This might include researching, analysing, preparing, and collating mission data which will then be presented in either written, graphical or oral reports to aircrew and decision makers.

During your first 12 to 24 months in the RNZAF you will be continuously developing your skills as an intelligence analyst and learning from the more experienced analysts in your team. This will require you to hone your skills learnt in the formal training environment through continuous feedback on your work. This may require short stints of work experience and training in different units and locations.

Once you have completed your specialist training you will continue to research and produce intelligence, now within your specialisation skillset (either Electronic Warfare or Geospatial Intelligence) whilst also developing your leadership skills. You will be required to begin coaching and mentoring junior intelligence specialists and as you gain more experience personnel management will progressively become a key part of your job. You will be required to provide specialist analysis to support wider intelligence products, as well as specialist advice to a variety of people.

Such is the varied and dynamic nature of the role that no day is ever the same as an Intelligence Specialist. You may be supporting a Northern Patrol around the Pacific one day, and deployed overseas the next, working a multinational exercise involving aircraft, ships and land forces.

Job on deployment

As an Intelligence Specialist you are likely to have the opportunity to deploy nationally and globally with squadrons, and other services on exercises or operations. The role will be very similar to that on Base; providing intelligence to support NZDF operations, but the environment might be very different.

You may be required to conduct your job in countries where you will experience a diversity of cultures, complex military problems and challenging environmental conditions. Your duties on deployment will draw on both your all-source analysis skills and your specialisation (Geospatial or Electronic Warfare), and have you working alongside aircrew and other intelligence staff. During deployments you may have limited communications with home and may be required to work long hours. Sometimes deployments happen at short notice, and you may have less than 24 hours before going overseas without a return date.

Recruit Course

Recruit Course (12 weeks) Location : RNZAF base Woodbourne. The aim of this course is to induct aviators into the RNZAF and develop the necessary values, knowledge and military skills to enable them to fulfil their military responsibilities. This course will cover various subjects including :

Earn a competitive salary while training or learning your trade, along with additional allowances for time spent in the field, at sea, overseas, or deployed on operations.

In addition to salary and allowances, other benefits of joining the New Zealand Defence Force include :

Careers in the Air Force are well-rewarded, as well as being diverse and exciting. As you become more experienced and move up through the ranks, gaining additional skills and qualifications, you will see your salary rise accordingly.

Future earnings : $98,000

Am I fit enough?

If you want to be part of the NZ Defence Force you need to be medically and physically fit for military duties worldwide.

Your step-by-step guide on what to expect at various stages of the application process, specifically for military roles.

Do you think you could strip down an aircraft and rebuild it? With this job you’ll find out how – servicing, overhauling and maintaining all our aircraft systems and components.

General entry

Take up the challenge of mastering some of the world’s most sophisticated information communications technology (ICT) and travel with it to destinations around the world. Join us as a Communications and Information Systems Technician (CISTECH).

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