MISSION 

MANAGEMENT

Discover your career
We will continue to develop a highly skilled, 

professional and agile workforce through 

a robust Talent Management System that 

grows employees from the entry-level to the 

senior ranks ... We will invest in developing 

those individuals through defined career 

paths. The Agency will actively steer 

employees into priority assignments when 

needed to cover mission.

We will promote officers who best meet 

our standards, represent our culture, and 

demonstrate the capability to contribute 

at the next level. This process will involve 

leadership at all levels and treat DIA’s human 

capital as the most critical resource for the 

success of the Agency.”

–DIA Strategic Approach
MISSION MANAGEMENT CAREER FIELD 1

Are you ready for a career in 

Mission Management?

From executing intelligence operations at combatant commands, 

developing national strategy and policy to enable defense and 

national decision authorities, officers in the Mission Management 

career field are the critical link between DIA and the Nation’s 

warfighters. As an officer in this career field, you will synchronize, 

integrate and conduct diverse intelligence operations from the 

operational theater level to the strategic national level.

DIA needs officers who exemplify the utmost professionalism and 

dedication, especially in high-pressure, high-tempo environments. 

You will serve as trusted advisors to senior Government officials and military flag officers, 

and employ your collaboration skills and critical thinking abilities to answer the call of duty to 

protect the Nation.

Think this could be you? Explore how your skills can make unique contributions impacting 

the Nation and world as a Mission Management officer in one of our career specialty areas.

ABOVE: Joint capability officers ensure intelligence data and products meet future requirements to maintain decision advantage 

and military operational success.

ON THE COVER: Mission Management officers collaborate on the best way to neutralize targets for achieving strategic 

objectives across all levels of conflict.
2 MISSION MANAGEMENT CAREER FIELD 

Mission 

Management 

Specialties

Collection Management

Become an accredited collection 

manager on the Department of 

Defense’s premier team. You will 

research requirements, build strong 

customer relationships, and optimize 

collection efforts — all to keep the 

Nation protected. Serve on our team 

as an intelligence officer specializing in 

one of these functional areas:

• Collection Requirements 

Management (Single Discipline).

• Collection Requirements 

Management (Multi-Discipline).

• Collection Strategist.

Intelligence Operations 

Management

Join our team of specialists who 

manage multidisciplinary intelligence 

operations in order to provide the 

most complete intelligence to the 

Nation’s decision makers. You will 

develop, coordinate and exhibit 

operational knowledge to ensure 

mission success. Serve on our team as 

an intelligence officer specializing in 

one of these functional areas:

• Operations Integration. 

• Operations Management. 

• Watch Operation Officers.

LEFT: International affairs officers address 

complex information sharing needs, policy 

and procedures to enable operations with 

foreign partners.

International Affairs 

Often described as the diplomats of 

DIA, officers in this specialty represent 

DIA to our allies and international 

partners. You will coordinate foreign 

military intelligence cooperation and 

engagements, manage international 

intelligence arrangements, and execute 

intelligence sharing conferences to 

further international relationships. 

Serve on our team as an intelligence 

officer specializing in one of these 

functional areas:

• Foreign Disclosure 

• Partner Engagement.

Joint Capability Development 

& Intelligence Support to 

Acquisition

Officers in this specialty help to define 

future intelligence capabilities. You 

will advocate for future Department of 

Defense intelligence, surveillance and 

reconnaissance capability requirements, 

concepts and architectures through the 

Nation’s most senior decision makers. 

Serve on our team as an intelligence 

officer specializing in one of these 

functional areas:

• Battlespace Awareness Functional 

Capabilities.

• Joint Capability Development and 

Acquisition Support.
MISSION MANAGEMENT CAREER FIELD 3

Joint Intelligence Planning

Become certified in joint intelligence planning — a complex, in-demand mission 

necessity. In this specialty, you will mastermind intelligence plans for warfighters. 

Orchestrating efforts across the combatant commands and Intelligence 

Community, you will integrate all available intelligence capabilities and resources 

while assessing risks and managing the intelligence planning process. Serve on 

our team in one of these positions:

• Agency Plans and Exercises Planner.

• Combatant Command Intelligence Planner.

• Multinational CJ2 Planner.

• Operational Survey Planner.

• Pre-Crisis Survey Team Lead.

• Joint Staff DoD-Level Intelligence Planner.

RIGHT: Mission Management 

officers monitor global 

activities to maintain situation 

awareness and provide 

warning to defense leadership 

and military forces assigned 

around the world.

The Mission Management Career Field offers 

diverse and rewarding jobs worldwide with 

unlimited opportunities. Officers apply their 

unique talents in seven specialties, synchronizing 

and integrating intelligence capabilites 

throughout the intelligence cycle to support 

warfighters, policymakers, acquisition officers and 

foreign partners.”

Rich Stafford

MISSION MANAGEMENT CAREER FIELD MANAGER
4 MISSION MANAGEMENT CAREER FIELD

Joint Target Intelligence

We have to know when to strike — and 

in a responsible, definite manner. You 

will establish appropriate policy and 

advise leadership as you develop and 

assess priority targets. Serve on our 

team in one of these positions:

• Battle Damage Assessment Analyst.

• Collateral Damage Estimations 

Analyst.

• No-Strike Coordinator.

• Precision Point Mensuration Analyst.

• Target Developer.

• Target List Manager

• Target System Analyst.

• Weaponeering Specialist.

Policy & Strategy

Join our team of trusted, strategic 

experts who advise leaders across the 

Department of Defense, combatant 

commands and Intelligence Community. 

You will develop, track and instruct 

stakeholders on our long-range 

institutional plans — a monumental task. 

Serve on our team as an intelligence 

officer specializing in one of these 

functional areas:

• Intelligence Policy Development 

and Advising.

• Joint Doctrine Development.

• Intelligence Enterprise Strategy 

Development.

LEFT: Mission Management officers monitor 

global activities to maintain situation 

awareness and provide warning to defense 

leadership and military forces assigned 

around the world.

James

Collection Strategist

“The Mission Management Career 

Field provides me with exceptional 

opportunities as an officer at DIA 

with the Joint Staff. I began my career 

as an intern at the Pentagon on the 

Joint Staff J25 (Policy and Strategy 

Division), working as an action officer 

for several years. 

When I joined DIA, I was one of the 

most junior civilians in my division, 

but that did not limit my mission 

impact. I provided intelligence 

support to over 40 officers in the J25, 

while also ensuring quality, in-depth 

preparation packages and briefings to 

the director of national intelligence. I 

covered one of the most demanding, 

high-visibility Middle East portfolios 

and provided and coordinated 

expert analysis and assistance, which 

ultimately informed the chairman of 

the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretary of 

defense, and the president of major 

policy decisions.”
Do What Matters

DIA’s Unique Role

DIA is committed to excellence in defense

of the Nation. Leaders at all levels of the 

military and U.S. Government rely on DIA

for cutting-edge analysis, targeted 

collection and advanced technological 

expertise to support global military 

operations. We provide defense 

intelligence on foreign militaries and 

operating environments that delivers 

decision advantage to prevent and 

decisively win wars. Excellence begins 

with the support that each member of 

DIA and the greater Defense Intelligence 

Enterprise receives every day to complete 

the mission. With a global workforce of 

over 16,500 employees, DIA requires a 

robust, agile and skilled mission support 

team to provide administrative, physical 

and technical support while operating in 

complex threat environments.

www.dia.mil
For more information on a career at DIA, visit our website:

www.dia.mil/careers

DIA&YOU

Your Career. Our Commitment.

DIA Career Fields

and Specialties

Analysis

• Advanced All-Source Methods

• Counterintelligence and 

Transnational

• Infrastructure and Resources

• Military Capabilities

• Scientific and Technical 

Intelligence

• Strategic and Regional Analysis

Counterintelligence

• Counterintelligence Agent

• Cover Support

Finance & Acquisition

• Acquisition Program 

Management

• Budget

• Contracting &

Procurement Analysis

• Finance & Accounting

• Requirements Manager & 

Contracting Officer Representative

Human Intelligence

• Clandestine Collection

• Operations Support

• Overt Collection

Human Services

• Behavioral Sciences

• Equal Employment

• Human Resources

• Training & Education

Information Technology

• Cyber Security

• IT Data Specialist

• IT Engineer

• IT Mission Support

• IT Specialist

Mission Management

• Collection Management

• Intelligence Operations 

Management

• International Affairs

• Joint Capability Development

& Intelligence Support to 

Acquisition

• Joint Intelligence Planning

• Joint Target Intelligence

• Policy & Strategy

Office Management

& Infrastructure

• Communications, 

Operations & Media

• Facilities

• Logistics

• Program Analysis & Management

• Staff Operations

Science and Technology

• Open-Source Intelligence

• Research & Development

• Technical Collection

• Technical Exploitation

• Technical Operations

Security

• Credibility Assessment

• Criminal Investigator

• Global Security

• Insider Threat

• Police

• Security Specialist

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