Discover a unique, challenging and rewarding career at the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).
We offer a range of entry-level programs giving graduates, tertiary students and school-leavers opportunities to start your career at ASD. We also offer programs for Year 11 and 12 students to undertake work experience.
We provide a practical and dynamic learning experience where you will engage with our knowledge and skills in ICT, cyber security and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Begin your career in a workplace that supports your potential through the ASD Graduate Program.
As part of your graduate journey, you will experience 3 four-month rotations that will develop your skills and allow you to explore different areas of interest.
You will receive bespoke training and mentorship from leading experts in their field. You will be encouraged to try new things while working across multidisciplinary teams focusing on critical intelligence matters.
Diversity powers our mission. To achieve our goals, we require people with solid integrity and a mix of skills, passion, adaptability, resilience, curiosity and creativity. Our work is challenging, and our history shows that the best teams contain a diverse range of people.
What you will do
You will contribute to Australia’s national security and enable ASD to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Your degree doesn’t define your career at ASD. We are looking for graduates from almost every discipline, with opportunities in areas including:
- Accounting and Finance
- Administration and Customer Service
- Auditing, Assurance and Fraud Control
- Cyber Security
- Data
- Engineering and Technical
- Human Resources
- Information and Communications Technology
- Information and Knowledge Management
- Infrastructure
- Intelligence and Analysis
- Legal
- Logistics
- Media and Communication
- Procurement and Contracting
- Project and Program Management
- Security
- Strategic and International Policy
You will start the program at an ASD 4 level (equivalent to APS 4), plus a 4% service allowance and 15.4% superannuation.
On successful completion of the program, you will advance to a higher salary, dependent on your training pathway.
How to apply
Applications for the 2025 ASD Graduate Program have now closed.
Applications for the 2026 ASD Graduate Program will open in early 2025.
Eligibility
You must:
- be an Australian citizen
- have completed a minimum Bachelor degree within 5 years prior to commencing the program
- be prepared to undergo a comprehensive security assessment.
Begin your career learning skills no one else can teach through the ASD Cadetship Program.
A cadetship is for university students currently studying an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
As a cadet, you will work on various projects that contribute to Australia’s national security while being supported by ASD mentors and supervisors. You will also undertake specialised training to improve your skills and get real-world experience you won’t get at university.
What you will do
Cadets work part-time for a minimum of 2 days a week. The remainder of your time will be dedicated to finishing your university study.
Your degree doesn’t define your career at ASD. We are looking for cadets from almost every discipline, with opportunities in areas including:
- Accounting and Finance
- Administration and Customer Service
- Auditing, Assurance and Fraud Control
- Cyber Security
- Data
- Engineering and Technical
- Human Resources
- Information and Communications Technology
- Information and Knowledge Management
- Infrastructure
- Intelligence and Analysis
- Legal
- Logistics
- Media and Communication
- Procurement and Contracting
- Project and Program Management
- Security
- Strategic and International Policy
You will start the program at an ASD 3 level (equivalent to APS 3), plus a 4% service allowance and 15.4% superannuation.
As well as being paid for your work, you’ll receive an academic allowance of $800 per subject (capped at four subjects per semester). This allowance is paid at the end of each semester upon successfully completing your subjects.
After completing the ASD Cadetship program, you will be promoted to a full-time position at a higher salary, dependent on your training pathway.
How to apply
Applications for the 2025 ASD Cadetship Program have now closed.
Applications for the 2026 ASD Cadetship Program will open in early 2025.
Eligibility
You must:
- be an Australian citizen
- be studying an Australian recognised degree
- be prepared to undergo a comprehensive security assessment.
What the experience is like
“I always sat in university lectures wondering how the concepts and theory I was learning could be applied practically. This cadetship has allowed me to apply that knowledge in a real-world setting, while simultaneously strengthening my studies with skills learned at work. Working part-time and studying full-time at university can be challenging, but I am able to work my hours around my university timetable and I always have support from my mentors, supervisor and fellow cadets. So my time in the cadetship is spent doing what I enjoy and with minimum stress.” - Anita, 21, was able to flexibly complete her Bachelor of Software Engineering degree while gaining real-world experience.
“The cadetship program has given me some great experience working in a real dev team, giving me the opportunity to contribute to ASD's software projects. The flexible working arrangement allows me to keep a good balance between work, life and university. Through the program, I'm able to try a wide range of roles such as software development, user experience design and business analysis. This has been a great start to my career in the ICT industry and I'm excited to discover the opportunities available to me in the future as part of ASD.” - Michael, 20, discovered his interests and strengths in a variety of areas.
“The cadetship has been an invaluable experience to kick-start my career. It exposed me to numerous technologies and methodologies that are used across the industry, which had not been covered in my university course. Best of all, I was able to work on real-world problems in a professional work environment and try a variety of different roles, such as programming and UI/UX, all while still at university.” - Kieran, 23, was a cadet working in data science.
As an apprentice at ASD, you will start your career working on projects that contribute to Australia’s national security and get real-world experience while you complete a qualification.
Diversity powers our mission. Whether you are a school leaver or looking for a career change, we encourage you to apply if you have a passion for Australia’s national security.
What you will do
You will work 3 to 4 days per week, with the rest of your time dedicated to completing a Certificate IV (2 years) or a Diploma (3 years). ASD will pay for your studies and your work under a competitive remuneration package.
In addition to your formal studies, you’ll undertake an extensive internal training package where you can obtain nationally-recognised qualifications.
There are opportunities in a variety of areas, including:
- Accounting and Finance
- Administration and Customer Service
- Auditing, Assurance and Fraud Control
- Cyber Security
- Data
- Engineering and Technical
- Human Resources
- Information and Communications Technology
- Information and Knowledge Management
- Infrastructure
- Intelligence and Analysis
- Legal
- Logistics
- Media and Communication
- Procurement and Contracting
- Project and Program Management
- Security
- Strategic and International Policy
You will start the program at an ASD 2 level (equivalent to APS 2), plus a 4% service allowance and 15.4% superannuation. On successful completion of the program, you will advance to a higher salary, dependent on your training pathway.
How to apply
Applications for the 2025 ASD Apprenticeship Program have now closed.
Applications for the 2026 ASD Apprenticeship Program will open in early 2025.
Eligibility
You must:
- be an Australian citizen
- have a Year 12 certificate or equivalent by the time you commence the program
- be prepared to undergo a comprehensive security assessment.
Put your studies into practice through the ASD Internship Program.
We offer a 3-month paid internship for tertiary students during the university summer holidays (November to February).
We are interested in people who want to further their knowledge and apply their skills in practical roles. Your work will vary depending on your skills and your team's function.
What you will do
As an Analyst, Cyber, Data or Technologist Intern, you will directly contribute to the day-to-day operations of ASD. You will complete a supervised project relating to a current program or future initiative. You might have the opportunity to:
- research, develop, design, or test tools and programs used in cyber security analysis, development and exploitation
- perform software vulnerability analysis and auditing, which could include code analysis, static analysis, fuzzing, reverse engineering and vulnerability research
- contribute to, review and test current and new information security policies
- design and build complex infrastructure solutions including virtualisation, data storage and user interfaces
- investigate new directions in cryptography
- perform malware analysis, including static and dynamic binary code review, and web shell analysis
- implement predictive and prescriptive analytics and machine learning, by using your data science and analytical skills.
As a Corporate Intern, you will contribute to our future and support the day-to-day activities that enable our mission. Depending on your field of study you may:
- perform service management and general business support functions across a breadth of challenges
- conduct asset and financial management activities, developing strong data management skills
- develop and design education and training materials, which could include communications to increase workforce engagement, improve awareness and change behaviour
- apply project management and problem-solving skills to support the delivery of complex cyber security capabilities.
As a Psychologist Intern, you will provide critical support to ASD in a national security environment. You will develop skills in assessing risk factors through the psychological assessment process, as well as in developing empirically based mental health training and materials. You might have the opportunity to:
- perform psychological services, including evidence based clinical interventions and supportive counselling
- interpret and utilise psychological assessments, including psychometric testing, interviewing, and analysis
- provide sound psychological advice to stakeholders, organisational research, and project work.
Students are engaged in a non-ongoing role at an ASD 2-level salary (equivalent to APS 2), plus a 4% service allowance and 15.4% superannuation.
Continued work may be offered depending on performance and work/project availability.
The program is run primarily from Canberra, with placements in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth considered.
How to apply
Applications for the 2024 ASD Internship Program have now closed.
Applications for the 2025 ASD Internship Program will open in early 2025.
Eligibility
You must:
- be an Australian citizen
- be a full-time or part-time tertiary student
- be studying an Australian recognised degree
- have completed or will complete a minimum of 2 years full-time equivalent tertiary study before commencing the program
- have a minimum of 6 months study remaining in your degree
- provide your current academic transcript
- be prepared to undergo a comprehensive security assessment.
Psychology Interns must also:
- be studying a Master of Clinical Psychology and have completed 1 year full-time equivalent in the Masters program
- hold a minimum conditional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
What the experience is like
“I found myself surrounded by mentors who were dedicated to helping me succeed. I worked on meaningful projects and had the opportunity to achieve personal goals, including developing skills relevant to my degree and networking with fellow interns and ASD employees.” Max
“I definitely enjoyed my experience and it had everything it needed for someone who didn't have any prior cyber security experience.” Jacqui
“Compared to other internships, ASD has by far the best workplace culture I’ve ever experienced, and I’m grateful for all the wonderful people I got to interact with.” Sam
“One thing that was quite unexpected was how much of an impact this project had to my team. I expected to walk into the internship doing some inconsequential tasks, but realising the significance of my project really kept me motivated throughout the internship.” Clarice
“My expectations of this program were average. The experience was fantastic. I now intend to apply for a career at ASD!” Kath
The ASD work experience program is for Year 11–12 students. The program focuses on students who are considering further studies in a STEM-related field.
The week-long program offers you an opportunity to extend your knowledge and skills through practical challenges. Scenarios could include:
- identifying security intrusions on a computer system
- learning how to identify email compromises
- learning to monitor network traffic to detect exploits
- learning how to conduct forensic examinations of hard drives
- learning about web application vulnerabilities
- learning modern encryption methods
- learning about different types of encryption and how they protect data
- using open-source software to recover keys and encrypt and decrypt data
- learning about geospatial analysis and how to use geospatial tools for imagery analysis
- engineering hardware and software solutions for security problems
- robotics programming using Arduinos
- construction of Arduino electrical circuits.
Students who enjoy discovering how technology works are considered favourably over those who use technology.
All placements are at the Australian Cyber Security Centre in Canberra. Students from interstate are encouraged to apply. Interstate students will receive assistance with travel (transportation) costs. Interstate students are responsible for their own accommodation.
Upcoming work experience program dates:
Session 1: 8 April 2024 – 12 April 2024 - Completed
Session 2: 15 April 2024 – 19 April 2024 - Completed
Session 3: 1 July 2024 – 5 July 2024 - Applications closed
Session 4: 8 July 2024 – 12 July 2024 - Applications closed
Session 5: 23 September 2024 – 27 September 2024
Session 6: 30 September 2024 – 4 October 2024
- Application for sessions 5 and 6 will open at 9 am on Friday 12 July 2024 and close at 11:30 pm Sunday 11 August 2024.
What the experience is like
“The program was excellent. It gave me the opportunity to experience working at ASD in real time. The challenges and tasks set were based on real life operations and really fostered my interest in cyber security. The staff and ASD mentors were fantastic. To be selected for the placement was a huge honour and I would encourage any students keen on working in this field to look into the program.” – Fletcher, Queensland
“The ASD Cyber Security and Robotics Work Experience Program has given me the insight of how people work in ASD on a daily basis and in real time. The skills, activities and the mentors supporting us are extraordinary and had lots of fun in both cyber security and robotics, giving us a pathway to take if interested. Although some of the experiences are challenging, it gave me the ability to think critically and make decisions. The peers are both enjoyable to hang out with and also great buddies to get the work done as a team together, giving each other the helping hand where needed. It was an honour to have a placement here and I highly recommend for people who have even the slightest interest of cyber security, robotics or even technology to consider taking this program!” – Albert, ACT
“If you’re even slightly considering a career in cyber security, I would highly recommend doing this program. It was an unforgettable and amazing experience that helped me learn more about ASD and how vital their work is in protecting our nation.” – Parakh, NSW
ASD CyberEXP is an interactive online program which takes you through a day in the life of 5 cyber specialist experts working in the Australian Signals Directorate helping to secure the government’s information, services and personnel.
Users will participate in challenging real-life cyber scenarios, discover the skills and tools used by these ASD cyber mentors, and explore the vast number of careers available in cyber security today. The experience is based on real-life scenarios and provides a taste of what it is like on the front lines of security within ASD.
ASD CyberEXP is a free, self-paced online course designed for high school and university students and available at any time.
Register and log in to the ASD CyberEXP program.
The Grok Academy offers an online platform and classroom resources for K-12 students to develop their skills in digital technologies, cyber security and various coding skills. The online platform provides teachers with resources for various year levels, enabling students to engage in exciting, self-paced learning programs that are tailored to different skill levels.
You can access online offerings for free at Grok Learning.
The GPN is an extra-curricular program run by girls for girls. It inspires and supports girls interested in computers and technology. It is designed for girls in Year 6–12 of all programming abilities. Dedicated women from university, industry and government specialising in software development and cyber run each session. Find out about a GPN node near you.
Find out about a GPN node near you.