Chinese Cultural/Language SME

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If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos is on the hunt for a Cultural Advisor with Chinese (Mandarin) language fluency at Lackland AFB, TX. The individual must be a native-born or heritage-speaking Chinese (Mandarin) linguist and cultural expert, with the ideal candidate having experience living in China. The candidate must have an in-depth understanding of the cultural differences, nuances, customs, symbolism, mannerisms, and traditions of the various ethnic Chinese groups residing throughout China, as well as a fundamental understanding of neighboring countries and cultures in the broader Indo-Pacific region. Interested candidates must currently possess an active Top Secret/SCI security clearance.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Analyze, assess, translate, and communicate complex issues clearly in a concise and organized manner both verbally and non-verbally.
• Documentation: draft requirements documents, correspondence, and standard operating procedures in accordance with local policies.
• Procedures and Processes: Provide explanations of complex technical procedures and processes clearly and accurately to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Writing: Communicate effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Briefing: prepare and present briefings to military, government, and intelligence community stakeholders as directed.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in conducting open source research to produce behavioral analysis of target audiences, social network analysis, and foreign media analysis in order to generate reports on trends, behaviors, and geopolitical events
• Identify information operations opportunities and produce predictive recommendations
• Evaluate both classified and unclassified critical and sensitive information to understand and characterize target audience behavior and trends.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) score level of 3/3/3 in all three modalities: reading, listening, and speaking. (Note: language proficiency will be verified via language testing.)
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree and 10 years of experience. Comparable experience acceptable (no less than 4 years) in lieu of degree.
• DoD Top Secret (TS) clearance (current) with SCI eligibility.
• Native or heritage Chinese (Mandarin) speaker.

• Native ability to read, write, and understand standard Chinese (Mandarin) grammar and writing style.
• Demonstrated ability to verbally communicate clearly and natively in the Chinese (Mandarin) standard dialect.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and interpret idiomatic expressions in Chinese (Mandarin) standard dialect.

• In-depth understanding of Chinese culture and society.

• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite of products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Notes), with advanced understanding of how to organize data in Excel

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•             Experience living in China.

TRAVEL 

• Occasional short-term travel in the Washington Metropolitan area.

AMSOPP1

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

July 9, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $92,300.00 - $166,850.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.