[Hiring] Senior Analyst @ExTrac AI

Role Description

As a Senior Analyst covering the MENA region, you will help ExTrac understand and anticipate political and security developments across the region, including the activities of state and non-state actors, violent extremist organisations (VEOs), and the online ecosystems in which they operate. Working in Arabic every day, across standard and dialectal material, you will turn what you find into timely reporting that feeds ExTrac's intelligence products and data platform.

What the job involves

• Intelligence collection and analysis
  • Monitor and assess political, security, and socio-economic developments across MENA.
  • Conduct daily monitoring of Arabic- and English-language media.
  • Track VEO and non-state armed group activity.
  • Identify new narratives, actors, platforms, and threats across online ecosystems.
  • Apply structured analytical techniques to assess complex information.
• Intelligence production
  • Lead and contribute to various analytical reporting.
  • Translate and assess Arabic-language documents.
  • Contribute to client-facing discussions and ad hoc research requests.
  • Develop and maintain subject-matter expertise.
• Data curation
  • Lead and contribute to source coverage for the region.
  • Verify and assess sources in the original language.
  • Maintain coverage against intelligence requirements.
  • Contribute to taxonomy and tagging decisions.
  • Work with research and data teams to translate analytical judgement into structured data.
• Leadership and collaboration
  • Support the Team Lead with reviewing and quality assurance of analytical outputs.
  • Mentor junior analysts on research methodology and analytical standards.
  • Support other teams across ExTrac on projects and deliverables.
• Innovation and capability development
  • Help develop research methodologies and analytical processes.
  • Integrate AI systems into analytical practice.

Qualifications

• MENA is the region you already follow closely.
• You work in Arabic, reading Modern Standard Arabic and dialect comfortably.
• Writing is one of your strengths.
• You care about the quality of the underlying data.
• You want to keep producing analysis at volume.
• You thrive on operational tempo.
• You are already using AI in your workflow.

Requirements

• At least five years of professional experience in intelligence analysis or related fields.
• Strong subject-matter knowledge of the MENA region.
• A working understanding of VEOs and their online ecosystems.
• Fluency in written Arabic, across both Modern Standard Arabic and local dialects.
• Demonstrable experience applying structured analytical methodologies.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Hands-on experience curating source coverage.
• Experience proofreading, editing, and quality-assuring analytical products.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Able to communicate complex developments clearly.
• Comfortable integrating AI systems into your workflow.
• A strong understanding of legal and ethical considerations surrounding intelligence collection.

Desirable

• Experience leading analysis on international security or violent extremism.
• Demonstrable experience researching VEOs and extremist online activity.
• Experience with data science or advanced OSINT platforms.
• Proficiency in one or more additional relevant languages.
• Familiarity with the PHIA Yardstick.
• Experience developing analytical methodologies or research frameworks.
• Experience mentoring junior analysts or leading small analytical projects.

Interview Process

We aim to ensure that each person who interviews with our team has the opportunity to showcase their experience and strengths. The process for this role is as follows:

• Initial interview with the hiring manager – 30 minutes
• Technical craft assessment – two tasks covering analytical writing and source curation
• Competency-based interview – 45 minutes
• Senior Executive interview – 45 minutes

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on skills and experience.
• A generous benefits package, including medical health insurance and 401(k).
• $500/year education budget with manager approval for more expensive items.
• 33 days of leave across the year inclusive of national holidays.
• A role that combines mission-driven purpose with cutting-edge technology.