Senior Analyst - MENA focus

ExTrac AI

9d • $77,000 - $84,000

About The Position

ExTrac is a decision intelligence company used by governments, defence organisations, financial institutions, and corporates operating in complex, fast-moving environments. Our capabilities fuse curated data sources, domain-specific AI, and deep human expertise to transform information overload into clear, actionable foresight. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a core region for ExTrac's intelligence coverage, spanning the political and security dynamics, actors, movements, and online ecosystems that shape risk across the region and beyond it. We are the analytical backbone for decision-making when geopolitical uncertainty becomes an opportunity or a strategic risk. More at extrac.ai.

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.

Requirements

• At least five years of professional experience in intelligence analysis, geopolitical risk, disinformation analysis, strategic communications, international security, international relations, or a related field.
• Strong subject-matter knowledge of the MENA region, including its key political and security actors and regional dynamics.
• A working understanding of VEOs, their online ecosystems, communications strategies, narratives, and operational activity, built through direct analytical experience.
• Fluency in written Arabic, across both Modern Standard Arabic and local dialects, including knowledge of slang, with the ability to monitor, analyse, and translate Arabic-language content from a range of sources.
• Demonstrable experience applying structured analytical methodologies to complex information environments and online ecosystems, including OSINT, network analysis, narrative analysis, sentiment analysis, or other quantitative and qualitative approaches.
• Strong written communication skills, with a track record of producing concise, high-quality, policy-relevant intelligence and analytical outputs under tight deadlines.
• Hands-on experience curating source coverage: identifying and verifying online sources, assessing their affiliation, and maintaining structured datasets to a defined standard.
• Experience proofreading, editing, and quality-assuring analytical products.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work independently while managing multiple concurrent workstreams and competing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to distinguish meaningful developments from high-volume information flows.
• Able to communicate complex political, security, and extremist-related developments clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Comfortable integrating AI systems into your workflow to improve outputs and efficiency.
• A strong understanding of the legal and ethical considerations surrounding intelligence collection, open-source research, and data handling, including responsible use of publicly available information.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading analysis on international security, violent extremism, terrorism, or state- and non-state-aligned influence and disinformation ecosystems.
• Demonstrable experience researching VEOs and extremist online activity, including monitoring affiliated media operations, narratives, actors, and various platforms, such as Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, RocketChat, TikTok, and others.
• Experience with data science, AI-enabled research tools, or advanced OSINT platforms.
• Proficiency in one or more additional relevant languages, such as French, Farsi, Turkish, Kurdish, or Russian.
• Familiarity with the PHIA Yardstick.
• Experience developing analytical methodologies, research frameworks, monitoring requirements, or data schemas and taxonomies.
• Experience mentoring junior analysts, reviewing analytical outputs, or leading small analytical projects.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and assess political, security, and socio-economic developments across MENA, including regional diplomacy, state and non-state actors, and geopolitical risk, with the ability to contribute to wider global coverage when required.
• Conduct daily monitoring of Arabic- and English-language media, including news outlets, social media platforms, official statements, and other open-source information environments.
• Track VEO and non-state armed group activity, including organisational developments, propaganda and communications activity, governance dynamics, operational activity, and regional linkages.
• Identify new narratives, actors, platforms, and threats appearing across online ecosystems.
• Apply structured analytical techniques to assess complex information and identify patterns and relationships.
• Lead and contribute to daily, weekly, monthly, flash, and deep-dive analytical reporting, with a particular focus on MENA and VEOs.
• Translate and assess Arabic-language documents and other source material.
• Contribute to client-facing discussions, briefings, and ad hoc research requests as required.
• Develop and maintain subject-matter expertise across designated countries, actors, organisations, and thematic areas.
• Lead and contribute to source coverage for the region, identifying and proposing new actors, entities, channels, and outlets for inclusion in ExTrac's research ecosystem.
• Verify and assess sources in the original language prior to inclusion.
• Maintain coverage against intelligence requirements, identifying where it should expand or deepen.
• Contribute to the taxonomy and tagging decisions that structure MENA and violent extremism data.
• Work with the wider research and data teams to translate analytical judgement into structured data that others can rely on without further verification.
• Support the Team Lead with the reviewing, and quality assurance of analytical outputs.
• Mentor junior analysts on research methodology, analytical standards, and source validation.
• Support other teams across ExTrac on projects and deliverables when required.
• Help develop research methodologies, monitoring frameworks, and analytical processes to improve team efficiency and product quality.
• Integrate AI systems and AI-assisted workflows into analytical practice where they create genuine improvements.

Benefits

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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed