Senior Analyst - Nairobi - Valar Ltd

Description

Title: Senior Analyst / Head of Research
Department: Information & Analysis
Type: Full-Time Employee
Duty Location: Nairobi and Kwale, Kenya
Travel: Regional Travel Required (25%)
Requirements: Candidate Must Have or Be Able to Obtain a Kenyan Work Permit

Description
Valar seeks a highly qualified individual to serve as Valar's Senior Analyst / Head of Research. The successful applicant will possess advanced analytical skills and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the political, security, cultural, and economic environments in Africa to produce high-quality analysis, particularly regarding the extractive industry and critical minerals in Africa. This position will brief Valar senior leadership and executives of current clients and oversee several mid-level and junior analysts in driving a program of research alongside the Director of Information and Analysis. The Senior Analyst will be based in Nairobi but will travel frequently to engage current and prospective clients in the field.

Role Overview
The Senior Analyst will serve in an all-source analytical role, responsible for overseeing the development of information products that cover local, regional, and international dynamics and their assessed impact on our client's ability to operate in-country. The Senior Analyst will oversee or assist with several field teams and programs, to include operations in DRC, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.

The Senior Analyst will help develop Valar's extensive information databases, systems, and mechanisms for sharing relevant information to support client projects. The candidate will provide local and regional tactical, operational, and strategic situational awareness and enhanced understanding through sound, collaborative analytical assessments on political, criminal, environmental, and industry-related issues. 

The Senior Analyst will also be responsible for growing multiple country-wide information networks, consisting of key subject matter experts who will provide Valar with granular insight into daily political, economic, or other trends that may affect the client's ability to operate safely in country.

Responsibilities

• Use traditional all-source analytic tradecraft and methodologies to understand relationships (e.g., leadership, affiliations, aliases, etc.), temporal and spatial interdependencies, and conceptual scenarios which yield draft and finished analytical products, including threat assessments, situation reports, and geospatial analysis. Oversee and train team members in this tradecraft and manage the creation of final products for an array of client reports and regional risk assessments.  
• The Senior Analyst role will include efforts to expand and support regional business development, to include proposal writing, potential client engagement and briefings, and identification of regional opportunities based on team collective analysis. Valar's clients include commercial, extractive, donor organizations, and local and international government institutions and security forces.
• Drive a program of critical minerals research for Valar, supporting current clients, identifying prospective clients, and shaping support to unlock high-impact extractive projects.
• Perform appropriate methods of social network analysis to meet specific project needs. Methods may include classification, pattern analysis, and link analysis based on analysis of transaction data, message (e.g., phone, e-mail, blog) traffic, and other data sources in collaboration with other I&A team members.
• Help the Director lead the Information & Analysis department in the delivery of tailored client reports; prioritize information needs and task field teams; brief senior Valar leadership and client executives via written and oral presentations. This team management includes teaching tradecraft to junior analysts, forming and managing field research teams, and deploying to support regional projects as needed.  
• Help grow and manage Valar's many teams of field research enumerators to ensure data quality, timeliness, and depth and breadth of sources. This oversight of field research assignments will include using individual networked relationships, as well as data validity testing, methodological oversight and direction, and managing data record processes.  
• Help the Valar team expand, update, fact-check, and maintain extensive information databases, systems, and mechanisms for sharing relevant information to support field research projects and ongoing training programs. This will include regular updates to leadership rolodexes and engagements, to include leading these engagements.  
• Recognize and articulate critical information gaps; assist customers in identifying collection requirements; close collection holes by broadening Valar's human network in-country and leveraging existing or new contacts to provide the client with the most refined, accurate, and near real-time information on all matters pertaining to the client's project.
• Be confident and willing to engage in presentations and public speaking from day one; be adept at meeting, conversing and engaging with a wide variety of people, including armed forces or government personnel, academics, the media, and private sector clients.
• Help Valar leadership form and manage security requirements. Working with the Valar security manager, ensure that field teams have the highest level of security provisions,
• Exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality.
  

Qualifications

Preferred

1. Educated to post-graduate level in a relevant discipline – anthropology, international relations, international business, politics, security studies, journalism.
2. Prior military, law enforcement, intelligence, government, NGO or relevant sectors (e.g., oil and gas, donor programs, and media) in Africa.
3. Demonstrable experience for managing all-source written production capability and experience in building, maintaining, and leveraging human networks; experience liaising with security sector officials, including police and military.
4. Experience overseeing data analytics, data collection, and data visualization tools and techniques, such as Fulcrum and ArcGIS.
5. Advanced English writing and speaking ability.
6. Highly effective organizational and prioritization skills, including the ability to stay on task and maintain focus in a fast-paced environment; strong attention to detail; keen understanding of time-sensitive requirements.
7. Prior experience working and living in Africa.  
   
8. Familiarity with the mining industry and extractive operations in Africa.
9. Experience managing contracts and grants.
   

Minimum

1. Three (3) to five years (5) of experience performing senior level All-Source Intelligence Analysis or similar analytical writing roles.
2. French language skills
3. Public or private sector program management skills
   
4. Bachelor's Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., International Relations, International Business, Politics, Security Studies, Journalism).
5. Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel; familiarity with geospatial technology (CARTO, ArcGIS, Google Earth).
6. Proficiency in Open-Source information collection and analytical tools; familiarity with establishing human networks.