Lead Analyst, Strategic Advisory & Field Research

Job Description – Lead Analyst, Strategic Advisory & Field Research

We are seeking an experienced U.S. or European professional to conduct and manage analysis, strategic advisory, and field research work across the Middle East and Africa from our headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The role is suited to a sharp, intellectually curious professional with strong client management skills, experience conducting and reviewing rigorous analytical work with field-based inquiry, and delivering and coaching colleagues to produce high-quality written outputs.

The ideal candidate will have a background in the U.S. or European government or military in areas such as intelligence analysis, foreign area officer or attaché service, political-military affairs, defense or diplomatic engagement, federal law enforcement, or a comparable analytical field. They should be comfortable guiding and mentoring subject matter experts to move between desk-based research, interviews, field visits, stakeholder mapping, and direct client-facing work.

This is a hands-on role for a mid-level professional who can operate independently and discreetly, ask precise questions, assess complex political and commercial dynamics, and produce clear, actionable analysis for senior decision-makers.

Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic, Political, and Security Analysis

• Conduct strategic, political, security, commercial, and stakeholder analysis across priority markets in Africa and the Middle East.
• Support strategic advisory engagements by identifying key risks, opportunities, decision-makers, incentives, and local operating dynamics.
• Translate complex, incomplete, or sensitive information into practical insights for clients and internal teams.

B. Field Research and Contact Development

• Design and execute field-based research plans, including interviews, site visits, local contact development, and structured information gathering.
• Conduct open-source research, media monitoring, corporate and political mapping, and background research on individuals, entities, sectors, and jurisdictions.

C. Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent Valar with clients, partners, government stakeholders, private-sector actors, and civil society contacts across the region.
• Lead proposal development, client presentations, scopes of work, and research methodologies for opportunities in the security sector.

D. Analytical Products and Reporting

• Produce concise analytical products, including client briefings, risk assessments, country and sector notes, due diligence reports, stakeholder maps, and field research summaries.

E. Confidentiality, Integrity, and Travel

• Maintain high standards of confidentiality, discretion, and analytical integrity.
• Travel regularly across the Middle East and Africa for research, meetings, and project delivery.

Key Deliverables

The Analyst will be expected to manage subject matter experts to contribute to or deliver as an individual, as applicable:

• Country or sector risk briefs.
• Stakeholder and influence maps.
• Political economy assessments.
• Market-entry or operating-environment analysis.
• Analytical research memos.
• Field interview summaries.
• Client briefing notes.
• Due diligence and background research reports.
• Strategic advisory inputs for senior client engagements.

Qualifications and Experience

Required

• Based in Nairobi or willing to relocate to Nairobi.
• At least 10 years of experience, or eight years plus a master’s degree in a relevant subject matter (e.g. defense, strategic studies, public policy).
• Strong analytical background, ideally gained through U.S. or European government or military service, such as intelligence analysis, foreign area officer or attaché work, political-military affairs, federal law enforcement, defense or diplomatic engagement, or strategic consulting.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct/mentor and guide subject matter experts to conduct field research, interviews, and source-based inquiry in complex operating environments in the security sector.
• Excellent written English, with the ability to produce clear, concise, evidence-based analysis under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and confidence engaging senior clients, government officials, local stakeholders, civil society, journalists and media, and private-sector counterparts.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and operate with discretion in sensitive contexts.
• Strong understanding of regional political, security, commercial, or development dynamics in Africa, the Middle East, or both.
• Experience working in and willingness and ability to travel frequently to austere environments, sometimes at short notice.

Desirable

• Prior service in a U.S. government or military capacity with a regional focus on Africa, the Middle East, or the Horn of Africa, such as with the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, or a combatant command.
• At least one year of experience working in East Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Gulf, North Africa, or other relevant Middle East and Africa markets.
• Familiarity with OSINT tools, including corporate records, sanctions databases, procurement data, media archives, geospatial analysis, and social media research.
• Experience producing client-ready briefings, intelligence notes, due diligence reports, or advisory memos.
• Existing regional contacts among former government officials, analysts, civil society, private sector actors, researchers, journalists, or government-adjacent stakeholders.
• Strong language skills relevant to the region, including Arabic, French, Portuguese, Swahili, Amharic, Somali, or other regional languages.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Curiosity and persistence: Comfortable following leads beyond the obvious answer.
• Analytical writing: A strong writer who can distinguish fact, inference, judgment, and uncertainty.
• Comfort with ambiguity: Able to make sense of fragmented or incomplete information.
• Professionalism: Credible and confident in front of clients and senior stakeholders.
• Field orientation: Practical and culturally aware in the field.
• Discretion and ethics: Careful and responsible with sensitive information.
• Commercial judgment: Able to balance analytical depth with commercial usefulness.

Performance Indicators for the Role

Performance will be assessed against, among other factors:

• Quality, clarity, and timeliness of analytical products and client deliverables.
• Effectiveness and rigor of field research, interviews, and source development.
• Strength and reliability of client and stakeholder relationships across the region.
• Accuracy and usefulness of risk, political, and commercial analysis for decision-makers.
• Consistency in maintaining confidentiality, discretion, and source protection.
• Contribution to proposal development and new business opportunities.
• Ability to operate independently and exercise sound judgment in complex environments.

Safeguarding and Professional Standards

This individual is expected to uphold Valar’s policies and procedures and comply with all applicable safeguarding, confidentiality, data protection, security, and professional standards.

The position requires a high level of integrity and discretion, particularly when handling sensitive client, government, security-sector, and commercially confidential information.