The Intelligence Analyst

The intelligence analyst sleuths to solve the major economic, military, diplomatic, and scientific problems with no clear answers. There are questions that terrify millions and stir world leaders and CEOs in their sleep. Will North Korea develop a hydrogen bomb? Will Turkey continue to attack the Kurdistan Workers Party separatist group? Which Fortune 500 company will be the target of the next crippling network attack?

Rarely are there easy and immediate answers to these questions. Along with their scale and significance, it’s the element of mystery that makes them so scary. But it’s also what attracts the intelligence analyst to Booz Allen.

The intelligence analyst sleuths to solve the major economic, military, diplomatic, and scientific problems with no clear answers. It’s a job as complex and opaque as assembling a 3-D jigsaw puzzle without the box cover.

The intelligence analyst seeks out raw information to establish connections and develop hypotheses of the most likely situational outcomes. It’s crucial for their analysis to be actionable, with predictions and options for leaders to best allocate resources and counter threats. Human lives and critical infrastructure are often at stake.

Critical thinking is a fundamental trait. They’re equal measure predictive detective and proactive entrepreneur. Tirelessly, they search for the signs that point to what might happen next, and constantly consider new methods and tools to reach those conclusions faster.

Strong research skills are likewise essential, as the intelligence analyst must scrutinize and synthesize information from a wide variety of sources. They’ll switch between long-term research to determine the decades-long effects of the UK’s potential exit from the European Union and quick-turn projects to uncover whether a terror group is planning an attack in the Sinai Peninsula.

• All source: blends raw intelligence from human or signal sources to create strategic findings. It’s the most common type of analysis.
• Cyber: assesses threats to digital systems and networks
• Geospatial: surveys images from satellites and drones
• Signals: intercepts communications or electronic device signals
• Forensic: examines the nature of bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or other physical items to determine who built them and where they got their supplies
• Open source: analyzes publicly available information, including books, newspapers, social media, and other public data.