National Security Analyst - Strategic Analysis & Integration

Are you an experienced analyst who thrives on tackling complex national security challenges where the answers aren't always clear?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team in the National Security Analysis Department (NSAD) at JHU/APL.

NSAD is seeking experienced analysts with strong technical and analytic capabilities who can bring structure, rigor, and creativity to difficult problems at the intersection of adversary behavior, emerging technology, operational concepts, policy, and strategy.

In NSAD, we conduct independent, adversary-informed analysis that helps sharpen national security decision-making by defining what choices are available, what risks they carry, and what trade-offs they create. Our work is methodologically grounded and mission focused. We work across JHU/APL as integrators, helping to understand and articulate how technology fits into a larger operational, strategic, and policy context.

We are increasingly emphasizing data-driven analysis, intelligence-informed assessments, and the use of advanced analytic technologies, including Generative AI, to improve the speed, repeatability, transparency, and insightfulness of our work. We are looking for analysts who can deliver high-quality sponsor work today, while helping to modernize and innovate on the methods, workflows, and tools our analysts will need tomorrow.

The strongest candidates will combine analytic depth with breadth of perspective. We do not expect every analyst to be an expert in every method; we expect experienced analysts to understand the strengths and limitations of different approaches. We expectthey are intellectually curious, comfortable with ambiguity, proactive in identifying and solving problems, and willing to learn new methods and technologies. Strong candidates will also be engaged and collaborative analysts who take ownership, identify what needs to be done, and work constructively across teams and disciplines to move complex efforts forward. We value analysts who can challenge ideas and assumptions while engaging colleagues with respect, intellectual humility, and a shared commitment to producing the best analysis.

As an experienced Analyst in the National Security Analysis Department (NSAD), you will...

• Lead and contribute to rigorous, data-driven national security analyses, looking across adversary capabilities and behavior, emerging technologies, operational concepts, policy implications, force structure, readiness, institutional capacity, and mission risk.
• Serve as an analytic integrator across technical, operational, intelligence, policy, and strategic perspectives, translating complex evidence into clear findings for sponsors and senior decision makers.

• Develop innovative analytic approaches to complex, ambiguous problems by framing key questions, identifying assumptions, defining measures of effectiveness, determining data requirements, evaluating uncertainty, and communicating defensible findings.

• Incorporate advanced analytic tools and methods into your work, including quantitative analysis, qualitative research, modeling and simulation, social science methodologies, and wargaming and tabletop exercises.
• Help build reusable analytic frameworks, datasets, baselines, and workflows that allow our analysts to assess evolving adversary capabilities, blue force options, technology impacts, and mission risks over time.
• Be an engaged member of multidisciplinary teams-to include technical experts and specialists-to identify what needs to be done, take ownership, seek out expertise and perspectives different from your own, and help colleagues solve problems and move work forward.
• Partner with JHU/APL program managers to shape work and engage directly with government sponsors and senior decision makers to understand their challenges, shape analytic questions, and present compelling results.
• Translate analytic results into clear insights for sponsor decisions and effectively communicate complex findings through briefings, reports, visualizations, and other products tailored to senior-leader audiences.
• Mentor junior analysts by helping them structure problems, apply sound methodology, evaluate evidence, communicate clearly, and develop as independent analytic contributors.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Have a Master's degree or higher in operations research, statistics, applied mathematics, the physical or social sciences, engineering, economics, or another analytically rigorous field.

• Have at least seven years of relevant experience supporting national security analysis or comparable mission-focused analytic work along with demonstrated analytic judgement, e.g., distinguishing important uncertainties from those on the periphery of the core issue; the ability to determine the elements of an ambiguous problem that matter most; the ability to quickly execute and adapt the approach as needed.
• Have demonstrated experience leading or substantially contributing to analyses of complex, unstructured problems.
• Have experience selecting and applying analytic methods appropriate to real-world problems, drawing from quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, or model-based approaches.
• Can develop defensible analytic frameworks, identify assumptions and uncertainties, define measures and data needs, interpret evidence, and communicate findings clearly to decision makers.
• Have experience working with data to support analysis, such as collecting, cleaning, structuring, analyzing, visualizing, or interpreting operational, intelligence, technical, survey, experimental, or other mission-relevant data.
• Have familiarity with AI-enabled tools, including generative AI, automation, data science, modeling, and/or other advanced analytic technologies, and can think critically about their appropriate use in analytic work.
• Possess strong analytic curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual humility.
• Can operate independently, manage multiple tasks, and lead analytic efforts from problem framing through sponsor delivery.
• Have strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including the ability to brief complex findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Can build trusted relationships with government sponsors and internal collaborators, including subject matter experts from technical, operational, intelligence, and policy communities.
• Are able to obtain an Interim Secret security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Have a Doctoral degree in operations research, statistics, applied mathematics, the physical or social sciences, engineering, economics, or another analytically rigorous field.
• Have experience developing structured datasets, data pipelines, model-based assessments, dashboards, and/or reusable workflows.
• Have experience applying AI, GenAI, machine learning, natural language processing, automation, or advanced data tools to improve analytic deliverables.
• Have operational, intelligence, acquisition, policy, strategy, or military planning experience relevant to national security decision-making.
• Have experience with adversary-informed analysis, net assessment, technology forecasting, force structure analysis, or supply chain analysis.
• Have experience leading multidisciplinary teams or mentoring analysts in rigorous analytic methods.
• Possess an active Secret clearance or higher.

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Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation's most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL's campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities athttps://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contactAccessibility@jhuapl.edu.

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.