What does a senior intelligence analyst do?
A Senior Intelligence Analyst is responsible for professional development, standards of performance, product development, team composition, and capabilities. They must collect and analyze high volumes of complex information in support of consumer requests.
Senior intelligence analyst responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior intelligence analyst resumes:
- Manage, maintain and upgrade the FIREBIRD network server for the Albuquerque DEA office.
- Prepare and manage multiple self assessment checklists to evaluate overall effectiveness and ensure compliance with USAF directives.
- Collect intelligence using HUMINT, OSINT, COMINT, and intelligence disciplines.
- Well-Verse in multiple intelligence disciplines, particularly conducting OSINT research and leveraging the results to cross-cue other disciplines, especially HUMINT.
- Conduct SIGINT collection management procedures developing and maintaining CN collection analysis fusion cell.
- Compile detail intelligence reports for detectives and patrol officers working in a fugitive operations capacity.
- Develop, execute, and authore intelligence and DoD planning products focuse on terrorism using advance all source analytic capabilities.
- Prepare routine SIGINT intelligence reports in using classify analysis equipment, including signal generators, graphic recorders, and spectrum analyzers.
- Task with portraying USPIS data into ArcGIS maps for divisional support and presentation purposes.
- Perform operator and analyst duties to exploit intelligence information for the DCGS weapons system.
- Provide DIA, USFK and STRATCOM with battle damage assessments and combat assessments during exercises within CONUS and OCONUS.
- Integrate IED TECHINT and biometric forensics with all-source analysis to identify IED networks and produce targeting packages on high-threat targets.
- Provide near real time analysis on counter improvise explosive device (IED) in defense of multi-national lives and equipment.
- Identify new data source; work with HUMINT partners to ensure critical information are reported and make available to greater IC.
- Lead highly confidential RFP in 2013 regarding staff augmentation that result in $5MM savings through market savings and contract negotiations.
Senior intelligence analyst skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Senior Intelligence Analysts are proficient in Intelligence Community, CI, and Intelligence Analysis. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Empathy, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Senior Intelligence Analysts that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Intelligence Community, 7%
Create well-researched and all-encompassing Intelligence Community-approved intelligence assessments.
- CI, 7%
Conducted All Source Intelligence Analysis into various CI issues of critical importance to combatant commanders within the Iraqi theater of operations.
- Intelligence Analysis, 6%
Utilized multiple intelligence analysis sources, creates and disseminates both near real-time and deep dive intelligence products and directed collection management.
- DOD, 6%
Conducted extensive liaison with national intelligence agencies, DoD personnel and foreign government military representatives.
- Law Enforcement, 5%
Produced over 75 strategic targeting profiles and supply chain assessments, incorporating data and analysis from law enforcement and all-source intelligence.
- National Security, 4%
Disseminated information as representative at US Government client meetings and provided input on impending events of national security importance.
"intelligence community," "ci," and "intelligence analysis" are among the most common skills that senior intelligence analysts use at work. You can find even more senior intelligence analyst responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior intelligence analyst to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Senior intelligence analysts often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills while preparing and presenting intelligence based threat assessments. "
Empathy. Another essential skill to perform senior intelligence analyst duties is empathy. Senior intelligence analysts responsibilities require that "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Senior intelligence analysts also use empathy in their role according to a real resume snippet: "utilize expertise in understanding collection requirements and sharing restrictions between law enforcement and military intelligence. "
Good judgment. This is an important skill for senior intelligence analysts to perform their duties. For an example of how senior intelligence analyst responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior intelligence analyst: "possess good peer network with analysts at dhs, cia, dia, nsa, nga, fbi and other organizations. ".
Leadership skills. senior intelligence analyst responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." This resume example shows what senior intelligence analysts do with leadership skills on a typical day: "develop network analysis on terrorist organizations in order to visualize leadership profiles, associations, trends and pattern of life. "
Physical strength. Another common skill required for senior intelligence analyst responsibilities is "physical strength." This skill comes up in the duties of senior intelligence analysts all the time, as "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." An excerpt from a real senior intelligence analyst resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior intelligence analyst does: "enforced army regulations governing physical security and force protections, passing 2 inspections from dia and 18th airborne corps. "
The three companies that hire the most senior intelligence analysts are:
- Peraton17 senior intelligence analysts jobs
- Booz Allen Hamilton14 senior intelligence analysts jobs
- Mandiant
12 senior intelligence analysts jobs
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Compare different senior intelligence analysts
Senior intelligence analyst vs. Criminal research specialist
Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior intelligence analyst are more likely to require skills like "intelligence community," "ci," "intelligence analysis," and "dod." On the other hand, a job as a criminal research specialist requires skills like "search results," "criminal background checks," "criminal justice," and "court research." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Criminal research specialists tend to reach lower levels of education than senior intelligence analysts. In fact, criminal research specialists are 10.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Senior intelligence analyst vs. Analyst
A full-motion video analyst has the capability to create a detailed video, intelligence products, or still image. Full-video analysts provide imagery, accounting and telecommunications support, and military geography to various intelligence community customers. They collaborate with the other intelligence community agencies and officers for support in disseminating information. Their job also involves the exploitation and analysis of computer-aided imagery.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior intelligence analyst responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "intelligence community," "ci," "intelligence analysis," and "law enforcement." Meanwhile, an analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "troubleshoot," "data analysis," and "management system." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Analysts may earn a lower salary than senior intelligence analysts, but analysts earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $79,330. On the other hand, senior intelligence analysts receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $77,374.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than senior intelligence analysts. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior intelligence analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Eduardo Zambrano
Professor of Economics, Orfalea College of Business
Senior intelligence analyst vs. Classification analyst
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior intelligence analysts are more likely to have skills like "intelligence community," "ci," "intelligence analysis," and "dod." But a classification analyst is more likely to have skills like "us customs," "data entry," "cbp," and "hts."
Most classification analysts achieve a similar degree level compared to senior intelligence analysts. For example, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior intelligence analyst vs. Full-motion video analyst
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior intelligence analysts and full-motion video analysts, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior intelligence analyst might have more use for skills like "ci," "dod," "law enforcement," and "threat analysis." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of full-motion video analysts require skills like "maas," "intelligence products," "proofreading," and "imagery analysis. "
Full-motion video analysts reach lower levels of education compared to senior intelligence analysts, in general. The difference is that they're 7.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior intelligence analyst
Updated January 8, 2025
