West Africa Analyst

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies has an opportunity for a West Africa Analyst with extensive knowledge of the political economy of Mali and the surrounding region.

You will work with one other analyst using data-driven approaches to assess the competition for both economic and political resources in Mali; identify key stakeholders and possible spoilers to the transitional political process and post-conflict power-sharing agreements; collect original data across multiple languages; leverage models of political fragmentation and economic competition to inform the analysis; publish findings.

This position offers flexible hours, full benefits, foreign travel, intermediate training in analytical toolkits such as Palantir, and a chance to be part of a dynamic and growing organization.

About the Center

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to researching the global security implications of existing and emerging conflicts. Our approach emphasizes the importance of understanding individual and group behavior across the spectrum and phases of conflict, leveraging access to local experts and their knowledge of traditional social and cultural systems.

At the same time, we recognize that emerging technology has empowered networks and individuals to work both for and against global stability and security. We seek to combine this knowledge of traditional systems, access to conflict zones, and understanding of emerging technologies and data-driven analysis to help solve these rapidly evolving security and stability challenges.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred
• Advanced proficiency/fluency in French; some experience with Arabic, Bambara, Songhai, or Berber highly desirable
• Experience living and working in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, or Mauritania highly preferred
• Ability to produce defensible academic work with minimal oversight
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency in full Microsoft Office suite
• Some experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), link analysis software, statistical analysis packages, or programming languages preferred
• The ideal candidate would also be comfortable using open-source data collection and analysis tools and methodologies, building datasets, and adhering to rigorous academic standards and principles of research design.

Please submit to hr@c4ads.org: a current CV, 2-3 page writing sample, and a short (2-3 paragraphs) cover letter (email format is acceptable) outlining your understanding of the interaction between traditional social systems and emerging technologies, and how the global proliferation of data can help us understand and clarify an increasingly complex and unstructured world.