Senior Intelligence Analyst

Border Security Command works to disrupt and dismantle organised immigration crime, including organised criminal gangs. We reduce illicit goods and irregular migration and deliver detection and interception at the border. We safeguard people exploited through trafficking and smuggling and help build public confidence in the UKs border security.

The Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) is a multi-agency, military-civil organisation hosted by the Home Office that acts as the UK governments centre of excellence for maritime security. Its mission is to increase awareness and understanding of maritime security threats and enable cross-government coordination to deliver a whole-system response to mitigate them.

The Centre offers government departments and agencies a central point of UK maritime expertise and understanding to assist policy and decision making. Working internationally with states and with key international organisations to support information sharing, relationship development and capacity building efforts.

The JMSC is mandated to provide Maritime Domain Awareness & Understanding, Operational Coordination & Coherence, Strategic Maritime Threat Assessment, Support to Sanction Regimes, International Engagement & Liaison, and Strategy & Transformation.

As a Senior Analyst in the JMSC Sanctions Assessment Team, you will lead the delivery of high‑impact assessments on maritime sanctions‑related activity, shaping analytic direction and assuring tradecraft standards. Working to the Assistant Director, you will set approaches for complex assessments, determine evidence thresholds, and apply accountable judgement under uncertainty.

As the potential first point of contact for emerging maritime events, you will be expected to apply sound judgement and escalate issues to senior leaders to enable an effective and timely response.

Key Responsibilities:

Your responsibilities will include (but not be limited to):

• Shaping how JMSC understands a rapidly evolving maritime risk landscape, turning complex sanctions‑related behaviour into clear narratives that help senior decision‑makers act with confidence.
• Guiding the team through competing demands, ensuring assessments, routine reporting, and urgent requests all reinforce a coherent picture of maritime sanctions activity and its implications for UK objectives.
• Creating an environment where high‑quality analysis thrives, helping colleagues refine their thinking, stress‑test assumptions, and develop the confidence to apply robust tradecraft under pressure.
• Acting as a trusted voice for JMSC across government and internationally, building the relationships and shared understanding needed to tackle sanctions evasion, emerging obfuscation techniques, and wider maritime security challenges.
• Providing steady leadership in fast‑moving situations, helping the team respond quickly to new developments, supporting operational partners with grounded insight, and offering senior representation when required.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis and is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 30 hours per week due to business requirements.

Training

Mandatory training will need to be completed for the role.

Travel

Occasional travel will be required to partner locations across the UK, or in some limited cases travel to overseas.

Overnight stays may be necessary on occasion.

Essential Criteria:

• Developed Vetting (DV) clearance required.
• Lead complex assessments end‑to‑end, setting analytic direction, evidence standards and quality thresholds, and exercising accountable judgement under uncertainty.
• Shape and deliver the teams programme, brokering priorities across partners, sequencing work to land deadlines, and maintaining rigorous sanctions horizon scanning to inform JMSC and wider HMG objectives.
• Provide analytical leadership, championing PHIA‑compliant tradecraft, applying and enforcing structured analytic techniques, and leading peer review and quality assurance.
• Represent JMSC authoritatively, building and leading domestic and international partnerships, chairing engagements, and delivering concise, executive‑level briefings at pace.
• Demonstrate expert maritime and sanctions awareness, integrating routing anomalies, obfuscation methods, insurance/class/flag risk and energy‑market dynamics to support policy and operational partners; lead operational response during urgent tasking.

Desirable Criteria:

• Completion of Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment's (PHIA) New Analyst Programme (or its predecessors), Experienced Analyst Programme or equivalent.
• Demonstrable experience in line management or staff development, providing clear direction, feedback and support to maintain analytical rigour and team wellbeing.