Strategic Research Analyst

About CRI

The Civilization Research Institute (CRI) is a research center focused on understanding and mitigating catastrophic and existential risk. Our mission is to create and disseminate actionable knowledge and wisdom that is essential for navigating the metacrisis, and to undertake research into viable future forms for global civilization. Our work spans technology, governance, ecological tipping points, financial systems, civilization theory, and societal sense‑making. The work requires analytical rigor, systems thinking, and cross‑disciplinary fluency. We operate in a high‑trust, low‑ego environment where clarity, integrity, and long‑term thinking are essential.

If you’d like a quick overview of our work, this video with our Executive Director, Daniel Schmachtenberger, is a good place to start.

About the Role

The Strategic Research Analyst will conduct research, collect and verify information, and deliver analysis and insight that informs decision-making across the organization and our network. You will work across open sources, academic literature, public records, and direct expert engagement, locating knowledge in fields such as geopolitics, economics, and technology and making complexity legible for both technical and non-technical audiences. Some of your work will be planned; some will be rapid-turnaround requests that prepare leadership and partners for meetings and public engagements. The work spans all areas of catastrophic and existential risk, and it requires the confidence to make a judgment on incomplete information and the humility to say when you do not know.

Location & Reporting

• This is a full-time remote or on-site role based out of Asheville, NC.
• The role will report to the Strategic Research Team Lead.

What You’ll Own

• Going deep on anything. Research a wide range of subjects, including ones you have never worked on before. You know how to find high quality sources in unfamiliar domains, and what a rigorous method looks like in a field that is new to you.
• Sourcing against the grain. Draw from a wide and diverse range of material, read official and counter-narratives with equal skepticism, and stay relentlessly curious about what neither is telling you.
• Situational assessments. Develop working command of a domain, problem, or question and take a position on it. Explicate the state of play and the players operating within it, and be explicit about what remains unknown: where the white space is, which questions are still open, and how you would go about answering them.
• Rapid response. Synthesize analysis on compressed timelines and surface only the most salient information, whether the trigger is a breaking event or a meeting a few hours out.
• Analysis and judgment. Collect from primary and secondary sources, industry reports, and academic publications; validate what you gather; then identify the patterns and trends that matter and draw explanatory insight. Be clear about which claims are matters of fact and which are assessed conclusions, and say plainly how confident you are in each.
• Clear writing for specific readers. Produce summaries, reports, and visualizations tailored to whoever is receiving them, from principals to network partners to internal teams. The work behind the scenes can be intensive; what lands should be concise and as complete as possible.

What Makes This Role Special

• Consequentiality. Decision-makers rely on your outputs for consequential decisions.
• Subject matter diversity. Rather than owning a single beat, you will go deep on whatever the organization needs to understand, where developing fast competence in unfamiliar fields is an opportunity for intellectual growth.
• Reading against the grain. Sourcing widely, treating official and counter-narratives with equal skepticism, and declining to settle into either. This is an uncommon mandate to think trans-perspectivally rather than adopt a position from the outset.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience as a research analyst, OSINT researcher, investigative journalist, or similar role.
• Proficiency in research methodologies, data collection, and analysis.
• Proficiency with verification methods, including metadata analysis, geolocation, archive research, media verification, link and relationship mapping, timeline construction, and multi-language search techniques.
• Strong analytical writing, with the ability to communicate complex findings clearly and concisely to non-specialist audiences.
• Demonstrated practice of documenting sources and methodologies.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple concurrent projects, and meet deadlines, including on short notice.
• Discretion in handling sensitive information.
• Nice to have: expertise in geopolitics or global finance, and fluency in languages other than English.

What We Offer

• Mission‑Driven Culture – Work alongside collaborative, values‑aligned colleagues tackling some of humanity’s most complex challenges.
• Health & Wellness Support – Access to wellness resources designed to support your physical and mental well‑being.
• Professional Growth & Development – Employees receive mentorship from senior leaders and the opportunity to take on meaningful projects that support continuous learning and career advancement.
• Competitive Compensation – The starting compensation is competitive and will depend on a variety of factors that include experience, education, training, certification, and location. We do not currently cap salary ranges because we value team members growing in their roles over time.
• Flexible Benefits – Full-time employees are offered flexible benefits to support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our team members.