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Analytics & AI Strategic Reasoning SME
Strategic Plans & Policy Support | Norfolk, VA | On-site
Company: Ironclad Defense Works
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Work Status: Full-time, on-site
Clearance Required: Active NATO SECRET or National SECRET equivalent
Citizenship Required: Citizen of a NATO member nation
Application Email: jobs@idw.inc
Ironclad Defense Works is seeking an exceptional Analytics & AI Strategic Reasoning Subject Matter Expert to support Strategic Plans and Policy work at the intersection of geopolitics, artificial intelligence, strategic analysis, and defense transformation.
This is a high-impact role for a deeply analytical professional who can combine human judgment, data science, large language models, and structured reasoning to help address some of NATO’s most complex strategic questions — including Sino-Russian relationships, Russian and Chinese theories of victory, military strategy, doctrine, and emerging geopolitical-security dynamics.
The ideal candidate is not simply an AI user or a policy analyst. We are looking for someone who can bridge both worlds: a strategic thinker who understands political-military affairs, a data-minded analyst who can structure fragmented information into rigorous evidence, and an AI practitioner who can use modern tools responsibly, transparently, and creatively to improve the quality of strategic assessment.About the Role
The Analytics & AI Strategic Reasoning SME will serve as a specialist supporting Strategic Plans and Policy activities, strategy development, strategic initiatives, and special projects. The role will contribute to research, analysis, experimentation, and production of high-quality strategic outputs for senior defense stakeholders.
You will help design and execute data science and AI-enabled experiments; leverage large language models and open-source datasets; develop taxonomies and structured analytic approaches; and support strategic research on Russia, China, and broader geopolitical-security questions.
This position requires someone comfortable operating in a military strategic headquarters environment, engaging with complex and sensitive subject matter, and producing outputs that meet NATO-level expectations for rigor, clarity, and traceability.What You’ll Do
You will support Strategic Plans and Policy stakeholders as a subject matter expert in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and strategic reasoning.
Key responsibilities include:
Apply AI and data science to strategic research and analysis.
Design and execute analytical experiments using data science, machine learning, and AI methods to support political-military research, strategy development, and special projects.
Use large language models to process and analyze complex source material.
Leverage multiple LLMs and AI-enabled research workflows to process large bodies of open-source text, language data, structured datasets, and analytical material. This may include models such as Meta Llama, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, and other allied, challenger, or adversary-developed equivalents.
Support analysis of Russia, China, and Sino-Russian strategic dynamics.
Contribute to research on Sino-Russian relationships, Russian and Chinese military strategies, doctrine, theories of victory, strategic culture, and related geopolitical-security issues.
Develop structured analytic frameworks and taxonomies.
Transform raw information into structured data, build taxonomies for analytical rigor, and facilitate systematic analysis that improves transparency, repeatability, and evidentiary traceability.
Create transparent, evidence-linked assessments.
Apply AI in ways that preserve a clear, traceable link between evidence and assessment. The successful candidate must understand that AI-enabled analysis is only useful when the reasoning chain, source basis, and confidence of assessment can be explained.
Explore and integrate diverse datasets and tools.
Work with text- and number-based datasets, open-source data, event datasets, economic, demographic, military, political, and elite opinion data, and tools such as GDELT, ICEWS, Phoenix, TERRIER, or comparable sources.
Develop proofs of concept for innovative analytic approaches.
Prototype new AI-enabled and data-driven methods for answering complex geopolitical and security questions. Bring creativity, technical skill, and disciplined judgment to analytical experimentation.
Support senior-ready reports and strategic products.
Assist in drafting, reviewing, refining, and finalizing reports, strategic analyses, briefings, and other deliverables that meet NATO standards for quality, precision, and clarity.
Collaborate with partners and expert communities.
Engage with partners and external initiatives where relevant, including research communities and knowledge-base initiatives focused on Russia, China, and strategic competition.Required Qualifications
Candidates must meet the following baseline requirements:
Citizenship and clearance
Applicants must be citizens of a NATO member country and must hold an active NATO SECRET clearance or National SECRET equivalent. Candidates must also possess a valid NATO nation passport with no travel restrictions to NATO nations.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, such as data science, computer science, international security, political science, strategic studies, military studies, intelligence studies, or a closely related field.
English proficiency
Proven ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing. The role requires the ability to produce polished, senior-ready written analysis and communicate complex findings clearly.
AI and data science experience
Demonstrated experience applying data science and AI methods to research, analysis, strategic studies, policy questions, intelligence-style problems, or complex security issues.
LLM experience
Hands-on experience using large language models for research, analysis, data extraction, synthesis, or structured reasoning. Competitive candidates will have experience with multiple LLM ecosystems and understand the strengths, weaknesses, and risks of generative AI in analytical work.
Strategic analysis experience
Experience supporting strategic-level analysis, preferably in a defense, military, NATO, intelligence, national security, foreign policy, or geopolitical research environment.
Traceability and analytic rigor
Demonstrated ability to maintain transparent links between source evidence, structured data, analytical judgments, and final assessments.
Technology proficiency
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and collaborative software. Experience producing senior-ready reports, dashboards, briefings, or analytical products is highly desirable.Highly Desired Experience
The strongest candidates will bring several of the following:
Experience working in or supporting a military strategic headquarters.
Experience dealing with complex issues related to Russia, China, strategic competition, military doctrine, theories of victory, or Sino-Russian cooperation.
Experience exploiting open-source text and datasets using human analysis, machine learning, supervised or unsupervised methods, or AI-enabled workflows.
Experience with agentic AI, AI workflow design, retrieval-augmented generation, automated research assistants, model evaluation, or human-in-the-loop analytical systems.
Experience constructing and applying taxonomies, ontologies, structured analytic frameworks, coding schemes, or evidence matrices.
Experience using or evaluating multiple LLMs, including commercial, open-source, allied, challenger, or adversary-developed models.
Familiarity with event datasets, political-military datasets, economic and demographic datasets, military datasets, or elite opinion data.
Experience drafting, reviewing, or finalizing strategic analysis for senior defense or government audiences.
Ability to work with Russian-language or Chinese-language source material is a strong plus.Who Thrives in This Role
This role is ideal for someone who is intellectually curious, analytically disciplined, and comfortable with ambiguity. You may be a data scientist with strong geopolitical instincts, a strategic analyst who has gone deep into AI-enabled methods, or a military/national security professional who has built advanced analytic workflows around complex strategic questions.
You should be comfortable asking hard questions, building structure from ambiguous, fast-moving information landscapes, testing new tools, and explaining your reasoning to demanding senior audiences. You should care about the quality of evidence, not just the speed of output. You should understand that AI is not a substitute for expertise — it is a force multiplier when paired with disciplined human judgment.Why IDW
At Ironclad Defense Works, we support mission-critical defense and national security efforts where technical excellence, operational credibility, and trust matter. Our teams work at the edge of strategy, technology, and implementation — helping defense organizations solve complex problems with practical, high-integrity solutions.
This role offers the opportunity to contribute directly to strategic analysis and AI-enabled innovation in support of NATO priorities. You will work on consequential questions, apply advanced tools to real-world strategic challenges, and help shape how AI can be used responsibly in high-stakes defense analysis.Period of Performance
Anticipated performance includes a base period through 31 December 2026, with option periods from 1 January 2027 through 31 December 2027 and 1 January 2028 through 31 December 2028, subject to contract requirements.How to Apply
Please send your resume to jobs@idw.inc with the subject line:
Analytics & AI Strategic Reasoning SME – Norfolk
For best consideration, resumes should clearly show:
Your active clearance level
Your NATO member country citizenship
Your relevant degree
Your AI, data science, and LLM experience
Your Russia/China or strategic competition experience
Your experience producing traceable, evidence-based analysis
Your experience in military, NATO, defense, intelligence, or strategic headquarters environments
Candidates whose resumes clearly map experience to the requirements above will be prioritized.Equal Opportunity Statement
Ironclad Defense Works is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
 

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