Senior Intelligence Lead

Schillings; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Schillings is facilitating recruitment for an experienced Senior Intelligence Lead to establish and run a new intelligence function within a private family office in Reading. Hybrid role with international elements and significant autonomy.

The role demands discretion, robust AOOSINT capabilities, and the ability to manage a small team while interfacing with external advisers and stakeholders across jurisdictions.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of intelligence, investigations, security, risk, government, or related fields.
• Strong OSINT and investigative research capabilities with access to key tools.
• Excellent discretion and integrity for sensitive family office matters.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience supporting UHNW individuals or executive protection programmes.
• Experience working across multiple international jurisdictions.
• Current government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the family office intelligence and threat monitoring function and governance.
• Identify and monitor privacy, security, reputational and strategic risks.
• Produce high-quality intelligence assessments and risk reports.
• Oversee online, social and traditional media monitoring for emerging risks.
• Lead sensitive intelligence projects drawing on open-source and specialist data.
• Review outputs and ensure accuracy and stakeholder tailoring.
• Provide intelligence support for travel, events and incident response.
• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders as a discreet adviser.
• Ensure lawful, ethical intelligence activities and OSINT usage.
• Develop junior staff and foster professionalism.
• Liaise with external providers for training and capability development.

Skills

7+ yrs intel exp

OSINT research

Analytical thinking

Discretion & integrity

Communication skills

Project management

UHNW experience

Cyber threat intel

Intelligence platforms

Intl jurisdictions

Security clearance

Russian language

Job description

Please note that this is an external position within a private family office; Schillings will not be the employer and are simply facilitating the recruitment process

Location

Reading, UK. Hybrid role with anticipated 3 office days per week. Some international travel may be required but this is not a core part of the role.

Reporting To

Family Office Leadership Team

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced intelligence professional to build and lead a new intelligence function within a private family office.

This is a rare opportunity; the successful candidate will help build a new intelligence and threat monitoring capability from the ground up. The role will support the privacy, security and reputation of a high-profile principal, as well as their family and associated business interests.

This is not a traditional corporate intelligence role. The environment is dynamic, fast-moving and highly personalised. Discretion will be essential. The successful candidate will need sound judgement and the ability to operate with limited supervision. They will also need to respond effectively as priorities and requirements evolve.

The role offers significant autonomy and variety, together with ongoing access to training, mentoring and specialist support from an external team of intelligence professionals.

The Senior Intelligence Lead will manage day-to-day intelligence outputs and supervise at least one junior analyst. The team members will work staggered working patterns to extend coverage across the day, for example with the Senior Intelligence Lead starting earlier and the junior analyst working later.

What Makes This Role Different

For the right candidate, this role offers autonomy, variety and the opportunity to make a tangible impact in a discreet, high-trust environment.

The successful candidate will be supported by specialist external advisers, with access to mentoring, training and professional development as the function grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the family office intelligence and threat monitoring function, including its processes, governance, and reporting frameworks.
• Identify, assess and monitor privacy, security, reputational and strategic risks affecting the principal, family and associated interests.
• Produce high-quality intelligence assessments, threat briefings and risk reports to support decision-making.
• Oversee monitoring of online, social and traditional media, ensuring emerging risks are escalated appropriately.
• Lead sensitive intelligence and investigative projects, drawing on open-source, commercial and specialist data sources.
• Review and quality assure intelligence products produced by junior staff, ensuring outputs are accurate, well-reasoned, proportionate to risk and tailored to stakeholder requirements.
• Provide intelligence support for travel, events, operational planning and incident response.
• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders and act as a discreet adviser on intelligence matters.
• Ensure all intelligence activities are conducted lawfully, ethically and in accordance with information security requirements, with a clear understanding of lawful collection principles and proportionate use of OSINT tools.
• Manage and develop junior intelligence personnel and foster a culture of professionalism and continuous improvement.
• Liaise with external intelligence providers, including Schillings, for specialist support, training and capability development.

Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in intelligence, investigations, security, risk, government, law enforcement, military intelligence or private-sector intelligence.
• Strong OSINT and investigative research expertise, including knowledge of key OSINT tools, databases and lawful collection techniques.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Exceptional discretion, professionalism and integrity, including the judgement to handle sensitive family office matters with care and confidentiality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience managing projects and competing priorities.
• Experience supporting UHNW individuals, family offices or executive protection programmes.
• Experience in cyber threat intelligence, online harm assessment or digital risk monitoring.
• Familiarity with intelligence platforms, social media monitoring tools and investigative databases.
• Experience establishing, managing or assessing credible online profiles for investigative or protective purposes, including awareness of legal, ethical and operational considerations around any online interaction.
• Russian language capability or familiarity with using Russian-language translation tools.
• Experience designing intelligence governance frameworks and operating procedures.
• Experience working within secure, compartmented or controlled-access environments.
• Experience working across multiple international jurisdictions/time zones.
• Current or previous government security clearance.

Personal Attributes

• Highly discreet and trusted with sensitive information, with an instinctive understanding of the need for confidentiality in a private family office environment.
• Comfortable operating in a non-corporate environment where priorities may evolve rapidly.
• Resilient and self-motivated.
• Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information.
• Pragmatic and solutions focused.
• Motivated by the impact of the work rather than formal recognition structures.
• Able to build long-term relationships and maintain continuity of knowledge.
• Maintains objectivity and professional independence, ensuring personal beliefs do not influence intelligence assessments, recommendations or decision-making.

This is an opportunity to join at the formative stage of a new intelligence capability and help shape how it develops. For candidates motivated by meaningful work, trusted relationships and practical insight, this role offers variety, responsibility and long-term potential in an environment where they can make a direct impact.

Any offer will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including appropriate criminal records checks carried out with the candidate’s consent.