Senior Crypto Threat Analyst - Terrorism

Elliptic; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Remote Work Budget

Learning & Development budget

Holiday & parental leave

Job summary

Elliptic is seeking an experienced CTF intelligence lead to guide investigations into cryptoasset activity linked to terrorist networks. You will own domains, validate exposure, and translate findings into actionable intelligence outputs that strengthen clients' risk controls.

You will collaborate with global teams, present in client briefings, and help shape research and product enhancements. The role requires OSINT expertise, threat analysis, and fluency across languages and jurisdictions.

Qualifications

• Experience in intelligence analysis and managing uncertainty.
• Experience producing clear, evidence-based intelligence reports for technical and non-technical audiences.
• An understanding of cryptoassets, blockchain analysis, and on-chain tracing tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead CTF-focused research and investigations into cryptoasset activity linked to terrorist organisations and facilitators.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive picture of evolving CTF trends and ensure intelligence reflects diverse actors.
• Collaborate with global teams to identify entities, wallet clusters, and illicit behaviors in Elliptic’s dataset.
• Represent Elliptic’s CTF capabilities in client briefings and training sessions.

Skills

OSINT research

Threat analysis

Python

SQL

AI tools

Counter-terrorism financing

Tools

Blockchain analysis

Job description

Do you want to be at the forefront of combating crypto-enabled terrorism financing? Are you excited about leading the intelligence research that helps financial institutions and governments disrupt illicit financial networks? Are you looking for a values-led company that trusts you to own your domain and make a real impact?

The impact you will have:

As a key contributor to our global intelligence team, you will act as a CTF Subject Matter Expert, leading complex, in-depth investigations into the use of cryptoassets by terrorist actors and facilitation networks. You will validate exposure and attribution confidence, improve workflows, and translate findings into actionable intelligence outputs.

Your work will directly enhance Elliptic’s industry-leading intelligence dataset and product capabilities, helping our private and public-sector customers and partners strengthen CTF controls, manage risk, and take defensible decisions. Your insights will inform strategic client conversations, shape impactful research and publications, and reinforce Elliptic’s reputation as a trusted authority in the crypto and financial intelligence space. Your expertise will play a vital role in advancing financial integrity on a truly global scale.

What you will do:

• Lead CTF-focused research and investigations into cryptoasset activity linked to terrorist organisations, facilitators, propaganda and fundraising ecosystems, and operational support networks including identifying typologies

• Build and maintain a comprehensive picture of evolving CTF trends and ensure Elliptic’s intelligence reflects the full range of terrorist actors and facilitators using crypto

• Work across multiple jurisdictions and designation regimes (e.g., UN, US, UK, EU and relevant domestic CT frameworks), ensuring our intelligence outputs align to different legal definitions, evidentiary expectations, and customer obligations.

• Collaborate with the global intelligence team to identify and integrate new entities, wallet clusters, and illicit behaviors into Elliptic’s dataset, keeping it robust, actionable, and defensible.

• Represent Elliptic’s CTF intelligence capabilities in client briefings, training sessions, and industry forums, communicating complex findings clearly to audiences including compliance teams, regulators, and public-sector partners.

• Support public-sector partners, where appropriate, with intelligence that assists disruption of facilitation networks in the digital asset ecosystem.

What you will achieve in the first 6 months:

• Contribute new entities and wallet clusters to Elliptic's intelligence dataset, deepening the CTF picture our customers rely on.

• Convert investigative findings into scalable outputs such as typologies and detection logic that strengthen how our customers detect and act on terrorist financing risk.

• Represent Elliptic's CTF expertise directly with customers and public-sector partners through briefings, training, or industry forums.

You will be a great fit here if you:

• Thrive with high autonomy and minimal oversight

• Are highly curious and driven to uncover hidden patterns and connections others overlook

• Bring deep experience in intelligence analysis and managing uncertainty

• Are an experienced OSINT researcher comfortable navigating multiple languages and jurisdictions

• Have proven expertise or a strong interest in counter-terrorism financing

• Combine initiative and collaboration with sharp analytical and research skills

• Communicate clearly, whether briefing or producing rigorous, evidence-led reports

• Work effectively with global teams and stakeholders at all levels

Our ideal candidate has:

• Experience in intelligence, threat analysis, financial crime, OSINT or related investigative fields, including work on illicit or terrorist financing

• Experience in a senior or highly autonomous role, demonstrating independent judgment and strategic decision-making

• An understanding of cryptoassets, blockchain analysis, and on-chain tracing tools

• Experience producing clear, evidence-based intelligence reports for both technical and non-technical audiences

• Capable of using Python, SQL, or AI-assisted querying to extract and analyze blockchain or open-source data

• A strong analytical mindset with excellent judgment when handling sensitive or uncertain intelligence

• A collaborative and proactive approach, comfortable working across global, interdisciplinary teams

• AI fluency is essential for this role. You must be able to demonstrate your ability to effectively apply AI tools and approaches relevant to intelligence analysis, including using AI to accelerate research workflows, pattern identification, OSINT processing, and the drafting of written outputs.

Bonus Points for:

• A PhD or advanced degree in a relevant field

• Proven experience investigating terrorist or sanctioned actors’ use of cryptoassets

• Fluency or working proficiency in multiple languages, especially those relevant to terrorism or illicit finance research

• Publications, briefings, or media contributions on threat finance or cryptoasset misuse

• Understanding of obfuscation techniques used by illicit actors

Benefits:

> How we work:

• Hybrid working: The option to work from almost anywhere for up to 90 days per year.

• Remote Work Budget: $650 budget to set up your home office space.

> Learning & Development:

• L&D Budget: $1,000 annual Learning & Development budget to use on anything (agreed with your manager) that contributes to your growth and development.

> Vacation / Leave:

• Holidays: 25 days of annual leave + 8 US Public Holidays.

• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.

• Enhanced Parental Leave: We provide eligible employees, regardless of gender or whether they become a parent by birth or adoption, 16 weeks fully-paid leave.

> Benefits:

• Healthcare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage through a range of providers (including Tufts, Kaiser, Aetna, UHC, and Blue Shield of CA) with generous premium contributions for you and your dependents.

• 401k: Company match included.

• Mental Health: Full access to Spill mental health support.

We know Diversity and Inclusion is much deeper than just hiring, but it’s important for us to mention it here. We welcome and embrace individuals of all backgrounds and identities at Elliptic, and this is an ongoing priority for us. We know incredible people don’t all think in the same way. We want to be challenged every day. We believe our diverse team of individuals underpins this by bringing creative thinking and innovation to Elliptic every day. We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace, so we welcome applications from everyone, even if you may not think you fit all of the requirements of our roles. We foster an environment of psychological safety, where everyone feels comfortable to bring their whole self to work.