Senior China Research Analyst

Datenna is a fast-growing tech scale-up combining cutting-edge OSINT and AI technologies to provide governments with critical insights into China's techno-economic landscape. Our platform transforms open-source intelligence into actionable insights through advanced data processing and analysis.

The Role:
Do you enjoy turning complex data into strategic insights that drive critical decisions? As a Senior China Research Analyst, you will lead analytical research projects for our government clients. You'll turn their most pressing questions about China's technology, industrial, and defence-industrial landscape into data-driven reports and the datasets behind them. You'll work with Datenna's data on patents, procurement, research funding, and companies, and go beyond it when a question demands, to find the patterns and connections that inform high-stakes policy and security decisions.

You'll independently manage several client research projects at a time, from scoping through final delivery, using both qualitative and quantitative analysis across China's corporate, academic, defence, and technology sectors. Client questions often start ambiguous and open-ended, and topics range widely, from advanced materials to semiconductors and aerospace. You'll work through uncertainty, get up to speed quickly on unfamiliar technologies, design creative analytical approaches when the path isn't obvious, and refine your research direction as new information emerges. The role needs strong China expertise, Chinese-language research skills, the ability to work autonomously, and clear communication with senior government stakeholders.

Your mission at Datenna:

- Lead end-to-end research delivery: Take full ownership of research projects, from initial scoping and analysis through to final deliverables.

- Design the research: Turn open-ended client questions into sound research design, and build new analytical frameworks when standard methods don't fit.

- Build and analyse the evidence base: Work directly with Chinese-language sources and Datenna's data on entities, patents, procurement, and research funding to map the actors, links, and trends that answer the client's question.

- Set the quality bar: Review colleagues' deliverables independently, verify findings against the underlying data, and guide Analysts on their research approach.

- Work with AI, with judgement: Use AI-assisted research tools to work faster and at greater scale. You own the interpretation and verify every output.

- Contribute to the China Research Lab: The Lab is our exploratory research track. It develops the methods, tools, and data sources that shape where China research at Datenna is heading, and tests them through internal R&D. You will dedicate part of your time to Lab initiatives, such as prototyping a new analytical approach, scouting and testing new sources, or contributing to webinars and publications.

- Strengthen the data and product: Turn what you learn on client projects into data and product improvements, working with the Product and Data teams.

What makes you a great candidate:
Core requirements

- Experience: 5–8 years of professional experience in China-focused research, analysis, or related fields.

- Deep China expertise: Strong knowledge of Chinese industry, economy, policy, the defence-industrial base, and the technology and research landscape.

- Analytical excellence: Exceptional pattern recognition and analytical skills to connect the dots between corporate, state, and military actors in China's techno-economic landscape.

- Comfort with ambiguity: Proven ability to tackle research questions where the analytical path isn't predetermined, designing creative approaches and adapting as you learn.

- Chinese language proficiency: Professional reading proficiency in Chinese (minimum HSK5, HSK6 preferred) to work directly with Chinese-language sources such as technical literature, patents, procurement notices, and policy documents, and to build and verify Chinese technical terminology for data retrieval.

- Self-directed project management: Proven ability to independently break down complex research questions, run several multi-week projects in parallel against fixed client deadlines, and deliver high-quality output with minimal oversight.

- Quality ownership: An evidence-first approach. You trace every claim back to its source records, catch inconsistencies in data and drafts, and review others' work independently and constructively.

- Communication skills: Strong written and verbal communication, including precise, concise English writing for an international readership. You are comfortable presenting complex analysis to senior government stakeholders and refining requirements through client dialogue.

- Methodological versatility: Proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Technical skills

- Working proficiency in SQL and/or Python to query, clean, and structure large datasets, plus advanced Excel.

- Hands-on experience using LLM-based tools in research, with a clear sense of where their output needs human verification.

- Familiarity with data-quality work such as deduplication and entity resolution.

Nice to have

- Experience in the technology, science, and research sector within governmental organisations, think tanks, or international corporate settings.

- Background conducting research for external clients or stakeholders.

- Experience analysing patents, public procurement, research funding, or corporate registry data.

- Experience collecting web data from Chinese-language sources, or with BI tools such as Metabase.

- A technical or scientific background (for example materials science, engineering, or physics) relevant to dual-use technology topics.

*Please know that applicants may be subject to a screening process.*

- Work on globally impactful projects in geopolitical intelligence

- Lead innovation in OSINT and AI technologies

- Competitive compensation and benefits

- Dynamic, international team environment

- Significant growth opportunities in a scale-up

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