Where in the OSINT World Do You Belong?

After discussing Getting Started in OSINT last week, I figured we could move on to the second most popular question I get.

"What type of jobs can I get in OSINT?"

Good question! I promise there is no trick behind this question, it's rather simple really. I remember when I first was looking into the possibility of being an "OSINTer", I thought my job options were limited. I used to search for any job role with "OSINT" in the title, and it honestly made things more complicated.

The reality is, there are so many job titles and roles that involve open source intelligence gathering.

The most common title is: OSINT Analyst.
Variants: Intelligence Analyst, Open Source Investigator, Investigative Analyst, Research Analyst, and OSINT Researcher.

Then depending on the industry and specialization:

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of OSINT roles or responsibilities.
Roles and tasks can vary between companies and industries—even if the job title is the same. These roles also aren’t exclusive to a single industry. OSINT skills are flexible and often overlap.

🏢Corporate
Roles: Due Diligence Investigator, Business Intelligence Analyst, Competitive Intelligence Analyst
Tasks: Risk monitoring, market research, social media analysis, supporting internal decision making

🛡Cyber
Roles: Threat Intelligence Analyst, Dark Web Analyst, Cyber Intel Researcher
Tasks: Investigating cyber incidents, tracking vulnerabilities, monitoring the bad actors

⚖️Legal
Roles: Intellectual Property Investigator, Due Diligence Analyst, Brand Protection Specialist
Tasks: Investigating counterfeit goods and copyright or trademark misuse, litigation support, risk profiling

🎖Military/Government
Roles: All-Source Intelligence Analyst, Intelligence Specialist, GEOINT Analyst, Intelligence Operations Support Specialist
Tasks: Monitoring bad actors, creating threat assessments, supporting HUMINT, SIGINT, and GEOINT operations.

👮Law Enforcement/Human Rights
Roles: OSINT Analyst, Missing Persons Investigator, Crimes Against Children Investigator, Human Rights Researcher
Tasks: Locating individuals, evidence collection, monitoring, and collaborating with government entities

📰Journalism
Roles: OSINT Researcher, Verification Analyst, Journalist
Tasks: Verification of data, collaboration with investigative stories, cross-referencing data from various sources.

🔄Mixed Roles
Roles: OSINT Consultant, Intelligence Researcher, Private Investigator
Tasks: Usually client-driven (so whatever they want really)

The Underrated Skills
I don’t want to spend too much time on this section—because honestly, this topic deserves its own blog post. There’s so much to share!
But here’s a sneak peek:

📝Report Writing
You need to be able to clearly communicate your findings (doesn't matter how great you are at finding data)

🔍Curiosity
Yes, let's be NOSEY. Keep digging. Ask questions.

🕵️‍♀️OpSec
It's important that you know how to protect yourself while conducting investigations. Can you be discreet?

🧠Creative Problem Solving
When that fancy tool breaks--because it will someday. What will you do? Thinking outside the box is vital, especially when hitting a wall.

⏳Time Management
You can easily fall into rabbit holes– which is great if you're Alice– so pace yourself. Prioritize leads, and set boundaries.

Final Thoughts
If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: you don’t need a job title with “OSINT” in it to do OSINT.
There are so many paths, industries, and weird little job descriptions out there where these skills show up—and you might already be closer than you think.

Whether you're just starting out or already in the game, I hope this helped you connect the dots a little bit.

💬 Now I’m Curious...
Did any of these roles surprise you?
Or maybe you're already working in one of them? 👀
Drop your current title or your dream OSINT role in the comments—I love seeing the different journeys y’all are on!

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