Intelligence Analyst to Policy Analyst

Summary: 2 of the 6 core skills listed for Policy Analyst carry over directly from Intelligence Analyst, and 2 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by -17% ($90K → $75K). Difficulty: Moderate, typically around 6 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Intelligence Analyst: Analyze intelligence data to support national security decisions.

Policy Analyst: Research and analyze public policies and their impacts. Growth outlook +4%; AI-augmented (AI changes how the work is done, not whether it exists). Typical education: master. Typical experience: 2-4 years.

Skills that carry over

• Research
• Critical Thinking

Builds on related experience

• Writing — builds on Report Writing
• Statistics — builds on Data Analysis

Skills to learn for Policy Analyst

• Analysis
• Communication

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Intelligence Analyst career guide | Policy Analyst career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Intelligence Analyst to Homeland Security Analyst — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Intelligence Analyst to Energy Analyst — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Intelligence Analyst to Environmental Scientist — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Intelligence Analyst to Geologist — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Education Policy Analyst to Policy Analyst — 2 of the core skills carry over