diff --git a/src/bitcoin-chainstate.cpp b/src/bitcoin-chainstate.cpp
index ebe013b638b8d..9cbafa233dde3 100644
--- a/src/bitcoin-chainstate.cpp
+++ b/src/bitcoin-chainstate.cpp
@@ -283,8 +283,6 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 epilogue:
     // Without this precise shutdown sequence, there will be a lot of nullptr
     // dereferencing and UB.
-    if (chainman.m_thread_load.joinable()) chainman.m_thread_load.join();
-
     validation_signals.FlushBackgroundCallbacks();
     {
         LOCK(cs_main);
diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
index f67835d7da591..da3d99b6bf25d 100644
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ void Shutdown(NodeContext& node)
 
     StopTorControl();
 
-    if (node.chainman && node.chainman->m_thread_load.joinable()) node.chainman->m_thread_load.join();
+    if (node.background_init_thread.joinable()) node.background_init_thread.join();
     // After everything has been shut down, but before things get flushed, stop the
     // the scheduler. After this point, SyncWithValidationInterfaceQueue() should not be called anymore
     // as this would prevent the shutdown from completing.
@@ -1789,7 +1789,7 @@ bool AppInitMain(NodeContext& node, interfaces::BlockAndHeaderTipInfo* tip_info)
         vImportFiles.push_back(fs::PathFromString(strFile));
     }
 
-    chainman.m_thread_load = std::thread(&util::TraceThread, "initload", [=, &chainman, &args, &node] {
+    node.background_init_thread = std::thread(&util::TraceThread, "initload", [=, &chainman, &args, &node] {
         ScheduleBatchPriority();
         // Import blocks
         ImportBlocks(chainman, vImportFiles);
diff --git a/src/node/context.h b/src/node/context.h
index a664fad80be87..398089ff3c0eb 100644
--- a/src/node/context.h
+++ b/src/node/context.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <functional>
 #include <memory>
+#include <thread>
 #include <vector>
 
 class ArgsManager;
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ struct NodeContext {
     std::atomic<int> exit_status{EXIT_SUCCESS};
     //! Manages all the node warnings
     std::unique_ptr<node::Warnings> warnings;
+    std::thread background_init_thread;
 
     //! Declare default constructor and destructor that are not inline, so code
     //! instantiating the NodeContext struct doesn't need to #include class
diff --git a/src/validation.h b/src/validation.h
index 059ae52bdf4ca..6bc8a14de95a6 100644
--- a/src/validation.h
+++ b/src/validation.h
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@
 #include <span>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <string>
-#include <thread>
 #include <type_traits>
 #include <utility>
 #include <vector>
@@ -1008,7 +1007,6 @@ class ChainstateManager
 
     const util::SignalInterrupt& m_interrupt;
     const Options m_options;
-    std::thread m_thread_load;
     //! A single BlockManager instance is shared across each constructed
     //! chainstate to avoid duplicating block metadata.
     node::BlockManager m_blockman;