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Senior Financial Crime Specialist
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BACKGROUND
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is the leading non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
TRAFFIC has a growing portfolio of work within the financial sector and has invested resources to establish more formal networks of institutions working to raise the profile and attention on illegal wildlife trade within their establishments. Notably, TRAFFIC is a founding member of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce which is a bank-led initiative designed to improve understanding of the issue within financial institutions and assist them in targeting their own resources to detect and report suspicious activity of individuals and companies using their companies. Furthermore, TRAFFIC has been working with strategic partners such as UNODC to assist law enforcement, mainly Financial Intelligence and Asset Recovery Units with improved awareness of illegal wildlife and conduct training to “follow the money” associated with wildlife crime through ARIN (Asset Recovery Interagency Networks) and others.
TRAFFIC is seeking expertise to assist in the development and delivery of a range of activities in West Africa ECOWAS countries, under USAID funding, together with partners, within the financial sector.
Project Background
The West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) Program is a four-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with 3 core objectives: combat wildlife trafficking and enhance great ape conservation; reduce deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss in key transboundary forest landscapes; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration from land use. WABiLED is implemented by Tetra Tech ARD with five subcontracting partners including TRAFFIC, Born Free USA, Winrock International, Re:wild and Dalberg Associates.
To achieve these ambitious objectives, WABiLED will work with partners to strengthen the capacity of national and regional networks and institutions to enforce and prosecute wildlife trafficking laws across the region; implement regional and transboundary cooperation and biodiversity conservation strategies in the key forested countries of Guinea, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone; and improve capacity for economic planning and development of low emissions development strategies to reduce West Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions thus contributing to national and global climate commitments
WABiLED’s activities at the regional, local, and national levels will generate knowledge and information that will ensure that conservation and development best practices can be used to inform laws and policies.
The role may be based out of Ghana; in Cameroon, South Africa or Cambridge (UK) with up to 50% time in deployment in the West Africa region
TRAFFIC has a growing portfolio of work within the financial sector and has invested resources to establish more formal networks of institutions working to raise the profile and attention on illegal wildlife trade within their establishments. Notably, TRAFFIC is a founding member of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce which is a bank-led initiative designed to improve understanding of the issue within financial institutions and assist them in targeting their own resources to detect and report suspicious activity of individuals and companies using their companies. Furthermore, TRAFFIC has been working with strategic partners such as UNODC to assist law enforcement, mainly Financial Intelligence and Asset Recovery Units with improved awareness of illegal wildlife and conduct training to “follow the money” associated with wildlife crime through ARIN (Asset Recovery Interagency Networks) and others.
TRAFFIC is seeking expertise to assist in the development and delivery of a range of activities in West Africa ECOWAS countries, under USAID funding, together with partners, within the financial sector.
Project Background
The West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) Program is a four-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with 3 core objectives: combat wildlife trafficking and enhance great ape conservation; reduce deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss in key transboundary forest landscapes; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration from land use. WABiLED is implemented by Tetra Tech ARD with five subcontracting partners including TRAFFIC, Born Free USA, Winrock International, Re:wild and Dalberg Associates.
To achieve these ambitious objectives, WABiLED will work with partners to strengthen the capacity of national and regional networks and institutions to enforce and prosecute wildlife trafficking laws across the region; implement regional and transboundary cooperation and biodiversity conservation strategies in the key forested countries of Guinea, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone; and improve capacity for economic planning and development of low emissions development strategies to reduce West Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions thus contributing to national and global climate commitments
WABiLED’s activities at the regional, local, and national levels will generate knowledge and information that will ensure that conservation and development best practices can be used to inform laws and policies.
The role may be based out of Ghana; in Cameroon, South Africa or Cambridge (UK) with up to 50% time in deployment in the West Africa region
JOB DESCRIPTION
This is a project management role with responsibility for the planning, delivery and reporting function of various initiatives under the financial crime component of the WABiLED project. The overall role of this position is to sensitize and capacity build with key stakeholders on the use of financial investigations and application of financial crime law, in the interdiction and conviction of wildlife crime offenders. The Financial Crime Specialist will also provide line management and co-ordination role to the two other TRAFFIC staff based in Accra.
Specific responsibilities will include:
1) Encourage and support financial investigations for law enforcement agencies where it relates to Wildlife and Forestry Crime cases.
a. Conduct sensitization and awareness program to ensure that partners in project countries are aware of the need for financial investigations in Wildlife and Forestry cases
b. Conduct needs assessment within target law enforcement agencies
c. Provide training and advice to investigators on appropriate financial strategies to follow in ongoing cases.
d. Assist in connecting law enforcement agencies across borders to facilitate completion of key cases being worked on
2) Identify and prioritize influential actors in the finance sectors in the region and build networks and engage with the finance and associated trade sectors e.g. transport, that would be a conduit to Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) / Money Laundering
- Provide IWT/AML detection training/awareness to these sectors
- Encourage finance sector firms who are not members of ‘United for Wildlife’, to join the membership.
3) Targeting Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and the private sector, conduct situation analysis to better understand the skills and resources currently dedicated to financial crime investigations. Based on findings, develop recommendations for resource deployment and provide and deliver financial training packages (e.g. covering forensic accounting techniques) in collaboration with relevant regional networks, such as GIABA (Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa) or others.
4) Identify sources of data on financial crime in IWT, provide support to project partners in sourcing this data and assist in advising on case reviews as they become known.
5) Lead and develop a financial typologies (case study) report detailing IWT case studies where financial data is known. Additional typology reports may be developed depending on the number of case studies found.
a. Conduct a series of workshops for validation of the report
b. Hold an event to launch the report officially
c. Use the data for educational and training events
6) Building on relationships with United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, explore the feasibility of developing Public Private Partnership Forums in key countries to support sharing of data and progression of knowledge around organized crime syndicates involved in IWT.
7) If/where possible, advocate for asset recovery in known Illegal Wildlife Trade cases with appropriate enforcement units in select countries.
8) Act as TRAFFIC project team lead, providing administrative line management support to TRAFFIC staff based in Accra (TWIX Manager and Transport Sector Specialist) with overall project reporting responsibility to TRAFFIC WABiLED Project Supervisor (based at TRAFFIC Head Office). Technical line management of the CWT Financial Crime Specialist and reporting will be done by the WABiLED CWT Lead.
Specific responsibilities will include:
1) Encourage and support financial investigations for law enforcement agencies where it relates to Wildlife and Forestry Crime cases.
a. Conduct sensitization and awareness program to ensure that partners in project countries are aware of the need for financial investigations in Wildlife and Forestry cases
b. Conduct needs assessment within target law enforcement agencies
c. Provide training and advice to investigators on appropriate financial strategies to follow in ongoing cases.
d. Assist in connecting law enforcement agencies across borders to facilitate completion of key cases being worked on
2) Identify and prioritize influential actors in the finance sectors in the region and build networks and engage with the finance and associated trade sectors e.g. transport, that would be a conduit to Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) / Money Laundering
- Provide IWT/AML detection training/awareness to these sectors
- Encourage finance sector firms who are not members of ‘United for Wildlife’, to join the membership.
3) Targeting Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and the private sector, conduct situation analysis to better understand the skills and resources currently dedicated to financial crime investigations. Based on findings, develop recommendations for resource deployment and provide and deliver financial training packages (e.g. covering forensic accounting techniques) in collaboration with relevant regional networks, such as GIABA (Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa) or others.
4) Identify sources of data on financial crime in IWT, provide support to project partners in sourcing this data and assist in advising on case reviews as they become known.
5) Lead and develop a financial typologies (case study) report detailing IWT case studies where financial data is known. Additional typology reports may be developed depending on the number of case studies found.
a. Conduct a series of workshops for validation of the report
b. Hold an event to launch the report officially
c. Use the data for educational and training events
6) Building on relationships with United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, explore the feasibility of developing Public Private Partnership Forums in key countries to support sharing of data and progression of knowledge around organized crime syndicates involved in IWT.
7) If/where possible, advocate for asset recovery in known Illegal Wildlife Trade cases with appropriate enforcement units in select countries.
8) Act as TRAFFIC project team lead, providing administrative line management support to TRAFFIC staff based in Accra (TWIX Manager and Transport Sector Specialist) with overall project reporting responsibility to TRAFFIC WABiLED Project Supervisor (based at TRAFFIC Head Office). Technical line management of the CWT Financial Crime Specialist and reporting will be done by the WABiLED CWT Lead.
REQUIREMENTS
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• Advanced university-level degree is preferred (e.g. Masters) in finance, law, economics, policing, political science, international relations, public administration or other related field, or a relevant advanced level profession qualification; - A first-level university degree OR equivalent academic education, professional training with certification from a recognized international/national police, customs or other staff training institution, with specialization in criminal justice, crime prevention, criminal investigation, law enforcement, border management, border working techniques and/or other related areas, in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree; - Significant experience in addressing financial crime (e.g. money laundering); • Advanced university-level degree is preferred (e.g. Masters) in finance, law, economics, policing, political science, international relations, public administration or other related field, or a relevant advanced level profession qualification; • A first-level university degree OR equivalent academic education, professional training with certification from a recognized international/national police, customs or other staff training institution, with specialization in criminal justice, crime prevention, criminal investigation, law enforcement, border management, border working techniques and/or other related areas, in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree; • Significant experience in addressing financial crime (e.g. money laundering); • Experience of working in Africa is preferred, ideally West or Central Africa; • Knowledge of environmental crime issues would be an advantage; • Previous experience in delivering training / teaching in the field of international or transnational crime /anti-corruption/ AML and cooperation; and providing mentorship support to governments; • A minimum of five years relevant experience working in a project management capacity, covering planning, budgeting, and financial reporting; • Demonstrated experience of preparing donor/project reports; • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with experience of staff management; • Fluency in written and spoken English and French; • Must be able to travel extensively throughout the West Africa region, which may require frequent periods of up to ten days away from home. |
APPLICATIONS
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