Financial Crimes Specialist - Tetra Tech ARD

Tetra Tech combines the resources of a global, multibillion-dollar company with local, client-focused delivery in more than 550 locations around the world. Our reputation rests on the technical expertise and dedication of our employees — 27,000 associates working together to provide smart, scalable solutions for challenging projects. We are proud to be home to leading technical experts in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, and international development. 

Job Description

• Project Name :West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emission Development
• (WABiLED)
• Task Order No. :7200AA18D00003/72062421F00005
• Line Manager: WABiLED Combatting Wildlife Trafficking Lead
• Staff to Supervise: None
• Type of Contract: Fixed term (12 months)
• Duration:1st December 2023 – 28th November 2024

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 works 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.

Job Description

This is an activity management role with responsibility for the planning, delivery and reporting function of various tasks related to mainstreaming financial crime investigations in West Africa, under Objective 1 of the WABiLED project. The role of this position is to sensitize (where relevant) and strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders on the use of financial investigations and application of financial crime law, in the interdiction, conviction, and seizure of assets of wildlife crime offenders.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Conduct needs assessment within target law enforcement agencies when necessary especially related to financial crimes investigation and asset seizures for wildlife crimes.
• Encourage and support financial investigations for law enforcement agencies where it relates to Wildlife and Forestry Crime cases.
• 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.
• Provide training and advice to investigators on appropriate financial strategies to follow in ongoing cases.
• Assist in connecting law enforcement agencies across borders to facilitate completion of key cases being worked on
• 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. This might include encouraging finance and transport sector firms who are not members of ‘United for Wildlife’, to join the membership.
• Targeting Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and the private sector, conduct situation analysis to beter 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.
• 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.
• In Coordination with the Senior Manager, Law Enforcement at TRAFFIC, lead and develop a financial typologies (case study) report detailing IWT case studies where financial data is known. Oversee a process for validation of the report, and work with other WABiLED units to use the data for educational and training events.
• In Coordination with the Senior Manager, Law Enforcement at TRAFFIC , and building on relatonships 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.
• If/where possible, advocate for asset recovery in known illegal Wildlife Trade cases with appropriate enforcement units in select countries.
• Contribute to development of Annual Workplans and reportng for WABiLED.
• Line management of the CWT Financial Crime Specialist will be the WABiLED CWT Lead while the Senior Manager, Law Enforcement at TRAFFIC will provide technical oversight as needed.

Required Skills or Experience

• Advanced university-level degree is preferred (e.g. Masters) in finance, forensic accounting, policing, criminal justice, 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 instiution, 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, etc.);
• 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/ Anti Money Laundering (AML) and cooperation; and providing mentorship support to governments;
• Demonstrated experience of preparing donor/project reports;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Fluency in writen and spoken English and French would be an advantage;
• Must be able to travel extensively throughout the West Africa region, which may require frequent periods of up to ten days away from home.