About the job

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) is an independent civil society organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices in Austria, South Africa, Colombia and Malta, and a globally dispersed Secretariat working in around 40 countries. GI-TOC comprises a network of more than 600 independent global and regional experts working on human rights, democracy, governance, and development issues where organized crime has become increasingly pertinent. GI-TOC provides a platform to promote greater debate and innovative approaches as the building blocks to an inclusive global strategy against organized crime. GI-TOC commissions and shares research globally; curates a robust resource library of 2,000 reports and tools specific to organized crime; and uses its convening power to unite both the private and public sectors against organized crime.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Liaison Hub Consultant to support the GI-TOC project ECO-SOLVE: disrupting illicit environmental commodity flows through innovative activities. Environmental crime constitutes a major element of the growth in serious criminal activity and is bound up with threats to global peace and security. ECO-SOLVE has been specifically designed to address these issues hampering current law enforcement responses.

The GI-TOC will build a global monitoring system (GMS) composed of ‘Liaison hubs’ in key countries using OSINT and machine-learning approaches to monitor online illicit wildlife markets. The hubs will stimulate local intervention in online wildlife trafficking and support capacity building in local law enforcement, while generating data that can help us understand trends and shape global policymaking. The project will also promote international cooperation to create data that can be used to disrupt other illegal environmental flows.

Moreover, through mixed-method research projects, we aim to uncover evidence of elite-level corruption behind the illegal timber industry, and to identify gaps in enforcement and legislation (i.e. Corruption stream).

The Data Hub Liaison will be based in South Africa, and assist in the operations of the GMS and support the activities of the Corruption stream within the ECO-SOLVE project, with a special focus on South Africa and potentially surrounding countries.

Main responsibilities and specific tasks

• Implementing and Improving Tools: assist in implementing and enhancing machine-learning scraping tools for monitoring IWT in various markets, emphasizing language and cultural insights for non-English detections.
• Monitoring and Intelligence Processing: monitor wildlife trading activities on e-commerce and social media platforms, compile and send regular detections to the global coordination team of the GMS, process intelligence collected at specified intervals, and adhere to established criteria.
• Legal Compliance: ensure legal compliance of ECO-SOLVE monitoring activities in operational countries, adhering to national laws, regulations, and data protection legislation.
• Relationship Building: establish and foster trusted relationships with local and regional law enforcement agencies and government counterparts, as well as other relevant civil society organisations. Identify opportunities for capacity building and collaboration. Stay up-to-date with activities of civil society, media organizations, and law enforcement working on environmental crime in the region.

Requisite skills and experience (R = required; D = desired)

• University degree in a relevant field, e.g. criminology, sociology, journalism, intelligence, security, biology etc. (R)
• At least 3-year work experience in a related role, e.g. working for a civil society organisation or in the law enforcement sector, dealing with a diverse range of stakeholders (R)
• Strong networking and outstanding communication skills, and high level of cultural sensitivity, to be able to navigate a diverse range of settings (R)
• Proficient in English and one other South African language (R)
• Strong analytical skills, experience in desk research and report writing (R )
• Experience in handling quantitative data, including data input, data analysis, and data visualisation, with great attention to detail (R )
• Strong commitment to confidentiality (in relation to handling sensitive data) (R)
• Openness to learning new skills, with an interest in tech (R)
• Highly organised and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently under limited guidance (R)
• Strong interest in the wildlife (R) , including CITES and the Wildlife Trade Regulations (D)
• Experience in field research and conducting interviews (D)
• Experience in gathering intelligence online and/or offline (D)
• Experience in developing, implementing and coordinating online wildlife trade monitoring activities (D)

GI-TOC operates a flexible working environment and encourages staff to achieve a suitable work life balance and supports professional development and learning.

Apply here: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3783565439

Closing Date : 7 January 2023

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted