Law Enforcement (LE) Mentor

1. Job Overview:

African Parks is a non-profit organization that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. We currently manage 19 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.1 million hectares in: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In 2017, Government of Benin entered into a long-term agreement with African Parks to revitalize, rehabilitate and develop both Pendjari and W National Parks. As part of its operation in Benin, African Parks is seeking a full-time Law Enforcement Mentor for each park under management in the country. The role will focus on providing operational and tactical readiness for each Park Law Enforcement Unit in accordance with APN training standards and standard operating procedures.

This position represents an exciting opportunity to work with a unique conservation organization, dedicated to protecting Africa’s wildlife and remaining wild places. We are looking for a highly organized, self-motivated and passionate individual to this position.

2. Role and Responsibilities:

Under supervision from the Park Manager, with a dotted line to the WAP Security Coordinator, the Law Enforcement (LE) Mentor will focus on providing operational and tactical readiness for each Park Law Enforcement Unit in accordance with APN training standards and standard operating procedures. He/she will be responsible for supporting park and regional management and law enforcement teams in delivering effective law enforcement operations aligned with organizational standards and a challenging security context.

3. Key Performance Areas (KPA’s)

Expected Key Performance Areas to be achieved by the LE Mentor are as follow:

• Provide operational guidance and leadership support to the park special brigade under the direction of the WSC and in coordination with PMs and LE Managers.
• As directed by WSC and/or PM, and in coordination with park Law Enforcement Manager (LEM), implementation of best practices and the highest organizational and operational levels of safety, equipment, training, tactics, conduct of operations and support structures in Parks, including;
• Planning and coordinating all levels of LE training, including the mentoring and capacity-building of park instructors and the administration of all AP refresher training;
• Assuring the highest levels of operational/tactical skills and safety practices of park LE Units through frequent inspection, with reports furnished to PMs;
• Conducting an annual individualized skills assessment of LE personnel, with documentation to Ranger HR files;
• Assessing normal and specialized equipment requirements for park LE units, and supporting the contracting and procurement of equipment in accordance with APN procedures;
• Planning and conducting regular exercises to ensure operational readiness;
• Assisting in the design and implementation of personnel rotation schedules responsive to operational needs, as well as to the training and leave requirements of LE personnel;
• Identifying resource needs of LE personnel (e.g. rations, equipment stores, supplies, housing, finance, transportation, medical) and advising WSC, PMs and LEM thereof;
• Assuring armory and operations control room security, procedures and operations are in compliance with APN standards;
• Fostering coordination with park intelligence units and cooperation in “intelligence-led operations”;
• Establishing and maintaining strong liaison and coordination between park LE team and host country military and law enforcement units;
• Leading the production and regular revision of park security and evacuation plans;
• Leading the production of park security risk assessments;
• Assisting and directing operations and efforts to ensure the physical security of AP personnel, assets and operations (inside and outside the park) from any type of attack;
• Supporting air marshal training and ensuring best practices in support of tactical air operations are provided.
• Guiding LE teams to the highest levels of operational readiness in all types of actions. Special emphasis will be expected on QRF and reconnaissance operations;
• Providing technical guidance to ensure maintenance, inspection, cleanliness and operational readiness of all firearms and ammunition;
• Advising LEMs in the conduct of operations and joint operations with military units in accordance with the CONOPS;
• Supporting the implementation of CONOPs, LEO and annual budget of the park;
• Assisting LEM in designing deployments, in assuring orders are disseminated and executed properly, in conducting after-action debriefings, and in preparing Incident Reports to APN standards;
• Supporting in an “acting” capacity other managerial roles, including that of WSC, when necessary to achieve continuity of operations;
• Cultivate an environment of excellence, teamwork, integrity and professionalism in all LE operations;
• Develop APN’s next generation of leadership through positive example and mentorship; and
• Perform other duties as assigned that contribute to the success of park operations.

4. Required qualifications, competencies, and experience:

• Military or Law Enforcement background suitably referenced;
• Military/Law Enforcement background – middle ranking officer with operational experience;
• Demonstrated conservation understanding/experience;
• Significant Africa experience, ideally in West Africa and in hostile environments;
• Significant leadership experience with proven successful team building ability;
• Multidisciplinary exposure;
• Fluency in French and English is a requirement;
• Resourceful, resilient and reliable;
• Able to achieve mission success working autonomously or with little support in low-resourced environment for extended periods;
• Ability to work well within a team and accept constructive criticism;
• Goal-oriented, self-motivated, creative, highly flexible and adaptable to change;
• Strong willingness to live in a rural setting and experience living in remote locations;
• Adhesion to African Parks values.

5. Key relationships:

• WAP General Manager
• WAP Security Coordinator
• Park Manager
• Heads of Law Enforcement
• Intelligence Chiefs
• Intelligence Mentor
• Aviation Supervisor
• Field Operations Manager