Technical Advisor - Law Enforcement and Wildlife Crime Prevention

About the role

WCS is looking for a LEM/CWT (Law Enforcement Management / Counter Wildlife Trafficking) Technical Advisor in Libreville, Gabon, reporting to the Technical Director. The role strengthens protection, monitoring and law enforcement in terrestrial and marine protected areas, supporting government agencies and park managers in line with their sovereign mandates. It is a full-time position with frequent field assignments in national parks, landscapes and project sites.

Key responsibilities

• Develop an LEM/CWT framework for terrestrial and marine contexts and strengthen the capacities of partner agencies, WCS teams and park managers.
• Assess threats, capacities and needs at priority sites with park managers and government agencies, and define priorities and roadmaps for monitoring and anti-poaching programs.
• Strengthen intelligence-led patrols, information collection and analysis, case management and legal follow-up, with inter-institutional and cross-border coordination.
• Plan equipment, infrastructure, logistics and maintenance for operations, including mobility, communications, command posts, drones and geospatial tools.
• Deploy interoperable monitoring systems such as SMART, EarthRanger and Skylight/Global Fishing Watch alongside national systems.
• Support the CWT coordination centre in Makokou and the LEM/CWT units in Ivindo, Minkébé and the associated landscape, and coastal and maritime surveillance along the coast.
• Prepare LEM/CWT contributions for parks in the PSP/CMP process, covering risks, responsibilities, standards, investment needs and transition conditions.
• Organize technical reviews with the ANPN operations centre, document best practices and cost models, and propose improvements to the LEM/CWT framework.
• Monitor legal and institutional frameworks and propose improvements with legal experts, then finalise them with the senior consultant.
• Update and harmonize methods, tools and standards, including SOPs, emergency protocols, data systems and training programs.
• Coordinate the LEM/CWT portfolio, supervise technical staff, consultants and trainers, and implement the capacity-building component of the plan.