Senior Police Advisor

Location:
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Remote Work:
No
Clearance:
MRPT
Work Status:
Full-Time
Travel Requirements:
Frequent travel in and around Kinshasa, and within the DRC and the region is expected.

ATSG is actively seeking candidates for a potential upcoming contract. This position is contingent upon award, and hiring decisions will be finalized once the contract is granted.

Position Description

The U.S. Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy and the Secretary of State is the President’s principal foreign policy advisor. The Department of State’s mission is to advance U.S. national security interests, fight terrorism, protect U.S. interests abroad, and implement foreign policy initiatives that build a freer, prosperous, and secure world.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) keeps Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries deliver justice and fairness by strengthening their police, courts, and corrections systems. These efforts reduce the amount of crime and illegal drugs reaching U.S. shores.

INL’s Office of Africa and the Middle East (INL/AME) provides policy guidance and develops, executes, and monitors programs to address the full range of criminal justice issues as they relate to rule of law and police reform activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The U.S. Government’s (USG) goal for police reform in the DRC is to strengthen the Congolese National Police (PNC) to improve civilian security.

As the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Senior Police and Mining Advisor (SPMA) at the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, this position advances American interests by assisting in advising, monitoring, and managing training and security-sector reform projects that strengthen the DRC's capability to combat illicit networks threatening U.S. national security. The SPMA assists the INL Director in protecting American economic and security interests, particularly by supporting DRC efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains essential to American national security.

The primary responsibility of this TPC is to coordinate with Kinshasa-based INL staff and Washington DC-based program officers to assist in developing law enforcement assistance that protects American interests. This includes advising on basic and advanced training, community policing, mining police reform to secure critical mineral extraction sites, police readiness, and equipment provision. The SPMA provides mentoring on INL-supported projects that enhance the DRC's ability to combat illegal mining, mineral smuggling, and criminal networks that threaten supply chain security for minerals essential to American industry and national defense. The SPMA ensures high-quality law enforcement instruction that advances U.S. strategic objectives in the region.

Period of Performance

The period of performance for this order will be one (01) year from the date of award with the option to extend for six (06) months subject to performance, need, and funding.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in the ongoing analysis and evaluation of Congolese law enforcement institutions, with emphasis on PNC units at national, provincial, and municipal levels across strategic mining regions. Provide expertise on public security issues in DRC — including threats to U.S. critical mineral interests — to the INL Director, Ambassador/Chargé d'Affaires, relevant Embassy officers, and INL/Washington. Assessments will address operational effectiveness, leadership, training, community outreach, mobility, communications, and equipment.
• Assist in reviewing PNC training facilities supported by INL and advise the INL Director on initiatives to improve academy efficiency and effectiveness in core policing competencies and specialized skills, including mining sector security, anti-smuggling operations, and protection of critical mineral assets.
• Provide technical assistance to PNC leadership, officers, and training academy directors in improving operations, investigations (including mineral smuggling and corruption cases), police administration, resource management, internal discipline, and overall reform efforts that strengthen both general law enforcement capability and the security of transparent critical mineral supply chains.
• Assist in conducting specialized assessments of PNC mining units' capability to prevent illegal mining, mineral theft, and smuggling in key provinces including Katanga and Kasai. Evaluate investigative capabilities, intelligence gathering systems, checkpoint and patrol strategies along critical mineral transport routes, and coordination with customs and border security agencies to identify vulnerabilities and recommend improvements to interdiction capabilities.
• Assess PNC capability to investigate and prosecute corruption cases involving mining sector officials, including bribery, extortion, and collusion with illegal mining operations. Advise on PNC's ability to distinguish between legal artisanal miners and criminal networks, and recommend community engagement strategies that protect legitimate livelihoods while combating illicit operations.
• Assist in monitoring and reporting on the influence of armed groups and foreign actors in mining regions, assessing their impact on PNC operations and U.S. critical mineral supply chain security, including PNC mining police units' intelligence collection capabilities regarding smuggling networks and illegal mining operations.
• Coordinate reviews of PNC community policing initiatives, internal affairs mechanisms, disciplinary procedures, and accountability systems, advising on reforms to build public trust, reduce crime, address misconduct, and strengthen professional standards.
• Assist in assessing the operational capability of PNC specialized units (e.g., criminal investigations, narcotics, cybercrime, border police) and advise on training and equipment needs to improve effectiveness.
• Under the direction of the INL Director, coordinates with the Embassy's Regional Security Office (RSO), Department of Defense, and other U.S. law enforcement agencies, as well as other international donors to coordinate security assistance activities, with emphasis on protecting U.S. critical mineral interests and supply chain security. Ensures that INL programs are complementary and not redundant with other donor-funded support, and that U.S. assistance prioritizes American economic security objectives in the mining sector while advancing broader law enforcement capability building goals.
• Assist with planning, design, and development of training projects in accordance with INL, Mission, and U.S. Department of State goals and objectives, including America First priorities related to critical mineral security and supply chain protection. Work with implementers to improve implementation while monitoring and reporting on significant developments; evaluate results; make necessary mid-course adjustments; and support monitoring and evaluation as part of project close-out procedures.
• Coordinate closely with INL implementers, the PNC (including the police reform cell and mining police units), and other international donors to implement regional programs of specialized basic and advanced training courses in core policing, community policing, mining zone security, anti-smuggling operations, and advanced investigative techniques related to mineral trafficking, corruption, and threats to critical infrastructure.
• Coordinate with the INL Director to provide technical assistance to implementing and government partners to improve national and provincial standardized training courses, with curriculum components addressing protection of mining operations and critical mineral supply chains. Ensure courses are approved by the PNC national office and relevant committees, and that training standards support both effective community policing and the security of U.S. economic interests in the mining sector.
• Review and provide technical feedback on training curricula developed by implementing partners for mining police units, ensuring content addresses priority threats to critical mineral supply chains and U.S. economic interests. Advise on the adequacy of training materials related to mineral identification, smuggling interdiction, and financial investigations of illicit mining networks, drawing on international best practices and lessons learned from other resource-rich countries.
• Assist in designing and delivering mentoring programs for PNC mid-level and senior leadership to strengthen institutional management, strategic planning, and decision-making in both general policing and mining sector security. Advise PNC leadership on the development of SOPs, internal policies, and institutional frameworks that support professional policing standards and transparent governance of critical mineral security operations.
• Assist in identifying and developing PNC officers capable of serving as future trainers and subject matter experts in mining zone security, anti-smuggling operations, and community policing, building a sustainable internal training cadre that reduces long-term dependence on external assistance.
• Support the development of PNC performance measurement systems to track individual and unit-level progress in achieving law enforcement and mining sector security competencies. Provide feedback to the INL Director to continuously improve training and technical assistance projects, identifying opportunities to enhance both general law enforcement effectiveness and specialized capability to secure critical mineral assets.
• Support the INL Kinshasa team on all phases of project execution from development through implementation, including planning, scheduling, budgeting, monitoring, and coordination. Ensure projects advance America First priorities by strengthening law enforcement capability and protecting U.S. critical mineral interests.
• Identify logistical support requirements for both general law enforcement and mining security operations. Provide advice and assistance in preparation of documentation for procurement of technical services, training and commodities, and the monitoring of procurement actions, including drafting source-origin waivers, bid solicitations, scopes of work, and delivery orders to support INL Kinshasa projects in the DRC. Prioritize procurement that enhances PNC capability to secure critical mineral supply chains and counter threats to transparent mining operations.
• Under the direction of the INL Director, review and advise on budget plans for INL projects in the DRC, ensuring that projects match the policies and objectives of INL and DRC strategies, with appropriate resource allocation to both core law enforcement capability building and specialized mining sector security initiatives that protect American economic interests and promote secure, transparent critical mineral supply chains.
• Coordinate with U.S., international, NGO, and Congolese institutions and agencies to ensure that INL's law enforcement assistance is coordinated with other assistance programs. Prioritize coordination that advances U.S. economic security objectives related to critical minerals, ensuring that security assistance complements efforts to establish transparent and secure mining operations while building broader law enforcement capability that serves both American interests and Congolese public safety needs.
• Advise the INL Director on opportunities to coordinate with the Ministry of Mines, mining regulatory agencies, and legitimate mining sector stakeholders to align law enforcement capability building with transparent mineral governance objectives.
• Facilitate dialogue between PNC leadership and mining industry representatives to identify shared security priorities and opportunities for public-private cooperation in protecting critical mineral operations.
• Coordinate with U.S. interagency partners to ensure INL programming incorporates current intelligence on critical mineral smuggling patterns, priority minerals for U.S. supply chains, and emerging threats from malign actors.
• Advise on coordination mechanisms between PNC mining police, customs authorities, and border security agencies to improve interdiction of smuggled minerals.
• Coordinate with judicial sector reform programs to ensure law enforcement capability building aligns with prosecutorial capabilities and supports effective case outcomes.
• Facilitate information sharing between PNC and civil society organizations working on police accountability and community safety initiatives.
• Ensure U.S. Government-provided commodities are effectively used to support both general law enforcement operations and the security of critical mineral supply chains.
• Actively prevent fraud, corruption, waste, or mismanagement of projects through continuous oversight and end use monitoring at all sites, with particular attention to equipment and resources deployed in mining regions where protection of U.S. economic interests is paramount.
• Assess whether PNC mining police units have adequate logistical support and equipment to effectively patrol remote mining areas and conduct investigations in challenging terrain.
• As directed by the INL Director, assist with management of large projects to achieve INL Kinshasa objectives, including strengthening law enforcement capability and securing critical mineral supply chains that support U.S. economic interests and America First priorities.
• As directed by the INL Director, review and advise INL implementing partners supported by the projects, ensuring their activities effectively build both general policing capabilities and specialized capability to protect mining operations, counter mineral smuggling, and promote transparent governance in the critical minerals sector.
• Assist in preparing and coordinating timely reports on INL-supported projects, assessing the impact of political and legislative developments on law enforcement capacity in strategic mining regions, and tracking progress toward INL Kinshasa goals in general policing development and critical mineral asset protection. Assist in escorting and arranging appropriate itineraries for official travelers, including site visits to mining regions and law enforcement facilities supporting critical mineral security operations.
• Under the direction of the INL Director, assist in briefing Department officials, Congressional Staff Delegations, and international dignitaries on INL Kinshasa projects, with emphasis on critical mineral supply chain security and America First priorities. Attend Embassy security sector reform meetings and report on key PNC issues, including police training reform, police-community relations, violent crime reduction, mining sector security, anti-corruption efforts, and other rule of law initiatives supporting public safety and U.S. economic interests. Report on significant developments affecting critical mineral supply chain security, including changes in illegal mining patterns, new smuggling routes, armed group activity in mining regions, or regulatory changes impacting law enforcement operations.
• Advise the INL Director on how political developments, legislative changes, or shifts in DRC mining policy may impact PNC capability to secure critical mineral operations and U.S. economic interests.
• Provide periodic assessments of PNC mining police effectiveness, identifying trends in interdiction rates, case outcomes, and operational challenges in priority mining regions.
• Brief Embassy leadership on the relationship between general law enforcement capability building and specialized mining security outcomes, recommending adjustments to programming balance.
• Report on trends in crime patterns, public security threats, and PNC operational challenges across different regions of DRC, providing context for programmatic decision-making.
• Provide analysis on PNC recruitment, retention, and personnel management challenges, advising on how these factors affect sustainability of capability building efforts.
• Advise the INL Director on emerging threats to critical mineral supply chains, including armed group financing through illegal mining, foreign competitor influence in mining regions, and corruption networks that undermine transparent mineral governance.
• Assess how changes in global critical mineral markets, commodity prices, or demand patterns may affect illegal mining activity and smuggling incentives in DRC.
• Provide analysis on the effectiveness of DRC mining regulatory frameworks and their enforcement, advising on how law enforcement capability building can support improved governance.
• Evaluate the adequacy of PNC intelligence systems for tracking mineral smuggling networks and advise on improvements to information sharing between law enforcement, customs, and mining regulatory authorities.
• Advise the INL Kinshasa Director and the RSO on matters related to personnel and physical security at all project locations, including remote mining regions, and personnel operating in support of INL Kinshasa projects. Coordinate with other embassy units and host country agencies to assess threat levels at project sites, with particular attention to security risks in critical mineral zones where illicit actors, armed groups, or corrupt networks may threaten U.S. personnel, partners, or economic interests. Develop threat reduction measures and implement appropriate security plans to protect personnel and equipment supporting both general law enforcement capability building and mining sector security operations.
• Maintain points of contact with DRC police, military units, mining police, and local authorities in training areas and mining regions to assist in the development of security plans and threat assessments. Ensure coordination addresses both conventional security threats and risks specific to critical mineral operations, including illegal mining, smuggling networks, and malign foreign influence in the minerals sector.

Minimum Qualifications

• U.S. Citizen, Third Country National (TCN), and Local National (LN) is allowable;
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in international relations, law enforcement, public policy or related field (10 years professional law enforcement experience can be substituted);
• A minimum of eighteen years of experience with U.S. law enforcement or military, experience briefing in English;
• Three years of experience working overseas in an Embassy environment;
• Three years specialized experience depending on the position (e.g. intelligence, firearms, gangs, kidnapping, drugs, internal affairs);
• Knowledge of, and skill in, correct usage of English grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and style.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher, preferably in Criminal Justice, International Relations, or related field.
• Foreign Language: Must have French language capability at or above the Foreign Service Institute's defined 3/3 level. Incumbent will be routinely working in a French language-only environment.
• Computer Skills: Basic word processing, Excel and spreadsheet programs.
• Over 20 years of professional level work experience in the area of law enforcemen