Senior Police ADV (DRC)

Senior Police Advisor

BACKGROUND

The U.S. Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy, & 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, & implement foreign policy initiatives that build a freer, prosperous, & secure world.

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

INL's Office of Africa & the Middle East (INL/AME) provides policy guidance & develops, executes, & monitors programs to address the full range of criminal justice issues as they relate to rule of law & 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.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

USGI is seeking a Senior Police Advisor to serve as the International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Senior Police & Mining Advisor (SPMA) at the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, advancing American interests by assisting in advising, monitoring, & managing training & 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 & 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 & Washington DC-based program officers to assist in developing law enforcement assistance that protects American interests. This includes advising on basic & advanced training, community policing, mining police reform to secure critical mineral extraction sites, police readiness, & equipment provision. The SPMA provides mentoring on INL-supported projects that enhance the DRC's ability to combat illegal mining, mineral smuggling, & criminal networks that threaten supply chain security for minerals essential to American industry & national defense. The SPMA ensures high-quality law enforcement instruction that advances U.S. strategic objectives in the region.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Assess/Advise

• Assist in the ongoing analysis & evaluation of Congolese law enforcement institutions, with emphasis on PNC units at national, provincial, & 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, & INL/Washington. Assessments will address operational effectiveness, leadership, training, community outreach, mobility, communications, & equipment.
• Assist in reviewing PNC training facilities supported by INL & advise the INL Director on initiatives to improve academy efficiency & effectiveness in core policing competencies & specialized skills, including mining sector security, anti-smuggling operations, & protection of critical mineral assets.
• Provide technical assistance to PNC leadership, officers, & training academy directors in improving operations, investigations (including mineral smuggling & corruption cases), police administration, resource management, internal discipline, & overall reform efforts that strengthen both general law enforcement capability & the security of transparent critical mineral supply chains.
• Assist in conducting specialized assessments of PNC mining units' capability to prevent illegal mining, mineral theft, & smuggling in key provinces including Katanga & Kasai. Evaluate investigative capabilities, intelligence gathering systems, checkpoint & patrol strategies along critical mineral transport routes, & coordination with customs & border security agencies to identify vulnerabilities & recommend improvements to interdiction capabilities.
• Assess PNC capability to investigate & prosecute corruption cases involving mining sector officials, including bribery, extortion, & collusion with illegal mining operations. Advise on PNC's ability to distinguish between legal artisanal miners & criminal networks, & recommend community engagement strategies that protect legitimate livelihoods while combating illicit operations.
• Assist in monitoring & reporting on the influence of armed groups & foreign actors in mining regions, assessing their impact on PNC operations & U.S. critical mineral supply chain security, including PNC mining police units' intelligence collection capabilities regarding smuggling networks & illegal mining operations.
• Coordinate reviews of PNC community policing initiatives, internal affairs mechanisms, disciplinary procedures, & accountability systems, advising on reforms to build public trust, reduce crime, address misconduct, & strengthen professional standards.
• Assist in assessing the operational capability of PNC specialized units (e.g., criminal investigations, narcotics, cybercrime, border police) & advise on training & equipment needs to improve effectiveness.

Maintain Political Liaison

• Under the direction of the INL Director, coordinates with the Embassy's Regional Security Office (RSO), Department of Defense, & 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 & supply chain security. Ensures that INL programs are complementary & not redundant with other donor-funded support, & that U.S. assistance prioritizes American economic security objectives in the mining sector while advancing broader law enforcement capability building goals.

Program & Project Planning, Development, & Execution

• Assist with planning, design, & development of training projects in accordance with INL, Mission, & U.S. Department of State goals & objectives, including America First priorities related to critical mineral security & supply chain protection. Work with implementers to improve implementation while monitoring & reporting on significant developments; evaluate results; make necessary mid-course adjustments; & support monitoring & evaluation as part of project close-out procedures.
• Coordinate closely with INL implementers, the PNC (including the police reform cell & mining police units), & other international donors to implement regional programs of specialized basic & advanced training courses in core policing, community policing, mining zone security, anti-smuggling operations, & advanced investigative techniques related to mineral trafficking, corruption, & threats to critical infrastructure.
• Coordinate with the INL Director to provide technical assistance to implementing & government partners to improve national & provincial standardized training courses, with curriculum components addressing protection of mining operations & critical mineral supply chains. Ensure courses are approved by the PNC national office & relevant committees, & that training standards support both effective community policing & the security of U.S. economic interests in the mining sector.
• Review & provide technical feedback on training curricula developed by implementing partners for mining police units, ensuring content addresses priority threats to critical mineral supply chains & U.S. economic interests. Advise on the adequacy of training materials related to mineral identification, smuggling interdiction, & financial investigations of illicit mining networks, drawing on international best practices & lessons learned from other resource-rich countries.
• Assist in designing & delivering mentoring programs for PNC mid-level & senior leadership to strengthen institutional management, strategic planning, & decision-making in both general policing & mining sector security. Advise PNC leadership on the development of SOPs, internal policies, & institutional frameworks that support professional policing standards & transparent governance of critical mineral security operations.
• Assist in identifying & developing PNC officers capable of serving as future trainers & subject matter experts in mining zone security, anti-smuggling operations, & 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 & unit-level progress in achieving law enforcement & mining sector security competencies. Provide feedback to the INL Director to continuously improve training & technical assistance projects, identifying opportunities to enhance both general law enforcement effectiveness & specialized capability to secure critical mineral assets.

Strategic & Budget Planning

• Support the INL Kinshasa team on all phases of project execution from development through implementation, including planning, scheduling, budgeting, monitoring, & coordination. Ensure projects advance America First priorities by strengthening law enforcement capability & protecting U.S. critical mineral interests.
• Identify logistical support requirements for both general law enforcement & mining security operations. Provide advice & assistance in preparation of documentation for procurement of technical services, training & commodities, & the monitoring of procurement actions, including drafting source-origin waivers, bid solicitations, scopes of work, & delivery orders to support INL Kinshasa projects in the DRC. Prioritize procurement that enhances PNC capability to secure critical mineral supply chains & counter threats to transparent mining operations.
• Under the direction of the INL Director, review & advise on budget plans for INL projects in the DRC, ensuring that projects match the policies & objectives of INL & DRC strategies, with appropriate resource allocation to both core law enforcement capability building & specialized mining sector security initiatives that protect American economic interests & promote secure, transparent critical mineral supply chains.

Integration & Coordination with Complementary Programs

• Coordinate with U.S., international, NGO, & Congolese institutions & 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 & secure mining operations while building broader law enforcement capability that serves both American interests & Congolese public safety needs.
• Advise the INL Director on opportunities to coordinate with the Ministry of Mines, mining regulatory agencies, & legitimate mining sector stakeholders to align law enforcement capability building with transparent mineral governance objectives.
• Facilitate dialogue between PNC leadership & mining industry representatives to identify shared security priorities & 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, & emerging threats from malign actors.
• Advise on coordination mechanisms between PNC mining police, customs authorities, & 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 & supports effective case outcomes.
• Facilitate information sharing between PNC & civil society organizations working on police accountability & community safety initiatives.

End Use Monitoring

• Ensure U.S. Government-provided commodities are effectively used to support both general law enforcement operations & the security of critical mineral supply chains.
• Actively prevent fraud, corruption, waste, or mismanagement of projects through continuous oversight & end use monitoring at all sites, with particular attention to equipment & resources deployed in mining regions where protection of U.S. economic interests is paramount.
• Assess whether PNC mining police units have adequate logistical support & equipment to effectively patrol remote mining areas & conduct investigations in challenging terrain.

Working & Supervisory Responsibilities

• As directed by the INL Director, assist with management of large projects to achieve INL Kinshasa objectives, including strengthening law enforcement capability & securing critical mineral supply chains that support U.S. economic interests & America First priorities.
• As directed by the INL Director, review & advise INL implementing partners supported by the projects, ensuring their activities effectively build both general policing capabilities & specialized capability to protect mining operations, counter mineral smuggling, & promote transparent governance in the critical minerals sector.

Briefing & Reporting

• Assist in preparing & coordinating timely reports on INL-supported projects, assessing the impact of political & legislative developments on law enforcement capacity in strategic mining regions, & tracking progress toward INL Kinshasa goals in general policing development & critical mineral asset protection. Assist in escorting & arranging appropriate itineraries for official travelers, including site visits to mining regions & law enforcement facilities supporting critical mineral security operations.
• Under the direction of the INL Director, assist in briefing Department officials, Congressional Staff Delegations, & international dignitaries on INL Kinshasa projects, with emphasis on critical mineral supply chain security & America First priorities. Attend Embassy security sector reform meetings & report on key PNC issues, including police training reform, police-community relations, violent crime reduction, mining sector security, anti-corruption efforts, & other rule of law initiatives supporting public safety & 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 & U.S. economic interests.
• Provide periodic assessments of PNC mining police effectiveness, identifying trends in interdiction rates, case outcomes, & operational challenges in priority mining regions.
• Brief Embassy leadership on the relationship between general law enforcement capability building & specialized mining security outcomes, recommending adjustments to programming balance.
• Report on trends in crime patterns, public security threats, & PNC operational challenges across different regions of DRC, providing context for programmatic decision-making.
• Provide analysis on PNC recruitment, retention, & personnel management challenges, advising on how these factors affect sustainability of capability building efforts.

Mining Sector Threat Analysis (Advisory)

• 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, & 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 & smuggling incentives in DRC.
• Provide analysis on the effectiveness of DRC mining regulatory frameworks & 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 & advise on improvements to information sharing between law enforcement, customs, & mining regulatory authorities.

Security of Training Teams & Personnel

• Advise the INL Kinshasa Director & the RSO on matters related to personnel & physical security at all project locations, including remote mining regions, & personnel operating in support of INL Kinshasa projects. Coordinate with other embassy units & 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 & implement appropriate security plans to protect personnel & equipment supporting both general law enforcement capability building & mining sector security operations.
• Maintain points of contact with DRC police, military units, mining police, & local authorities in training areas & mining regions to assist in the development of security plans & threat assessments. Ensure coordination addresses both conventional security threats & risks specific to critical mineral operations, including illegal mining, smuggling networks, & malign foreign influence in the minerals sector.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• U.S. Citizen, Third Country National (TCN), & 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, & skill in, correct usage of English grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, & 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 & spreadsheet programs
• Over 20 years of professional level work experience in the area of law enforcement operations,