Background Upemba National Park:
Upemba National Park covers an area of approximately 13,600km2 of spectacular wilderness in Katanga Province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Upemba with legal protection since 1939, is one of the oldest parks in Africa.
The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) signed a Private-Public Partnership with the Forgotten Parks Foundation (FPF) delegating management responsibility to the Foundation for the next 15 years. Under this agreement Forgotten Parks is responsible for the management, monitoring and protection of Upemba, as well as for developing sustainable financing mechanisms to meet the on-going management costs.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
The Mentor will support the Situational Awareness Team for the Upemba landscape. The role focuses on transforming dispersed observations from community scouts and rangers into structured, actionable information to support baseline situational awareness, pattern identification, and preventive interventions.
This position prioritizes structured aggregation and analysis of existing field data over covert collection, enabling early warning, spatial risk mapping, and evidence-based Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) measures. The model deliberately seeks to develop structured detection, patterning, attribution, and preventive interventions to reduce wildlife crime. Analysts play a central role in turning dispersed observations into usable information that shapes the operating environment and reduces opportunities for illegal activity. You will be measured by the quality, consistency, and usefulness of analytical products; improved coverage and structure of incoming data; identification of actionable patterns and risk areas; and contribution to evidence-based SCP interventions.
MAIN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Sustain and complete the system of collect of information from a wide range of sources: patrols, aerial survey, biomonitoring etc.
- Ensure the filling of the investigation database and data security
- Build the capacity of investigators and analysts to answer the Priority Information Requests (PIRs) of the park and mentor individually the team members on wildlife crime investigations
- Train and manage the Situational Awareness Team on information collection techniques and analysis of information
- Build capacity of the team to conduct long term and complex investigations
- Ensure a daily mentoring of the daily work of the team
- Develop and sustain the coordination of the information of the park
- Build up the analysis work and focus on the standard reporting norms
- Oversee the Situational Awareness / collect of information
- Work closely with the head of the Situational Awareness Team to train him/her and build the capacity of the unit
- Implement the use of a software to enhance analysis capacity of the unit.
- Work closely with the Incubation program of African Parks and with the Kundelungu National Park staff to share information
- Implement the SOPs within the department
- Manage a monthly budget and ability to do basic accountability and monthly budget follow up and report
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Minimum 3–5 years of relevant experience in field operations, data management, or investigation-related roles in conservation, or community-based monitoring and law enforcement units
- Strong understanding of protected area management and wildlife crime issues
- Proven ability to work with community structures and field teams in remote environments.
- Experience with data structuring, basic analysis, and mapping tools (e.g., GIS, Excel, simple database systems).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French and English; ability to produce clear, concise reports
- Good leadership and management skills
Desirable
- Familiarity with Situational Crime Prevention principles or law enforcement operations.
- Basic GIS/mapping proficiency and data visualization skills.
- Experience in working in conflict areas
Skills and Competencies
- Strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to detail.
- Ability to translate raw field observations into usable information for the law enforcement unit (Anti-poaching unit and rangers).
- Excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity for working with diverse field teams.
- Self-motivated, able to work independently in a challenging field environment with limited supervision.
- High integrity, discretion, and commitment to ethical intelligence practices.
- Problem-solving orientation and adaptability.
DURATION
The initial contract is for 12 months (with a 6 months’ probation)
How to apply
Your application: Please send your application including a cover letter and a chronological CV in PDF format to recruitment@forgottenparks.org
The cover letter will be used to judge the quality of your application.
Application deadline is 1st September 2026 and at least 3 references should accompany your application.
Note on Security: The area is volatile. You will receive a security brief on acceptance of the position.