Cyber Threat Advisor – Migrant Smuggling

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was established in 1997 as the United Nations entity responsible for assisting Member States in their efforts to combat illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and with a presence in more than 80 field offices, UNODC’s mandate focuses on promoting health, security, and justice for all by addressing the threats posed by drugs, organized crime, corruption, and terrorism, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This position, to be based in the Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean, is situated within UNODC’s Global Programme against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants aiming to Implement activities under the Initiative Global Action against the Financial and Digital Dimensions of Migrant Smuggling Programme, funded by the European Union in coordination between the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section (HTMSS) and the Global Programme on Cybercrime assigned to the Cybercrime and Technology Section (CTS).

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Cybercrime Policy Adviser of the Global Programme on Cybercrime, Cybercrime and Technology Section, and under the additional supervision of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer of the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section (HTMSS), based at the UNODC Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean (ROPAN), in coordination with the Global Action Programme Coordinator of HTMSS. The incumbent will perform his/her duties under the overall guidance of the UNODC Representative for the Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean.

The role is particularly designed to strengthen UNODC’s response to the increasingly prominent cyber enabled dimensions of migrant smuggling, recognizing the growing use of digital platforms, encrypted communications, online financial services, and other technologies by criminal networks to facilitate, organize, and profit from smuggling activities.

The incumbent will contribute to the Global Action against the Financial and Digital Dimensions of Migrant Smuggling Programme, funded by the European Union, which aims to counter migrant smuggling through Evidence-based interventions, including tracing financial flows and addressing the digital ecosystem that enables these crimes. While global in scope, the programme places particular emphasis on Panama and Costa Rica within Central America and Colombia in South America. Key expected results include improving knowledge on cyber investigation techniques, Open-Source Intelligence and Social Media Intelligence techniques (Open-Source Intelligence OSINT / Social Media Intelligence SOCMINT), digital forensics and techniques to trace, freeze, and confiscate virtual assets—enhancing investigative capacities related to digitally facilitated migrant smuggling, and promoting international cooperation and the exchange of good practices.

Within assigned authority,the National Programme Officer (Cybercrime Expert) will be responsible for the following specific duties:

• Provide support in coordinating project activities in Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia of the digital component of the European Union funded Global Action against the Financial and Digital Dimensions of the Smuggling of Migrants. This includes overall activity coordination, procurement of equipment, contracting service providers and meeting monitoring and reporting obligations related to national stakeholders in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.
• Deliver capacity-building workshops and other technical assistance activities on cyber investigation techniques, Open Source Intelligence and Social Media Intelligence techniques (OSINT/SOCMIT), digital forensics, cryptocurrencies and other relevant areas to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of cyber-enabled smuggling of migrants for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, judges, first responders and other counterparts incorporating specialized content on digital evidence handling and seizure of devices, specialized and special investigative techniques, and emerging technologies.
• Deliver technical advice and mentorship to national law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and other government officials, including to effectively seize and handle mobile and electronic devices, respecting due process of law.
• Coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders, including intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), private sector, academic institutions, and other UN agencies, that provide training or support on cybercrime and migrant smuggling, to ensure synergies and avoid duplication.
• Assist in ongoing monitoring and evaluation of project activities by collecting data on implementation, drafting progress and evaluation reports, participating in project review meetings, and following up on recommended actions to ensure effectiveness and impact of the project.
• Liaise with relevant parties to ensure project implementation, including Internet Service Providers, Communication Regulators, Virtual Asset Service Providers, Law Enforcement Agencies, Ministries of Interior, Ministries of Justice, Attorney General Offices, and Supreme Courts in selected countries for the purpose of project implementation and the advancement of the Global Action against the Financial and Digital Dimensions of the Smuggling of Migrants.
• Support the visibility of UNODC’s cybercrime and anti-migrant smuggling work in the region in accordance with the communications plan, including by submitting inputs to communication actions and products in a timely manner; ensure project donor(s) visibility in all public activities;
• Contribute to the collection and analysis of data and identification of trends or patterns and provide draft insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Maintain regular communication with the Project Coordinator of the Global Programme on Cybercrime, overseeing the digital dimension component (outcome 3) of the Global Action against the Financial and Digital-based Dimensions of the Smuggling of Migrants, as well as with the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section and regional offices.
• Perform other work-related duties as required.