Customs Intelligence/Data Analyst - WCO Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Programme

CAPACITY DELIVERY SUB-DIRECTORATE
NOMENCLATURE & REVENUE IMPLEMENTATION UNIT

WCO Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing

Programme

Customs Intelligence/Data Analyst –TENTACLE III 1. INTRODUCTION

The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an independent intergovernmental body, established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs services across the globe. The WCO represents 187 Customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters.

As a forum for dialogue and exchange of experiences between national Customs delegates, the WCO offers its Members a range of Conventions and other international instruments, as well as technical assistance and training services provided either directly by the Secretariat, or with its participation. The Secretariat also actively supports its Members in their endeavours to modernize and build capacity within their national Customs administrations, as well as foster international cooperation amongst them.

2. OVERVIEW

Customs play a central role in preventing and detecting cross-border money laundering and terrorist financing. Positioned at international borders and inland ports of entry, Customs administrations can identify and disrupt illicit currency, bearer negotiable instruments, precious metals and gemstones, other forms of value, and trade-based money laundering schemes.

Project TENTACLE III form part of the WCO AML/CTF Programme and is designed to strengthen the capabilities of WCO Members and partner agencies to detect, investigate and disrupt cross-border money laundering and terrorist financing, including illicit proceeds and value linked to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist organizations.

3. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The WCO started its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Programme in 2018. The Programme strengthens the capacity of WCO Members and key partners, including INTERPOL and the Egmont Group, to prevent, detect and address money laundering and terrorist financing from both a capacity-building and operational perspective.

Building on Project TENTACLE II, the WCO is implementing a new phase, Project TENTACLE III, with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). TENTACLE III provides a global operational framework for regional operations aimed at detecting and disrupting illicit cross-border financial flows and strengthening cooperation among Customs, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), Police services, law-enforcement authorities, INTERPOL cooperation channels and prosecutors.

The project aims to strengthen the transition from border detection and seizure to financial-intelligence referral, investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution. It will support regional, time-bound and threat-focused operations. Results will be measured through concrete enforcement and case development outputs, including confiscation opportunities where applicable.

4. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

Project TENTACLE III objectives are achieved mainly through:

• Plan and implement targeted regional AML/CTF operations focused on high-risk corridors, routes and threat streams to detect and disrupt illicit cross-border financial flows and value-transfer mechanisms.
• Enhance Customs capabilities to detect and seize illicit value and relevant predicate-offence commodities, including bulk cash and bearer negotiable instruments, precious metals and gemstones, trade-based money laundering and other illicit value-transfer methods.
• Improve operational coordination and information exchange among Customs administrations, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), Police and other relevant law-enforcement authorities, prosecutors and relevant international cooperation channels.
• Increase the effective conversion of Customs detections and seizures into actionable intelligence, referrals, investigations, prosecutions, confiscation and other case-development opportunities.
• Support post-operational analysis and follow-up, including the identification of emerging risks, routes, typologies and operational indicators.
• Deepen cooperation with relevant international partners, including INTERPOL, the Egmont Group and other organizations supporting cross-border AML/CTF cooperation.

5. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the supervision of the AML CTF Programme Manager, the Customs Intelligence – Data Analyst will focus on the following key activities:

1. 1. Provide analytical and intelligence advice to the Programme Manager and Project team on Customs intelligence priorities, criminal and financial intelligence requirements, operational risk assessment and targeting and analytical follow-up needs.
2. 2. Collect, verify, clean, structure, integrate, cross-reference and analyze relevant Customs, trade, seizure, enforcement and other authorized operational data received through WCO, national and partner channels.
3. 3. Analyze relevant information from WCO systems and participating administrations, including CEN data where appropriate, national seizure and enforcement data, route information, targeting results, referrals, typologies and post-operation information.
4. 4. Analyze illicit cross-border value movements and relevant predicate-offence commodities, including bulk cash and bearer negotiable instruments, precious metals and gemstones, trade-based money laundering, narcotics, drug precursors, firearms, ammunition and other relevant commodities and value-transfer mechanisms.
5. 5. Identify trends, anomalies, emerging risks, suspicious routes, concealment methods, repeat facilitators, cross-border patterns and potential links between commodity movements, illicit financial flows and criminal networks.
6. 6. Develop and refine operational risk indicators, profiles, typologies and analytical targeting packages to support regional operations at airports, seaports, land borders, free zones and other relevant Customs control points.
7. 7. Produce clear and accurate analytical products, including intelligence briefs, operational risk packages, maps, charts, dashboards, network analyses, situation reports, trend assessments and post-operation analytical reports on seizures, arrests, investigations and prosecutions.
8. 8. Provide analytical support throughout the operational cycle, including pre-operational planning and targeting, monitoring and analysis during operational phases and Action Days, and the consolidation, validation and exploitation of results following operations.
9. 9. Support the quality, completeness and consistency of operational data reported by participating administrations, liaising with relevant national focal points and Project counterparts and supporting the effective use of applicable WCO data and communication tools, including CEN and CENcomm where relevant.
10. 10. Apply appropriate data-quality, security, confidentiality and information-sharing safeguards, maintaining clear analytical records and documenting data sources, assumptions, limitations and levels of confidence.
11. 11. Contribute analytical inputs to Project monitoring, results dashboards, management briefings, donor reporting including the DevResults platform, performance assessments and lessons-learned products, ensuring that findings and conclusions are supported by reliable evidence.
12. 12. Prepare and deliver analytical briefings and presentations to WCO management, participating Customs administrations, FIUs, Police and other law-enforcement authorities, prosecutors, partner organizations and other relevant stakeholders, adapting the level of technical detail to the audience.
13. 13. Contribute to workshops, operational briefings, debriefings and technical assistance activities, including practical guidance or coaching on data quality, intelligence analysis, risk

indicators and the effective use of analytical information for operational purposes, and undertake mission travel as required.

1. Proactively engage with participating Customs administrations, FIUs, relevant law-enforcement agencies and other project stakeholders to request, collect, verify and regularly update operational data and information required for intelligence analysis, project monitoring and reporting. Establish and maintain direct working relationships with designated national focal points, systematically follow up on missing or incomplete information, and actively seek updates on operational results, including seizures, referrals, criminal and financial investigations, arrests, prosecutions and confiscations, in accordance with applicable confidentiality and information-sharing requirements.
2. Identify emerging analytical requirements, information gaps and new risk areas, and provide evidence-based recommendations to support future operational planning and Project priorities.
3. Reporting to and liaising regularly with the Programme Manager on assigned activities, implementation progress, deliverables, follow-up actions and matters requiring coordination, guidance or progress reporting.
4. Any other project-related duties as assigned by the supervisor, or any person acting on their behalf.

6. EDUCATION

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent in data science, statistics, finance, Customs/trade, law enforcement, criminology, intelligence studies, information systems or another relevant field is required.
• A postgraduate qualification or specialized training in data analytics, intelligence analysis, Customs intelligence, financial crime, AML/CTF, risk analysis or a related discipline would be an asset.

7. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in data analysis, intelligence analysis or a closely related analytical field, including relevant experience in Customs, law enforcement, financial crime or another comparable operational environment.
• Relevant knowledge and professional exposure to AML/CTF, financial crime, Customs enforcement or related transnational crime issues.
• Proven experience collecting, cleaning, validating, integrating and analyzing complex datasets and converting them into reliable analytical and operational findings.
• Experience producing intelligence briefs, risk indicators, profiles, maps, charts, dashboards, analytical reports and other decision-support products.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, with practical experience using at least one data-visualization or business-intelligence tool.
• Well-developed analytical reasoning, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distinguish evidence from assumptions and inference.

• Sound judgement, objectivity and intellectual integrity, including the ability to explain methodological limitations, uncertainty and confidence levels.

• Effective communication, briefing and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate complex data and analytical findings into clear, concise and operationally relevant messages for specialist and non-specialist audiences.

• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment and engage professionally with operational and institutional stakeholders.

• Good planning and prioritization skills, resilience under pressure, and the ability to deliver high-quality analytical products within operational deadlines.

• Discretion and experience handling sensitive operational, law-enforcement and/or personal data in accordance with applicable confidentiality, data-protection and information-security requirements.

8. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

The following would be advantageous, but are not essential:

• Familiarity with the institutional and international cooperation environment relevant to AML/CTF and Customs enforcement, including FIUs, INTERPOL and relevant regional and international organizations.
• Experience working in an international organization or donor-funded programme, including results-based monitoring and donor-reporting requirements.
• Familiarity with WCO CEN/nCEN, CENcomm, DevResults or comparable enforcement-information, secure communication and results-management systems.
• Practical experience using open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods and tools to lawfully collect, verify and analyze publicly available information.
• Experience with SQL, Python, R, GIS, network-analysis or other advanced analytical tools.

9. LANGUAGES

• Fluency in English and/or French, the official languages of the WCO.
• Knowledge of the other official WCO language would be considered an asset but is not essential.
• Knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.

10. CONTRACT AND CONDITIONS

• Staff member under short-term contract for a one-year period (with possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funding)
• Probationary period: six (6) months;
• Full-time employment (37 hours and 40 minutes weekly) at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium;
• 30 days of annual paid leave;
• Salary of 4863 EUR/month all-inclusive (remuneration exempted from income tax in Belgium); and
• Compulsory WCO health insurance deducted from the salary (approximately 71 EUR/month in 2026).

This position is subject to the conditions laid down in the Manual for Short-Term Contractors. If a candidate is related to a current WCO staff member (spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister), they are required to expressly indicate this in the application.

The successful applicant shall not acquire the subsequent right to occupy a permanent post within the WCO. The successful applicant will not be affiliated to any WCO retirement fund or pension scheme.

11. APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate how he/she meets each of the essential qualifications and requirements. Applicants are encouraged to detail concrete achievements in their CVs and/or in their motivation letter and to include references.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an assessment which may include a written test and/or an interview. All short-listed candidates may be requested to provide copies of their original diploma, certificates and proof of relevant experience. Pre-selected candidates may also be subject to reference checks to confirm the information provided in the application.

Interested candidates should submit their application for review no later than 23h59 Central European Time on 4 December 2026, including a CV and motivation letter in English or French by e-mail to: AMLCTF.vacancy@wcoomd.org

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the position criteria and the WCO applicable rules.

12. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The WCO values commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability as well as diversity among its staff members. Accordingly, applications from qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, will receive equal treatment and due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting nationals from WCO Members on as wide a geographical basis as possible. Please note that the WCO Headquarters is a non-smoking environment. The age limit for employment with the WCO is 65.

Any personal data collected and processed as part of the recruitment procedure will be in accordance with the WCO's Personal Data Protection Policy (available on the WCO website: https://www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/legal-instruments/policies.aspx) and any questions or complaints may be addressed to the WCO's Data Protection Officer (dpo@wcoomd.org).