Senior Human Rights Officer

The Senior Human Rights Officer is responsible for providing strategic oversight and senior-level guidance on human rights reporting, analysis, capacity-building, and advocacy within the Regional Hub for East and Southern Africa. The role involves managing a team, coordinating with national and regional counterparts, and ensuring integration of human rights norms into various frameworks and UN processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight and final clearance for the drafting and dissemination of human rights reports, briefings, and other communications, with legal analysis as appropriate.
• Provide strategic direction and exercise senior-level oversight of the collection, verification, and analysis of multi-source information relevant to the human rights thematic and/or country-specific situation.
• Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative direction for the preparation of analytical papers, including on lessons learned, ensuring integration into human rights strategies, crisis management, prevention, and response policies, programmes, and other strategic decision-making processes.
• Provide authoritative senior-level advice and exercise institutional oversight of the delivery of technical support to national counterparts in drafting complex legislation and security-sector reforms.
• Provide senior-level guidance to national and/or regional counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems, institutions, and frameworks.
• Provide strategic direction and exercise senior-level oversight of human rights capacity-building programmes for State institutions, security forces, NHRIs, civil society, and other stakeholders.
• Exercise institutional accountability for human rights mainstreaming and the integration of human rights norms and standards into political, peace and security, humanitarian, development, and economic frameworks and processes.
• Provide authoritative senior-level guidance to UN leadership and UN partners on the integration of human rights into protection, rule of law, human rights economy, transitional justice, and accountability.
• Represent the human rights function at the highest levels in senior management and other UN coordination fora, integrated analysis and planning processes, and/or joint funding opportunities.
• Provide strategic direction and exercise institutional accountability for the development of strategies on protection of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence, and child protection.
• Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative guidance on support to treaty bodies, special procedures, the UPR, and/or commissions of inquiry.
• Provide strategic direction and exercise oversight of research, analysis, and policy advice on human rights issues in the context of economic policy and sustainable development.
• Provide strategic direction and authoritative policy advice to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination.
• Oversee and steer the resource mobilization strategy and its implementation to advance the Office's goals.
• Set the strategic direction and provide senior-level oversight for advocacy and impactful outreach activities for the promotion of Human Rights.
• Oversee and steer the implementation of an Office-wide partnerships strategy.
• Direct the implementation of an effective communication strategy to amplify human rights messaging and outreach.
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Manage and coordinate the activities of the team, including hiring, training, assigning tasks and responsibilities.
• Plan and manage required resources to implement the responsibilities, projects, and activities.
• Provide guidance to team members to promote professional development and a positive team culture.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field is required.
• A first-level or advanced degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in any fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree in the specified fields of studies.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights or related areas is required.
• Relevant experience may include, but is not limited to political affairs, public affairs, international relations, law, social sciences, economics, development, humanitarian affairs, or other related areas.
• Strategic thinking skills is required.
• Planning, organising, and coordination skills in a large multi-stakeholder environment is required.
• Skills to integrate a human rights-based approach, leave no one behind, gender equality and women's empowerment into all areas of work is required.
• Knowledge of regional and international human rights mechanisms is required.
• Knowledge of the application of the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights, including within the context of addressing inequalities is desirable.
• Working collaboratively is desirable.
• Ability to build and maintain partnerships is desirable.
• Critical thinking skills is desirable.

Skills

• Human Rights Reporting
• Human Rights Analysis
• Capacity Building
• Human Rights Advocacy
• Strategic Thinking
• Planning and organisation
• Coordination in Multi-stakeholder Environment
• Human Rights Approaches
• Gender Equality Integration
• Women’s Empowerment
• Knowledge of Human Rights Mechanisms
• Economic Social Cultural Rights
• Team Management
• Partnership Building

Languages

English, Arabic, French