Human Rights Officer

The Human Rights Officer will lead and coordinate monitoring, reporting, and advocacy activities related to human rights and international humanitarian law across various UN locations. The role involves managing evidence collection, capacity-building, advising national and UN partners, and supporting treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms to advance accountability and protection.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the monitoring of the implementation of human rights and international humanitarian law and ensure appropriate follow-up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies, the UPR, special procedures and investigative findings, to support compliance with human rights and advance accountability.
• Coordinate and manage the collection, documentation, and quality control of evidence-based information on civil, cultural, economic, social and/or political rights, including the right to development, to support early warning, accountability and informed decision-making, identifying gaps and ensuring the proper handling and sharing of human rights data, including from gender and leave no one behind perspectives.
• Lead the coordination and conduct of human rights monitoring and field verification missions, including assessments and early-warning exercises, in accordance with UN methodology, gender indicators and victim/witness protection standards, and ensure comprehensive reporting on findings and recommendations.
• Lead and coordinate the production and substantive review of human rights reports, briefings and other communications, with legal analysis as appropriate, and prepare analytical papers to inform strategies, policies, programmes, crisis management, guidance and decision-making, with attention to gender integration and leave-no-one-behind perspectives.
• Lead and undertake analysis and prepare analytical papers, including on lessons learned, to inform human rights strategies, crisis management, prevention and response policies, programmes and other strategic decision-making processes.
• Lead the provision of substantive advice and technical support to national and/or regional counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems, institutions and frameworks, including complaints mechanisms, victim and witness support services, and engagement with human rights mechanisms, including reporting and implementation of recommendations.
• Lead the design and delivery of human rights capacity-building programmes for State institutions, security forces, NHRIs, civil society and other stakeholders, including on human rights-based approaches with attention to gender integration and leave-no-one-behind perspectives.
• Ensure human rights mainstreaming within assigned areas of responsibility, integrating human rights norms and standards into political, peace and security, humanitarian, development and economic frameworks and processes, to tackle impunity and address socio-economic, development and other human rights challenges.
• Lead the participation in inter-governmental negotiations, public forums and peace processes, advocating for the integration of human rights standards and mobilizing support for comprehensive anti-discrimination action, while contributing to the development and management of coalitions, within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Lead the provision of substantive advice to civil society on the integration of human rights into protection, rule of law, the human rights economy, transitional justice and accountability.
• Advise UN leadership and UN partners on the integration of human rights into protection, rule of law, economic policy, transitional justice and accountability leading substantive advisory inputs within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Coordinate the participation and engage in senior-management and other UN coordination fora, integrated analysis and planning processes and joint funding opportunities, ensuring coherent information flow and timely integration of human rights analysis into UN decision-making and programmatic responses.
• Develop and lead strategies on protection of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence and child protection, translating early warning into coordinated responses.
• Lead and coordinate substantive support to treaty bodies, special procedures, the UPR and/or commissions of inquiry through research, coordination and follow-up.
• Manage and coordinate fundraising and resource mobilization activities to advance the Office’s goals, including planning initiatives, engaging donors and partners, and ensuring effective implementation within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Promote Human Rights through leading advocacy and impactful outreach activities.
• Lead and coordinate the office's partnership building and creation of new partnerships.
• Coordinate implementation of effective communication activities to amplify human rights messaging and outreach ensuring consistency, quality and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity and handle sensitive information with discretion, ensuring compliance with the UN data privacy, security requirements, and standards.
• Coordinate and lead the delivery of training programmes and workshops using various platforms for different audiences to enhance the capacity of UN staff and partners.
• Manage and coordinate the activities of the team, including hiring, training, assigning tasks and responsibilities, and ensuring that deadlines are met.
• Plan and manage required resources to implement the responsibilities, projects, and activities.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in human rights, law, political science, international relations, social sciences, economics, public policy, sustainable development, humanitarian affairs or related field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of 7 years of 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.
• Knowledge of international human rights law, norms, and standards is required.
• Skills in drafting human rights reports, policy and other documents are 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.
• Programme management skills are required.

Skills

• International Human Rights Law
• Human Rights Monitoring
• Human Rights Reporting
• Policy drafting
• Human Rights Advocacy
• Human Rights Approaches
• Gender Equality Integration
• Women’s Empowerment
• Programme Management
• Capacity-Building Initiatives
• International Humanitarian Law
• Evidence Collection
• Advising national partners
• Advising UN partners
• Supporting treaty bodies
• Supporting UN Human Rights Mechanisms

Languages

English, French