FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Deputy Director
Environment and Human Rights Division
Multiple Locations Considered
Application Deadline: May 25, 2023

As marginalized communities around the world face growing consequences from environmental degradation, pollution, and the climate crisis, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a Deputy Director to help lead its Environment and Human Rights (EHR) Division. Based in seven countries, EHR is a diverse team of eight people of multiple nationalities with backgrounds in environmental science, law, human rights, and journalism.

Issue Overview:

The Environment and Human Rights Division (“EHR”), founded in 2017, leads HRW’s work on environmental human rights issues. As the world further urbanizes and industrializes, and effects of the climate crisis intensify, environmental harms will increasingly devastate the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe. EHR champions human rights law to force governments to protect people and prevent corporations from continuing to cause extreme environmental degradation.

We make two demands of governments: 1) that they avoid worst-case scenarios for global warming by urgently addressing the drivers of the climate crisis; 2) that they improve protection for those increasingly in harm’s way from climate impacts that are already inevitable.

EHR concentrates on the issues which will inescapably determine whether our planet remains habitable for most people. These are the battles that humanity cannot afford to lose. Most recently, EHR has documented human rights violations related to the fossil fuels industry (impacts on frontline communities, air pollution, plastics recycling), deforestation (attacks on forest defenders, carbon credits), the exclusion of marginalized communities from adaptation planning for extreme weather events, and the protection of environmental defenders. We stand in solidarity with environmental justice groups and Indigenous peoples globally, working in partnership with them to realize key common goals of ending injustice.

Position Overview:

The Deputy will report to and work alongside the Director to ensure the highest standards of research and advocacy within EHR and further develop and implement the division’s strategy in collaboration with the EHR team. The Deputy Director will also coordinate and liaise with other parts of the organization involved in environment-related work, raise funds in support of the division, and help manage an increasingly growing staff focused on environmental human rights, with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion and staff wellbeing.

This full-time position will be based in one of HRW’s global offices and will report to the Director of the Environment and Human Rights Division, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The successful candidate may have the option to work remotely. We aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment for and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities:

1. Work closely with the Director to provide day-to-day management and leadership of the EHR division, supervise staff, and support collaborative work;

2. Advocate for the work of the division internally and liaise effectively with HRW staff around the world to ensure effective coordination and coherence of the work on environmental and human rights issues across organizational boundaries to maximize impact;

3. Work with the EHR division to implement a multi-year strategy on environmental human rights with a focus on the fossil fuel industry, deforestation and human mobility in the context of climate change;

4. Work with the Director to strategically guide and advance work on environmental human rights, supporting the division with the design of projects and production and editing of publications;

5. Act as a senior representative and liaise with external actors to advocate on the work of the division;

6. Work with the Director and HRW’s Development and Outreach Department in identifying and cultivating new fundraising opportunities for EHR’s work;

7. Develop and strengthen collaborations between the division and local organizations;

8. Travel domestically and internationally, as required for internal meetings, research missions and advocacy opportunities; and

9. Undertake other responsibilities as required.

Managerial Responsibilities

1. Manage and guide staff and work in conjunction with the Director to deliver outputs in a timely manner to support EHR’s strategy and priorities;

2. Lead, motivate, and mentor EHR staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely constructive feedback, ensuring balanced workload, providing guidance on professional growth, and monitoring staff well-being;

3. Promote an inclusive, creative, and positive work environment including by soliciting diverse points of views, encouraging staff to participate in efforts to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion, and proactively addressing bias, discrimination, microaggressions, etc.;

4. Model inclusive behavior and consistently adhere to HRW’s internal values;

5. Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion values and initiatives into the division’s work;

6. Work with staff to develop initiatives aimed at movement-building and expanding our partnership with diverse partners; and

7. Provide appropriate and timely feedback to the staff on their performance and provide guidance, coaching and training, as necessary.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be a thoughtful, collaborative, and strategic leader with deep knowledge and experience working on a diverse range of human rights issues related to the environment. The Deputy Director will be a persuasive advocate in the field of environmental human rights, and have an impressive track record of driving change, a deep commitment to coalition building and equitable partnerships, and a strategic vision for HRW’s contribution to the global environmental movement.

The successful candidate will be an experienced manager with a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate across and within teams, to build consensus with staff around key challenges and new research and advocacy approaches, and to ensure the highest research standards in a culture of learning, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.

The successful candidate will be able to champion environmental work throughout the organization and be able to explain technical concepts in plain language. They will clearly understand the human rights dimensions of environmental issues and be able to communicate them across the organization.

Qualifications:

Education: A graduate degree or an equivalent level of experience in a field related to environment and human rights, including but not limited to environmental science, law, public health, international affairs, journalism, or a related field is required.

Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience with at least four years in a management role is required.

We are eager to hear from candidates who can perform the essential functions of this role even if they do not meet all of our desired qualifications – particularly if they are from backgrounds underrepresented in the environmental field.

Related Skills and Knowledge:

1. Demonstrated experience developing and implementing impact-driven human rights research and advocacy projects is required.

2. Track record of measurable success executing complex projects, managing budgets, implementing operational change, conducting monitoring and evaluation, and ensuring high-quality deliverables is required.

3. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Fluency in a second language is a plus.

4. Strong and consistent editor of a range of written work products, with ability to edit for factual and legal accuracy, to assist with gender analysis in otherwise completed pieces, for effective communication in relation to intended audience, for structural and grammatical edits, and to adhere to word limit guidelines is required.

5. Strong interpersonal skills to work collaboratively and cohesively within HRW, including across teams of talented professionals in multiple global locations from varied disciplines is required.

6. Capacity to plan and prioritize appropriately and to manage multiple, sometimes competing demands efficiently in a challenging, fast-paced environment is required.

7. Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement about joining a skilled and diverse team.

Salary and Benefits: Human Rights Watch offers competitive salaries and comprehensive employer-paid benefits. HRW offers relocation assistance package and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. If based in the United States, the salary range would be USD 125,000 – 135,000. Salary ranges outside of the United States vary based on location.

How to Apply: Please apply immediately or by May 25, 2023, by visiting our online job portal at careers.hrw.org and submitting a cover letter and CV or resume. No calls or email inquiries, please. Only complete applications will be reviewed, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application submission, or if you require a disability-related accommodation, please email [email protected]. Due to the large response, application submissions via email will not be accepted and inquiries regarding the status of applications will go unanswered.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds based anywhere to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.