Description:

Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Researcher with the Women’s Rights Division (“WRD”).

The Researcher will work to improve awareness and accountability for human rights violations against women in the Middle East and North Africa by, among other things, conducting fact-finding missions; writing and publicizing reports, briefing papers, letters, press releases, op-eds, and submissions to international bodies based on the findings; developing and implementing local, regional, and international strategies to change abusive laws, policies, and practices; presenting human rights concerns to government officials, inter-governmental agencies, and the press; and working closely with colleagues in the region to ensure that the work of HRW complements and enhances their own work. The Researcher’s responsibilities will also include monitoring legislative and/or policy developments related to women's rights in the region and liaising with human rights and women's organizations in the countries s/he will cover. S/he will preferably be based in the region.

Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate should be knowledgeable about international human rights, women’s rights and Middle East affairs and will have at least three to five years of directly related post-graduate experience working on women’s human rights in the Middle East and North Africa both at a national and a regional level.
• Experience of living in the region is essential.
• An advanced (graduate) degree in international relations, journalism, law, or social sciences is required.
• S/he must have: strong field research and documentation skills; the ability to produce excellent written material under tight deadlines; polished oral and written communication skills; experience in international human rights law; strong advocacy abilities, including experience with face-to-face advocacy with high-level policymakers.
• The ideal candidate will be fluent in Arabic and English.
• S/he should also be able to work under pressure and juggle multiple tasks, be collegial and team-oriented yet able to work independently, and be able to travel overseas for three or more weeks at a time, several times a year.
• Creativity, initiative, perseverance and flexibility are required while maintaining HRW’s high standards.

Salary and Benefits:

HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and generous employer-paid benefits. HRW will pay reasonable relocation expenses and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply.

To Apply:

PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY (no calls or email inquiries, please) by emailing in a single submission: a letter of interest describing your experience, your resume, names or letters of reference, salary requirements and a brief, unedited writing sample no later than October 31, 2008to hornea@hrw.org. Please use “WRD Researcher” as the subject of your email. Only complete applications will be reviewed. It is preferred that all materials be submitted via email. If emailing is not possible, send materials (please do not split a submission between email and regular post) to:

Human Rights Watch 
Attn: Search Committee (WRD Researcher) 
2-12 Pentonville Road 
London, N1 9HF 
UK 
Fax :+44 (0)20 7713 1800 

Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool. 

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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.

The Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch was established in 1990 to monitor state-sponsored or state-tolerated violence and sex discrimination against women in all regions of the world. Much of its work consists of gathering detailed information on abuses against women and publishing reports that are as reliable, comprehensive, and timely as possible, so as to effect change in repressive practices and improve respect for women’s rights throughout the world. The work of the WRD seeks to expand the scope of human rights work to address abuses against women that traditionally have been overlooked or misunderstood, as well as achieve greater accountability for violations of women’s human rights. 

Website: http://hrw.org/jobs