Education Advocate At Human Rights Watch

FIXED-TERM, FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Education Advocate
Children’s Rights Division
Location: Geneva
Application Deadline: 21 March, 2023

The Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking applicants for the position of Education Advocate to coordinate advocacy efforts to strengthen the right to education, including through a possible new legally-binding instrument. The position is based in Geneva and focused on advocacy with the UN Human Rights Council and other stakeholders.

This position will be funded by Human Rights Watch for a period of two years (with the possibility of extension) to work with Child Rights Connect, a network made up of 100 national, regional, and international organizations, to support and coordinate a working group on the right to education. The working group will bring together NGO and civil society partners for coordinated advocacy to strengthen the right to free, quality, and inclusive public education, with a particular focus on explicitly guaranteeing children at least one year of free, quality, and inclusive pre-primary education and to free, quality, and inclusive secondary education.

The Advocate will be responsible for building strong and effective NGO partnerships, developing working group strategy, coordinating joint advocacy and public forums on the right to education, cultivating child participation, and engaging directly with UN member states. The Advocate will work closely with the deputy director of Child Rights Connect and report to the Children’s Rights Division deputy director of Human Rights Watch.

The successful candidate may have the option to work remotely but will be expected to work from the Child Right’s Connect office several days per week. We aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities:

1. In collaboration with working group members, develop and implement a strategic work plan to reinforce and strengthen the right to education, including by building support for stronger internationally-binding legal instruments to ensure children free education from pre-primary through secondary school;

2. Build diverse and inclusive membership and participation in the working group, including through individual outreach, meetings, and regular updates;

3. Represent the working group (solely and with other working group members) in advocacy with UN member states, with a focus on Geneva missions and the UN Human Rights Council;

4. Plan and organize strategic events, including Human Rights Council side events, expert consultations and webinars, to build support for stronger international obligations on the right to education;

5. Coordinate other advocacy activities as appropriate, including joint statements and drafting of advocacy materials;

6. Devote 10 percent of staff time to Child Rights Connect’s child participation initiative, including child participation in advancing the right to education;

7. Support efforts by the Committee on the Rights of the Child to support robust implementation of the right to education by states parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including through the coordination of regular submissions from working group members for state parties reviews;

8. Deliver output and conduct activities in a timely manner and consistent with the working group’s agreed strategy and priorities, and;

9. Perform other responsibilities, as may be required.

Additional Responsibilities:

1. Promote inclusive and positive relationships within the working group, including by soliciting diverse points of views, and proactively addressing bias, discrimination and microaggressions;

2. Model inclusive behavior and consistently adhere to HRW’s and Child Rights Connect’s internal values;

3. Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion values and initiatives.

Qualifications:

Education: An advanced degree or equivalent work experience is required.

Experience: A minimum of three (3) years of experience in advocacy to promote children’s rights and/or the right to education.

Related Skills and Knowledge:

1. Effective advocacy skills, including through in-person meetings, presentations in public fora, and through written communications.

2. Demonstrated experience working with and building civil society networks or coalitions.

3. Strong background in children’s rights and the right to education.

4. Demonstrated experience coordinating advocacy events, both in-person and online.

5. Sound knowledge of the Geneva advocacy environment, including the dynamics of the UN Human Rights Council.

6. Familiarity with online conference platforms (Zoom and Microsoft Teams).

7. Strong oral and written communications skills in English and French, including excellent presentation skills are required. Spanish or other language skill is an asset.

8. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively.

9. Demonstrated commitment to human rights and/or international issues and the capacity to master and represent the mission and programs of both Child Rights Connect and Human Rights Watch.

10. A disciplined self-starter who can work independently, but also function as a member of a team.

Salary and Benefits: Human Rights Watch offers competitive salary and comprehensive employer-paid benefits. HRW offers a relocation assistance package and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply.

*How to Apply:***Please apply immediately or by 21 March 2023 by visiting our online job portal at careers.hrw.org and attaching a letter of interest and a 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 disability-related accommodations during the application process, please email recruitment@hrw.org. 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.

Child Rights Connect is an independent, non-profit network made up of 100 national, regional and international organisations. Through its members it reaches out to every country on the planet. Its shared aim is to ensure that all children can fully enjoy their rights, as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).