RESEARCHER ON LGBT RIGHTS RESEARCHER ON LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

LGBT Rights Program
(Johannesburg or Nairobi Office)
Deadline for applications: June 20, 2011

Human Rights Watch ("HRW") is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Researcher on LGBT Rights in Africa.

Description: HRW's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender ("LGBT") Rights program is seeking a Researcher. The Researcher will focus on human rights abuses related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in sub-Saharan Africa under the supervision of the Director of the LGBT Rights program, who will provide guidance on the choice of research and advocacy projects. The Researcher will be responsible for ongoing research and advocacy efforts, play an important role in developing strategies for dealing with human rights issues related to sexuality and sexual rights, and contribute to policy development in this area. The Researcher will carry out fact-finding missions to target countries; write and publicize reports on findings; develop advocacy strategies; present human rights concerns to governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the media; and write press releases, articles, op-eds, and position papers. The Researcher will coordinate research and advocacy plans with HRW's thematic and regional divisions, help create and maintain partnerships with NGOs working on LGBT and sexual rights, and follow media and other reports on human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The Researcher may also be responsible for editing, representing the LGBT Rights program at conferences or other meetings, and related tasks. The Researcher will also assume primary responsibility within the program for responding to emergency situations in sub-Saharan Africa. The Researcher preferably will be based in either Johannesburg or Nairobi, although other locations may be considered, following an orientation period in New York that may extend up to six months.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree in law, public health, international relations, gender studies, or a related field, and three-to-six years of experience in human rights, with a preferred emphasis in LGBT rights, gender, sexual rights, or a closely related area. Candidates must have research experience and advocacy skills and should have good interviewing skills; field experience in public health or human rights is strongly desirable, as is demonstrated experience working with LGBT communities. Experience working with issues of gender identity and expression is highly desirable. Excellent oral and written communications skills in English are required, and writing and speaking proficiency in another language is advantageous. Candidates should be highly motivated and well-organized; able to work quickly and well under pressure, both independently and as a member of a team; juggle multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines; and demonstrate a commitment to international human rights.

The Researcher must be able to identify, research, analyze and effectively communicate important human rights developments in the area of specialty in a timely and sophisticated fashion, setting priorities based on perceptive analysis of critical emerging issues that are important and susceptible to influence. The Researcher must be an agile and productive writer and dynamic speaker with accurate, analytically sophisticated, and persuasive oral and written communications skills. S/he must be able to think strategically about the global and local media environments and how to use the media and electronic media to further advocacy goals, maintaining regular contact with key local, national and international contacts relevant to the researcher's issues. S/he must be able to develop and implement realistic and effective local and international advocacy strategies and tactics in order to identify and seize advocacy opportunities and thus insert HRW's position into public debate. Creativity, initiative, perseverance, and flexibility are required while maintaining HRW's high methodological standards.

The successful candidate must be able to travel domestically and overseas for three or more weeks at a time, several times a year.

Salary and Benefits: HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and 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.

PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY 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 writing sample (unedited by others) no later than June 20, 2011 to lgbtjobs@hrw.org. Please use "LGBT Researcher Ref LGBT-11-1020-A" 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 (LGBT Researcher Ref LGBT-11-1020-A)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
Fax: (212) 736-1300

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.

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.