RESEARCHER ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

Full-Time Position Available:
RESEARCHER
(18 months with possibility of extension)
Children’s Rights Division
(Cairo or Beirut Office preferred)
Deadline for applications: July 4, 2011

Human Rights Watch ("HRW") is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Researcher with the Children's Rights Division ("CRD").

Description: The Researcher will be responsible for developing and implementing a research and advocacy agenda on children's rights in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on such issues as children in armed conflict (child soldiers, attacks on schools and students); unaccompanied migrant children; discrimination against and abuse of girls; the worst forms of child labor; juvenile justice; and violence against street children. S/he will work to publicize and curtail human rights abuses against children through monitoring, investigation, writing, and publicizing reports, briefing papers, press releases, op-eds and submissions to governments and international bodies based on the findings; bringing human rights violations to the attention of government officials, opinion leaders, intergovernmental agencies, and the media; working with local groups and activists and other partner organizations; and developing strategies together with relevant Human Rights Watch offices and divisions to change abusive laws, policies and practices. This is an initial 18-month appointment, with the possibility of extension.

The Researcher will preferably be based in HRW's Cairo or Beirut office and should be prepared to travel extensively, as well as occasionally to HRW's New York headquarters for training or consultations.

Qualifications: The successful applicant will have an advanced degree in law, international relations, regional studies, journalism, or a related field; several years of human rights experience, ideally in the Middle East and North Africa; and a demonstrated commitment to international human rights. The Researcher must be able to identify, research, analyze and effectively communicate important human rights developments in a timely and sophisticated fashion, and be able to develop and implement realistic and effective advocacy strategies. S/he must be an agile and productive writer and persuasive speaker. S/he must have excellent oral and written communication skills in Arabic and English; fluency in other languages is desirable. Regional expertise is required.

Salary and Benefits: Human Rights Watch seeks exceptional candidates and offers competitive compensation and comprehensive 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 (no calls or email inquiries, please) by emailing together a letter of interest, resume, references, salary requirements and a brief writing sample (unedited by others) to crd@hrw.org. Please use "Researcher Ref CRD-11-1025-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 (Researcher Ref CRD-11-1025-A)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118
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.

The Children's Rights Division was created in 1994 to defend the rights of children around the word by investigating, reporting on, and publicizing abuses against children and working to end them. The Children's Rights Division works on a range of human rights issues, including children in armed conflict; the worst forms of child labor; violence against children; juvenile justice; conditions in correctional institutions; the rights of child migrants and refugees; and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, and health status.