RESEARCHER ON SYRIA AND LEBANON

Full-Time Position Available:
RESEARCHER ON SYRIA and LEBANON
Middle East / North Africa Division
(Beirut Office)
Deadline for applications: July 1, 2011

Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking highly qualified applicants for the position of Syria & Lebanon Researcher with the Middle East & North Africa Division.

Description: The Researcher will be responsible for developing and implementing a research and advocacy strategy on Syria and Lebanon. The Researcher will monitor, investigate, and document human rights violations in Syria and Lebanon and will write concise, accurate, and compelling briefing memos, reports, and press releases. The Researcher will press for change by conducting advocacy both nationally and internationally to bring human rights violations to the attention of the Syrian and Lebanese governments and the international community. S/he will also engage with regional governments, the Arab League, donor governments, the European Union, and intergovernmental organizations to promote human rights reforms. The Researcher will work with Syrian and Lebanese human rights groups in gathering, analyzing, and presenting information and in supporting their advocacy and outreach capacity. S/he will respond promptly to internal and external inquiries on the human rights situation in both countries.

Qualifications: A background in field-based human rights work in the region is highly desirable. The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience working on human rights issues, ideally in the Middle East and/or North Africa. S/he must have strong research and documentation skills and be capable of producing excellent written material under tight deadlines. S/he will be able to demonstrate strong political judgment based on regional knowledge and experience working in a politically sensitive environment. An advanced (graduate) degree in international relations, journalism, law, history or the social sciences is highly preferred.

The successful candidate must be able to identify, research, analyze, and effectively communicate important human rights developments in a timely, sophisticated fashion. S/he must be adept at setting priorities based on a perceptive analysis of critical emerging human rights issues in Syria and Lebanon that Human Rights Watch can best address. The candidate must be equally at home interviewing bereaved victims in a sensitive manner, making compelling advocacy arguments to visiting delegations and debating government officials in front of television cameras. The candidate must be an agile and productive writer in English and compelling speaker with impeccable oral and written communication skills in English and Arabic. S/he must be able to develop and implement realistic and effective local and international advocacy strategies and establish and maintain close relationships with government officials, policymakers, media contacts, civil society organizations and other key interlocutors. The individual in this position must be flexible and able to respond quickly to crises and conflicts as they occur, working in close coordination with HRW’s staff in Beirut and internationally, often under tight deadlines. The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated, extremely well-organized, collegial, and able to work quickly and well under pressure, both independently and as a member of a team. S/he must have a demonstrated commitment to human rights.

The Researcher will be based in Beirut after a period of training of three to six months in HRW’s New York or Washington, DC offices.

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, salary requirements, names and contact details for references, copy of your transcript(s) and/or degree certificate(s), and a brief writing sample (unedited by others) no later than July 1, 2011 to menajobs@hrw.org. Please use “Syria/Lebanon Researcher Application Ref: MENA-11-1023-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 (Syria/Lebanon Researcher Ref: MENA-11-1023-A)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34 Floor
New York, NY 10118

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.