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Anglophone Southern & Western Africa Researcher Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

3 days (21 hours) per week
Fees (in South African Rand): R190,000 per year for working 21 hours per week - Fees are equivalent of R316,667 per year for full-time work
Applicants must have:
• excellent English language skills;
• the right to work in South Africa (you must have this now); and
• previous work or volunteer experience in a non-profit organization addressing human rights, labour rights, development, environment, or other social issues.

Reports to: Director, Deputy Director and Research Director
For full details & application form, see:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/AnglophoneSouthernWesternAfricaResearcher
Applicants must complete the application form; CVs are not accepted.

Summary of the Anglophone Southern & Western Africa Researcher’s work
• Strengthen coverage of the Anglophone Southern & Western Africa region on our website by researching & inputting information about the human rights & environmental impacts (positive and negative) of companies. The wide range of subjects covered includes workplace discrimination, labour rights, displacement, access to medicines, pollution affecting health, poverty alleviation, etc.
• Help us draw international attention to:
o concerns of local groups & civil society
o alleged abuses by companies
o company responses to allegations
o positive initiatives by companies
• Build contacts in the region with NGOs (local, national & regional), companies & business organizations, media, development agencies, investment firms, academic institutions, governments and others.
• Represent the organization in the region, including at meetings & conferences.
• Invite companies to respond to concerns raised by civil society.
• Prepare and undertake regional research missions.
• Engage in practical projects on specific topics.
• Once a year prepare a regional briefing to be featured on the website.
• Assist with any local/regional interns.
• Assist the Director, Deputy Director, Research Director and other staff in further developing the organization and advancing its work.

Specific tasks & responsibilities include:

1. Online research & input/categorisation: Identify items (on the internet or from contacts in the region) that should be linked to from the Resource Centre website. For each item, enter data onto an input form, identify relevant subject categories, and compose a brief abstract.

2. Developing contacts and representing the organization: Build contacts in the region with a broad range of people working on relevant issues in NGOs, companies & business organizations, media, development agencies, investment firms, universities, governments, etc. Introduce the Resource Centre; invite contacts to send information & reports that could be added to the website or Weekly Update. Distribute relevant Resource Centre newsletters and briefings to regional contacts. Represent the Resource Centre at meetings & conferences. Update contacts database.

3. Company responses: Invite companies to respond to concerns raised by civil society about their conduct, so that the allegations and their responses can be included on our website and in our Weekly
Updates, sent to over 14,000 people worldwide.

4. Spreading the word about the Resource Centre: Help inform individuals & organizations in the region about the Resource Centre and its Weekly Updates. Increase sign-ups for Weekly Updates and traffic to our website.

5. Regional research missions: Prepare and undertake missions to particular areas of the region to:
o gain a clearer picture of what is happening on the ground;
o build contacts with local NGOs, to better understand their concerns and to explain how the Resource Centre can draw global attention to their concerns;
o build contacts with local business representatives, to introduce the Resource Centre and to encourage them to send information about their positive initiatives that promote human rights.

6. Preparing annual briefings: on key business & human rights issues in the region.

7. Assist with thematic projects such as those relating to Resource Centre portals (e.g., Business &
Children Portal; Business & Freedom of Association Portal (launching in June 2012); Corporate Legal Accountability Portal; Business, Conflict & Peace Portal).

8. Fund-raising: Assist with fund-raising and reporting back to donors.

9. Administrative duties: Be self-servicing in terms of administrative tasks, e.g., financial record-keeping, filing, ordering supplies, general correspondence, printing & distribution of materials, taking notes in meetings.

10. Policies, development & planning: Provide input to discussions about the overall development of the organization & website, including strategic planning, policies, work plans, site content/design, budget.

11. Subject matter knowledge: Keep abreast of regional and international developments relating to business & human rights, and organizations working on these issues.

Work breakdown: The researcher’s tasks will mainly focus on our core work of increasing accountability and transparency of business’ human rights impacts. This will be done through daily research and input, and through developing and maintaining a broad range of contacts in the region.

Job Email id: mcmullan(at)business-humanrights.org