ASSISTANT

Europe and Central Asia Division
(Bishkek Office)
Deadline for applications: May 10, 2013

Human Rights Watch is seeking an Assistant to provide research and advocacy assistance and administrative and clerical support to its Bishkek office.  This position reports to the Office Director based in Bishkek and the Regional Administrative Manager based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Responsibilities:

Essential Responsibilities

1. Provide research and advocacy assistance to the office staff;
2. Assist office staff in preparing reports for discussion with governmental officials, NGO, IGO and other external partners;
3. Assist with managing local logistical issues, such as finding drivers, fixers, translators; and
4. Translate documents to and from English, Russian and Kyrgyz and interpret for office staff during court hearings, meetings and interviews held in Russian and Kyrgyz.

Administrative Responsibilities

1. Provide administrative and clerical assistance to the office staff;
2. Maintain the smooth and effective functioning of the office;
3. Handle general office maintenance and facilities issues;
4. Liaise with the premises landlord;
5. Liaise with suppliers and providers and negotiate commercial and services contracts in a cost effective manner;
6. Schedule, make travel arrangements, and prepare for and take minutes at meetings;
7. Draft meeting request letters to Government officials and others;
8. Schedule meetings and prepare meeting agendas for office staff;
9. Create and maintain extensive filing and archiving systems;
10. Word processing; photocopying; filing; faxing; answering phones; processing incoming mail;
11. Answer general post, email and telephone enquiries;
12. Coordinate office social events and related logistics;
13. Manage the bank accounts and cash flows;
14. Record all monthly financial activity into the organization’s financial system;
15. Run internal financial reports;
16. Prepare external financial reports for the Accountant;
17.  Deal with general HR queries;
18. Assist with the recruitment, on-boarding and departure of local staff, fellows, consultants and interns;
19. Act as the local HR representative and assist with the implementation of HR policies locally;
20. Liaise on financial and HR matters with the relevant departments;
21. Liaise with the IT or local phone service and internet provider to troubleshoot phone and internet problems;
22. Operate in compliance with organizational regulations and rules, including the policies of applicable employee agreements; and
23. Carry out other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:  A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in law, journalism, international relations, social science, nonprofit or project management, or a related field is required. Certifications in finance/accounting and/or administration are highly desirable.

Experience:Minimum three years of experience working in an office environment and/or assisting in field research is required. Financial and/or administrative experience preferably in a multinational organization is highly desirable.   

Related Skills and Knowledge: 

1. Excellent interpersonal and management skills.
2. Ability to function under pressure, prioritize competing demands with minimal supervision and handle numerous tasks simultaneously.
3. Excellent organizational, administrative, financial and analytical skills are required.
4. Proven track record of taking initiative and problem solving.
5. Excellent written and spoken skills in English, Russian are required; fluency in Kyrgyz is highly desirable. 
6. Demonstrated ability to work well both independently as well as part of a team.
7. Good judgment, discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality are essential.
8. Ability to make sound decisions consistent with functions is required.
9. Experience working for an international, preferably human rights organization in a support function is highly desirable.

Other: Applicants for this position must be able to work in Kyrgyzstan for a minimum of two years from start date.

Salary and Benefits:  HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits.

Contact: Please submit a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, a brief writing sample (unedited by others), and contact information for three references in English. Please submit the entire application to ecajobs@hrw.org. Please use “Assistant REF ECA-13-1017-A” as the subject of your email. 

Only complete applications will be reviewed and only qualified candidates will be contacted.

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.