Overview
Provide strategic oversight and authoritative advice on human rights matters within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Hub for East and Southern Africa.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic oversight and final clearance for drafting and dissemination of human rights reports, briefings, and communications.
- Provide strategic direction and senior-level oversight for the collection, verification, and analysis of information relevant to human rights situations.
- Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative direction for the preparation of analytical papers.
- Provide authoritative senior-level advice and institutional oversight of technical support to national counterparts.
- Provide senior-level guidance to national and/or regional counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems.
- Provide strategic direction and senior-level oversight of human rights capacity-building programmes.
- Exercise institutional accountability for human rights mainstreaming and integration into various frameworks.
- Provide authoritative senior-level guidance to UN leadership and partners on human rights integration.
- Represent the human rights function at senior management and UN coordination fora.
- Provide strategic direction and institutional accountability for the development of strategies on protection of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence, and child protection.
- Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative guidance on support to treaty bodies, special procedures, UPR, and commissions of inquiry.
- Provide strategic direction and oversight of research, analysis, and policy advice on human rights issues in the context of economic policy and sustainable development.
- Provide strategic direction and authoritative policy advice to prevent and combat racism, xenophobia, and discrimination.
- Oversee and steer the resource mobilization strategy and its implementation.
- Set strategic direction and provide senior-level oversight for advocacy and outreach activities.
- Oversee and steer the implementation of an Office-wide partnerships strategy.
- Direct the implementation of a communication strategy.
- Maintain confidentiality and integrity, handling sensitive information with discretion.
- Manage and coordinate team activities, including hiring, training, and assigning tasks.
- Plan and manage required resources for responsibilities, projects, and activities.
- Provide guidance to team members to promote professional development and a positive team culture.
Required Experience
A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights or related areas is required. Relevant experience may include, but is not limited to political affairs, public affairs, international relations, law, social sciences, economics, development, humanitarian affairs, or other related areas. Strategic thinking skills is required. Planning, organising, and coordination skills in a large multi-stakeholder environment is required. Skills to integrate a human rights-based approach, leave no one behind, gender equality and women's empowerment into all areas of work is required. Knowledge of regional and international human rights mechanisms is required. Knowledge of the application of the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights, including within the context of addressing inequalities is desirable. Working collaboratively is desirable. Ability to build and maintain partnerships is desirable. Critical thinking skills is desirable.
Qualifications
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field is required. A first-level or advanced degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in any fields of studies with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree in the specified fields of studies.
