Middle East & North Africa Regional Researcher & Representative – The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Retour vers les opportunités

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international non-profit human rights organization, is seeking a highly-motivated person to be its Middle East and North Africa Researcher and Representative. The representative will support our broad strategy for the Middle East region and will join our global team, which includes 18 regional researchers around the world.

About the organization

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is an international human rights organisation working to ensure respect for human rights are at the core of companies’ business models; to empower communities, workers, and all people to secure their rights; and to advance accountability for corporate human rights abuse. Our Global Team is based in more than 20 countries around the world who work with a rich network of activists, unions and human rights groups, with our website and publications available in eight languages. We work across all sectors and issues related to business and human rights, with a particular focus on the rights of workers in global supply chains, the rights of communities seeking responsible natural resource use and just transition, and the rights of people to accountable digital technologies.

The Position

The Researcher will work closely with a variety of stakeholders in the Middle East and North Africa to advance human rights in business and work towards eradicating abuse, with a particular emphasis on issues related to labour rights, responsible natural resource use, and technology and human rights. In our MENA work, we seek to bring enhanced transparency to the conduct of business in the region; build and expand effective networks and interactions among groups that are interested in confronting the human rights impacts of business; empower local communities, NGOs, and human rights defenders to engage with companies to improve human rights protections; promote improved labour conditions and living wages in the highest-risk sectors such as construction and apparel, and identify and addressing risks to the most vulnerable groups, including refugees and migrant workers.

The Researcher & Representative will join the Resource Centre’s MENA team, including project managers implementing programmes of work in Jordan/Lebanon and Qatar/UAE focused on refugees and migrant workers in the construction and other high-risk sectors.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Working with the MENA team, participate in the development and implementation strategies and priorities for Resource Centre engagement in the MENA region.
• Represent the Resource Centre in the Middle East and North Africa, meeting not only with civil society actors but also with relevant representatives from business, government, international financial institutions and international organizations.
• Develop strong networks and communicate regularly with local civil society groups, and work with them to develop effective strategies for change in specific cases of abuse, including undertaking missions and visits to hear directly from local NGOs and affected communities.
• Conduct trainings and workshops on business and human rights for community and labour leaders alongside local partners, on topics such as documentation of abuse, international standards, and global supply chains.
• Research and share materials on business and human rights with actors in the region, in English, Frencch, and Arabic – via the Resource Centre’s website, social media channels, and e-newsletters, and in external publications. Serve as the primary developer of content for the Resource Centre’s Arabic website and contribute to the Resource Centre’s French and English weekly updates.
• Invite companies to respond to specific allegations of misconduct raised by civil society.
• Work with the Development Team to develop and draft proposals for new work and report on outcomes of ongoing work.
• Participate in regularly schedule Global Team and MENA team calls and ad hoc calls and meetings as needed.

Key Competencies

Values: Strong, demonstrated commitment to human rights. Shares values and ethos of the Resource Centre.

Human rights experience: 3+ years’ work in the field of human rights, labour rights, equitable development, or advocacy – including in the MENA region

Subject matter expertise: Knowledge and understanding of the business and human rights field in general, including standards and developments, and of the relevant MENA context in particular.

Representation skills: Able to foster productive, professional relationships with a broad range of contacts, including representatives of civil society, business and government.

Existing networks: Established networks and contacts with relevant stakeholders in one or more countries in the MENA region.

Research & analytical skills: Able to search and identify relevant information online and offline; persistent in seeking out difficult-to-find information; creative in identifying new sources of information.

Communications: Strong writing skills in English, French, and Arabic, including succinct writing for the web, and strong public speaking skills.

Strategic insight: Able to identify new opportunities to increase the Resource Centre’s impact and role in the Middle East and North Africa.

Teamwork: Able to operate effectively and constructively as part of a global team, and ensure smooth communication despite geographical distances between team members.

Self-initiative and motivation: Able to use own initiative, and work independently within agreed framework; motivated by achieving results and completing tasks.

Organization and prioritization: Strong organizational and prioritisation skills, enabling efficient and effective work.

Terms and Conditions

• Location: Tunis, Tunisia
• Salary: Competitive NGO consultant salary
• Closing date: 29 Jan 2021
• Hours: The person will be expected to work 3 days (21 hours) per week. The hours worked are flexible, provided that there is effective communication with team members in other regions, and that the hours are spread reasonably throughout a week. The consultant will have the freedom to organize paid days off from doing consulting work for the Resource Centre. The consultant will not be expected to work on national holidays in the country where she/he is based.
• Reports to: Deputy Director, based in Washington, DC
• Workplace: From home, unless the consultant is able to secure an alternative workspace at no cost or at his/her own expense.
• Time: The consultancy contract will be a one-year contract, which can be extended by mutual agreement.
• Additional Details: Note that this is a part-time consultancy position. Payment will be made on the researcher’s presentation of invoices. The consultant will be responsible for paying from the fees his/her own taxes, health insurance, pension, etc., and those costs are taken into account in calculating the fees. The Resource Centre will reimburse necessary work-related expenses such as for travel.