Korea Researcher & Representative

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international organization tracking human rights impacts of over 10,000 companies worldwide, is seeking a highly-motivated person to be its Japan Researcher & Representative, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. The researcher will join our global team of more than 70 members, which includes 15 regional researchers based in other regions.

Based in Korea

3.5 days per week (24.5 hours)

Applicants must have:

• 3-5+ years’ work in the field of social responsibility, labour rights, development, environment or social justice – preferably on Korea and Asia
• Fluent Korean, and strong English skills (reading, writing, speaking)
• Commitment to advancing social & environmental commitment from the business sector
• The right to work in South Korea

Fees: £28,000-30,500 – based on level of experience

Job Purpose:

To promote greater transparency and accountability for companies’ human rights impacts (both positive and negative) in Korea, and to empower others to act, by:

• Building Transparency: Collecting & publishing information from a wide range of sources on our multilingual website (available in 10 languages) and in our Weekly Update and other publications, to bring attention to concerns related to human rights impacts as well as positive steps by business. Communicating on issues related to business’ responsibility on social and environmental issues in the region through blog posts, media articles, and briefing notes.
• Promoting accountability: Seeking public responses from companies to concerns of misconduct. The Resource Centre has approached companies over 7000 times for responses to allegations, with a global response rate of 63%.
• Empowering advocates: By ensuring that organizations, companies and governments throughout the region are aware of how to use the Resource Centre to obtain the information and guidance they need, and to channel their concerns to an influential audience. This will be achieved through effective representation, online and in-person networking.

Specific activities include:

1. Strengthening our digital platform in Korean: The researcher will take the lead and work with our communications team to develop our brand new Korean website and Korean Monthly newsletters, to bring attention to concerns related to human rights impacts as well as positive steps by Korean companies and companies operating in Korea.
2. Company responses: Invite Korean companies and companies operating in Korea 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 18,000 people
3. Developing contacts and representing the organisation: Build contacts, in Korea, with a broad range of people working on relevant issues in NGOs/civil society/trade unions, donors, companies & business organisations, media, development agencies, investment firms, universities, governments, etc. Introduce the Resource Centre and the website; invite contacts to send information & reports that could be added to the website or Weekly Update. Distribute relevant Resource Centre bulletins and briefings to contacts. Represent the Resource Centre at meetings & conferences. Update contacts database for Korea.
4. Writing of materials: When necessary, produce materials in Korean or English for the Resource Centre’s website and external outreach, such as blog posts, briefing notes or articles.
5. Organisational strategy and funder engagements: Review the Resource Centre’s strategy and programme proposal(s) for Korea, and explore potentials with new and existing funding sources.

Person specification

• Values: Strong, demonstrated commitment to human rights. Shares values and ethos of the Resource Centre.
• Experience: 3-5 years’ work in the field of social responsibility, labour rights, development, environment or social justice – preferably on Korea and Asia.
• Research & analytical skills: Able to search and identify relevant information online; persistent in seeking out difficult-to-find information; creative in identifying new sources of information.
• Representation skills: Able to represent the organization in the region, including at meetings, conferences, and on regional missions.
• Outreach and networking: Able to foster productive, professional relationships with a broad range of contacts, including advocates, company representatives, and government officials.
• Languages: Fluent Korean, and strong English skills (reading, writing, speaking)
• Communications: Strong writing skills, including succinct writing for the website and other external facing products.
• Team work: 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 prioritization skills, enabling efficient and effective work.

Terms and conditions

• Note that this is a part-time consultancy position. Payment will be made on the researcher’s presentation of a monthly invoice showing the number of hours worked. The researcher 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.
• 3.5 days (24.5 hours) per week. The hours worked are flexible, provided that there are effective communications with team members in other regions, and that the hours are spread reasonably throughout a week.
• Reports to: East Asia Senior Researcher & Representative, based in Hong Kong.
• The consultant will have the freedom to organize paid days off from doing consulting work for the Resource Centre, in an amount expected to be 16.8 days during the year (117.6 hours) – i.e. equivalent to 24 days per year for full-time work. The consultant will not be expected to work on public holidays of South Korea.
• Work location: South Korea (home-based)
• Applicants must already have the right to work in South Korea
• The consultancy contract will be a twelve-month contract, which can be extended by mutual agreement.