Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Regional Researcher & Representative

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is seeking a highly-motivated person to be its Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Researcher & Representative. The representative will support our broad strategy for the Middle East region and will join our global team, which includes various researchers around the world.

• Location: MENA region (must already have work authorization). Open for the person to be based elsewhere, but must have strong regional knowledge and networks
• Salary: GBP 18,000-19,800 per year (adjusted based on location and commensurate with experience)
• Contract type: 3 days per week, contractor status
• Closing date: 23 October 2022 at 23:59:59

About the organization

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre works to put human rights at the core of companies’ business models; to empower communities and workers to secure their rights and gain accountability for abuse; and to encourage governments to create the right regulation and incentives to facilitate these outcomes. We are a global organization that is rooted in 20 countries and committed to cooperation with diverse actors in our movement. We have nearly 80 members of our Global Team based around the world, who work with a rich network of human rights advocates. Our website and publications are available in ten languages. Our work covers the full gamut of human rights in business, with three priority issues: labour rights; responsible use of natural resources; and technology and human rights.

Our three primary global approaches to deliver this vision are:

• Empower human rights advocates in civil society, business, and governments to stimulate bold leadership for human rights in business;
• Strengthen corporate accountability, due diligence, and effective remedy for abuse;
• Build transparency of the advances, challenges, and abuse of human rights in business.

We generate and share information that is relevant, reliable and up to date, and we work with advocates around the world to use this information to drive positive change that puts human rights at the heart of the business.

The Position

The Researcher will work closely with a variety of stakeholders in the MENA region 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.

Key competencies and attributes

• Values: Strong, demonstrated commitment to promoting human rights in business. Shared values and ethos of the Resource Centre.
• Human rights experience: 3-5 years’ work experience in the field of social responsibility, labour rights, development, environment, or related work in human rights or social justice.
• 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.
• Strategic insight: Able to identify new opportunities to increase the Resource Centre’s impact and role in the MENA region.
• 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.
• Existing networks: Established networks and contacts with relevant stakeholders in one or more countries in the MENA region.
• Outreach and networking: Able to foster productive, professional relationships with a broad range of contacts, including advocates, company representatives, and government officials.
• Representation skills: Able to represent the organization effectively in the region, including at meetings, conferences, and on regional missions.
• Initiative and motivation: Ableto take initiative and drive work forward independently within agreed frameworks, motivated by achieving results and completing tasks.
• Team work: Able to operate effectively and constructively as part of a multicultural and diverse global team, and ensure effective communication despite geographical distances between team members. Experience with remote teams desirable.
• Communications: Strong writing skills in English, French, and Arabic, including succinct writing for the web, and strong public speaking skills.
• Languages: Fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and strong English skills (reading, writing, speaking).
• Organization and prioritization: Strong organizational and prioritization skills, enabling efficient and effective work.

Responsibilities:

• Online research & input/categorisation: Research and share materials on business and human rights – e.g., news reports, NGO/civil society/trade union statements and reports, company statements and reports, and other materials – with actors in the region, in English, French, 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.
• Strategy Development: Work with the MENA team to develop and implement strategies and priorities for Resource Centre’s engagement in the MENA region.
• Developing contacts and representing the organization: Build contacts, in the MENA region, with a broad range of people working on relevant issues in NGOs/civil society/trade unions, companies & business organizations, 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 the countries covered.
• 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 20,000 people worldwide.
• Represent the Resource Centre at key events and with the media: Participate in key events; assist in the design and organization of events that drive constructive debate on business and human rights in the MENA region; act as spokesperson to the media on region-wide issues.
• Spreading the word about the Resource Centre: Help inform individuals & organizations in the countries covered about the Resource Centre and its Weekly Updates. Increase sign-ups for Weekly Updates and traffic to our website.
• Research missions: Prepare and undertake missions to particular localities in order to:
  • gain a clearer picture of the business & human rights situation on the ground;
  • build contacts with local NGOs, to better understand their concerns and to explain how the Resource Centre can draw global attention to their concerns; and
  • 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.
• Fund-raising: Work with the Development Team to develop and draft proposals for new work and report on outcomes of ongoing work.
• Other responsibilities: Participate in regularly schedule Global Team and MENA team calls and ad-hoc calls and meetings as needed.

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.

Hours: 3 days (21 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.

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 14.4 days during the year (100.8 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 the country where based.

Reports to: Director for Regional programmes, based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Workplace: From home, unless the consultant is able to secure an alternative workspace at no cost or at his/her own expense. Applicants must already have the right to work in one of the country in the MENA region.

Period: The consultancy contract will be a twelve-month contract, which can be extended by mutual agreement.