Program Officer – Emergency Assistance Program (EAP)

POSITION SUMMARY

Freedom House’s Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) provides rapid response funding and other support to human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) that are under threat or attack because of their work to promote and protect human rights. The Program Officer will support the work of Freedom House EAP by providing emergency assistance to at-risk human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in South Asia region through the maintenance of regional networks, robust vetting of cases, strategic outreach and overall support for programmatic needs for the broader emergency assistance program.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Case Processing.

• Oversee day-to-day management of emergency cases in order to provide small grants to at-risk HRDs and CSOs including the tracking of region-specific emergency assistance requests, case vetting, and coordination of grant dispersal and financial reconciliation
• Build and maintain a robust network of trusted and verified international and local partners in order to monitor key regional developments regarding human rights violations, receive quality cases, and proactively respond to the needs of frontline activists
• Conduct periodic assessment of the political situation, the operational space for civil society and human rights defenders and religious communities, and provide verbal and/or written reports to the Director or program leads on significant developments
• Proactively take leadership on emerging crises in their region of concern, with support from colleagues on EAP regional and program teams; ensure that program leads and the Director are aware of the response and can engage where it is relevant to program teams
• Professionally manage extensive correspondence with potential and actual program beneficiaries, references, trusted partners, and other related contacts using digitally-secure means of communication when relevant
• Provide backup for other regional specialists, as needed
• Meet overall program metrics for effective and rapid provision of emergency assistance; regularly perform self-assessments to strengthen effective emergency response
• Carry out weekly, monthly and quarterly program reporting on a regional level, providing thoughtful and thorough input into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and closeout reports required by donors
• Provide reporting on country or regional level when requested by donors, FH executives, EAP director, Fund managers, or other colleagues, as necessary
• Identify opportunities and produce ideas for implementation of EAP sub-grants, and support fund staff in providing advice for project design and budget
• As relevant and as requested, occasionally contribute to FH publications and write website content, press releases, briefings, policy papers, etc.

Outreach.

• In collaboration with and with support from other regional colleagues and program managers, develop a regionally-specific strategy for grant-making and outreach
• Conduct outreach to HRDs and CSOs globally and regionally to develop and expand EAP’s trusted referral network and to identify needs, opportunities for engagement, and initiatives to be supported by EAP and/or Freedom House
• Develop effective professional relationships with national and international organizations to further EAP’s work and mission
• Facilitate meetings with relevant Freedom House staff and DC based organizations for visiting civil society members and other partners, with support from other EAP staff and EAP program teams, as needed
• Coordinate with and remain aware of the programming of Freedom House’s Regional Programs and NY based research programs and communicate regularly with colleagues based in DC and the field for relevant countries
• As needed, travel to assigned region and to other relevant meetings and conferences (including meetings of regional bodies) to conduct outreach, strengthen networks, and build knowledge of the social, economic, political, and human rights situation in the country(ies) visited; provide written trip report to colleagues and managers after travel in a timely manner.
• As requested, speak about EAP work and/or FH programming, with donors or partners, to visiting delegations, and at conferences or other external meeting

EAP Wide Responsibilities and Administrative Work.

• Ensure the security and integrity of EAP data, manuals, and materials, especially EAP case data
• Support EAP wide initiatives and working groups, as assigned
• Contribute to efforts to strengthen overall EAP effectiveness for case processing
• Ensure that all case-related data is up to date in EAP’s grants management database on regular basis
• Translate and/or review translations of EAP working documents, including, but not limited to, emergency assistance applications forms, rapid response grant applications, fact sheets, and impact reports
• Assist program staff in communicating with EAP grantees, partners, and others, in local language, as requested
• Provide administrative support to include filing, copying, faxing, collating and distributing documents
• Comply with all Freedom House and EAP policies and procedures
• Other related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, journalism, international development, public policy analysis, anthropology or sociology, or a related field

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of work experience in civil society, human rights, and government engagement programs; previous human rights grant-making experience is preferred

Technical Skills and Abilities:

• Must read, write and speak English and at least one regionally-specific language (preferably Hindi)
• Strong knowledge of human rights issues and civil society organizations in assigned region; existing networks with civil society organizations in relevant countries is preferred
• Ability to assess and address the security issues of threatened civil society actors; familiarity with digital security issues and tools (a plus), and safe communication with HRDs in high-risk environments
• Ability to travel to designated region and to the US
• Mastery of MS Office, specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook; knowledge of grants management databases preferred
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and meet all goals and deadlines
• Strong ability to plan, organize, prioritize work and multitask to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to apply superb attention to detail and consistently produce timely and error-free work
• Ability to work flexible hours and be available on weekends as needed
• Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality and exhibit unquestionable integrity, honesty, and forthrightness
• Strong interpersonal, inter-cultural and teamwork skills and the ability to respond promptly to inquiries in a courteous and professional manner to colleagues, stakeholders, donors, and partners.
• Excellent phone etiquette, pleasant demeanor, high work standards, adherence to procedures, and responsibility for assigned tasks
• Ability to successfully work collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, external partners, and funders

Personal Attributes and Characteristics:

• Strong work ethic and desire for personal and professional development. Demonstrable desire for personal excellence. Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; pursues training and development opportunities; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills.
• Deeply committed to nonpartisanship, exhibiting a strong and sustained commitment to the mission of Freedom House.
• Committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all feel that they belong.
• Works as an effective team member, successfully balancing individual and team responsibilities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Salaries are commensurate with experience and based on pay grades that prioritize equity across the organization. Salary range for this role is $64,000 to $70,000 annualized, dependent upon experience.
• Candidates must possess authorization to work in the United States independent from Freedom House sponsorship.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

General Working Conditions:

• General working office environment or telecommuting.
• May require long hours including evenings and weekends to complete tasks.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:
Essential functions are typically performed in an office setting or remote work. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Freedom House is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or protected veteran status, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this description indicates the general nature and expectations of work performed by employees assigned to this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job, and cannot reasonably encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by their supervisor. Freedom House may add, change, or remove essential and other duties at any time.