Programme Coordinator – “Global Initiative Against Impunity for International Crimes and Serious Human Rights Violations: Making Justice Work”

About FIDH

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) composed of 188 national human rights organisations from 116 countries. FIDH is a non partisan, non sectarian, apolitical and not for profit organisation. Since 1922, FIDH has been defending all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural – as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. FIDH’s International Secretariat is composed of around 70 employees, with a multi-disciplinary background, based either in FIDH’s headquarters in Paris, France, or in one of its offices or representations across 5 continents.

As a federal movement, FIDH operates on the basis of interaction with its member organisations. It ensures that FIDH merges in-country experience and knowledge with expertise in international law, mechanisms of protection and intergovernmental bodies. This unique combination translates into joint actions between FIDH and its member organisations at national, regional and international levels to remedy human rights violations and consolidate processes of democratisation.

One of FIDH strategic priorities is to fight against the impunity of perpetrators of serious human rights violations, in particular crimes of international law, and restore victims’ rights and support their access to truth, justice and reparations. In close collaboration with its member and partner organisations, FIDH documents and reports these serious human rights violations, advocates for change before relevant decision makers, litigates in support of victims and survivors of these crimes, at national, regional and international levels, facilitates the exchange of experiences and strengthening of expertise and capacity of its members and partners, and pushes for strong, effective and meaningful accountability mechanisms.

FIDH’s 2022 annual report is available here.

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About the programme

FIDH is leading a new 4-year consortium programme, funded by the European Union, establishing an Observatory to fight impunity for serious human rights violations, called the “Global Initiative Against Impunity For International Crimes and Serious Human Rights Violations: Making Justice Work”. The programme is designed to be an integrated and inclusive action that will contribute to comprehensive justice and accountability for serious human rights violations, with global geographical scope, and 23 priority countries where consortium members will join forces to maximise effectiveness and impact by leveraging their individual strengths. The action will be implemented by a consortium of eight civil society organisations with vast networks of local members and partners in the Global South: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH, lead), Civil Rights Defenders (CRD), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Impunity Watch (IW), Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), Redress, TRIAL International and the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ). The Secretariat of the CICC (hosted by WIGJ since 2021) will also play a significant role in the action.

The Secretariat of the Observatory is hosted by FIDH International Secretariat and consists of a small coordination team, enshrined within the International Justice Desk and the Administration and Finance department, dedicated to the consolidated management of the programme, and composed of three staff members: a Programme Coordinator; a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer; and a Finance Officer. The functions of the team are: Management and technical coordination among consortium members in such a way that all consortium members feel engaged and informed; Monitoring, reporting, learning & evaluation; Financial oversight and ensuring compliance with legal and contractual obligations (including quality control mechanisms via the audits); Guidance on working principles, standards and processes in relation to due diligence and processes, including anti-corruption and transparency policy; Communication and visibility.

Tasks & General Responsibilities

The Programme Coordinator will work under the supervision and management of the Head of FIDH’s International Justice Desk (IJD), and the responsibility of FIDH’s Deputy Director of Operations and Programmes. They will be in charge of the management of the overall grant and technical coordination and support of consortium members and partners, including for purposes of communication, visibility, and preparation of governance meetings. They will ensure regular and close liaison with the Observatory’s governance bodies, as well as the contracting authority. They will supervise the work of the programme’s MEAL officer and work closely with the Finance Officer dedicated to the programme. The successful candidate will combine both a passion for fighting for justice and human rights, as well as an ability to coordinate and ensure complex projects are effectively implemented.

Technical coordination related to the management of the grant among consortium members under the action
• Coordinate, in close link with the Observatory’s Steering Committee and the lead, all activities and decisions required during the 6-month inception phase;
• Provide secretariat support to the Steering Committee for its regular meetings;
• Make recommendations, with the Steering Committee’s approval, to consortium members for changes to the programme and consortium procedures, systems and processes;
• Prepare, facilitate as well as follow-up governance bodies meetings (Steering Committee, Advisory Committee, Scientific committee) and enable an effective cooperation culture across partners;
• Identify strategic opportunities for sharing the workload among consortium members; facilitate strategic coordination and reflection among members.

Programme and financial management of the grant at consortium level
• Draft and follow-up from conception to signature the consortium agreement and related MoUs with the partners of this programme;
• Supervise the technical, administrative and financial monitoring and reporting, in coordination with the MEAL officer and the Finance Officer, and ensure that the programme is fully designed and implemented according to the approved programme proposal and in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission (EC);
• Oversee effective coordination and implementation of the programme and ensure compliance of all consortium members with EC rules and regulations;
• Financial oversight and implementation of the consortium budgets in close coordination with the Finance Officer to ensure appropriate control and compliance of the overall financial reporting, expenses verification and audits;
• Ensure the overall coordination of the programme, regularly updating plans for each sector of activity, based on the input from relevant consortium members;
• Prepare and consolidate plans, guidelines and strategies in close coordination with the Head of the IJD and other concerned colleagues from the FIDH International Secretariat, so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the programme, and ensure they are communicated to all consortium members;
• Make proposals to the Observatory’s Steering Committee to maximise the value, impact, organisation, scope of the consortium and of the programme;
• Support the Steering Committee and the lead in possible amendments of the existing programme, and new application processes for the continuation of the programme;
• Responsible of ensuring efficient implementation of the activities of direct responsibility of the lead (FIDH) in accordance with the contracts and the budgets.

Liaison with institutional partners
• Represent and communicate about the programmes activities to the EU Commission in particular through coordination meetings with the DG International Partnerships (INTPA), reporting back on the outcomes;
• Develop and maintain relationships with key actors (INTPA, relevant EU entities and institutions, Member States as appropriate, other NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders);
• Identify and participate in relevant events to ensure the visibility of the programme;
• Organise an annual series of meetings with partners and beneficiaries together with other relevant actors in the fight against impunity.

Visibility and Communication
• Lead and coordinate the design of the Observatory’s visual identity and communication tools (e.g. leaflets,banners);
• In coordination with communication departments of consortium members, design the communication strategy of the Observatory and annual communication plans for the Observatory, and ensure their implementation and potentially needed adjustments;
• Oversee the production of communication material (including for social media) and publications of the Observatory, as well as awareness and strategic communication campaigns, and ensure their appropriate dissemination;
• Ensure the smooth coordination among consortium members on the design and management of the Observatory’s online platform, under the leadership of the CICC Secretariat.

Human resources management
• Manage the MEAL Officer, supervise and support them to ensure that the team fulfils its responsibilities;
• Conduct recruitment and appraisal processes as necessary;
• Develop and/or update internal policies and guidelines to ensure smooth day-to-day operations, compliance with laws and regulations, and streamline decision-making and other internal processes at the Secretariat of the Observatory level.

Experience and key skills required

• At least 4 years of professional experience in a similar position.
• Postgraduate diploma or advanced training in Law (with specialisation in international human rights, criminal or humanitarian law), International Relations, or political sciences.
• Very good knowledge of the challenges linked to the fight against impunity for serious human rights violations and international crimes, and of formal and informal transitional justice processes.
• Genuine interest in and knowledge of human rights and justice for victims of serious human rights violations, and trauma-informed, victim-centred and gender-responsive approaches.
• Considerable experience of successfully coordinating and managing the implementation of complex projects relating to human rights and justice, (multi-annual, multi-countries and multi-partners), including in monitoring and evaluating multi-annual programmes and working on strategic plans.
• Experience working on programmes and projects involving direct collaboration and implementation with partner organisations from different contexts around the world.
• Experience in working on projects funded by major international donors, with preference for previous experience with EU.
• Demonstrable ability to interact with NGOs, government officials and intergovernmental organisations from around the world with tact, diplomacy and cultural sensitivity.
• Very good drafting skills, and proven experience in writing and editing of written materials for a variety of audiences, including for external communication purposes.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and French (level C1/C2). Good knowledge of Spanish, Russian or Arabic would be an asset.
• Strong interpersonal skills and aptitude for cross-cultural communication.
• Ability to work efficiently under time pressure, skilled at prioritizing and completing multiple tasks with autonomy and team spirit.

Values: You agree with the FIDH International Secretariat working values (professionalism, respect, commitment, equality, integrity, participation, boldness), as well as FIDH’s global efforts defending human rights, as outlined in FIDH statutes and publications accessible on its website: www.fidh.org

FIDH is committed to diversity and equality in its hiring practices. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, health status, or any other protected category under French, Belgian, Dutch and international human rights law.

If you have a disability, please mention in your cover letter any accommodations that would facilitate your full participation in the recruitment process.

Starting date, compensation and benefits:

• Envisaged starting date: November 2023
• Location: you will work from FIDH’s office in Paris (France), The Hague (the Netherlands), or Brussels (Belgium). FIDH recognizes that flexible working arrangements are important for work-life balance, and offers the possibility of at-home work, which modalities are to be agreed upon with your supervisor. Please note that a laptop and basic accessories are provided to all employees at the time of hire.
• Contract: Permanent Contract, governed by French, Dutch or Belgian law. Full time position (39 hours worked per week).
• Gross salary: annual gross salary from 43000 EUR if based in Paris, from 47000 EUR if based in Brussels or The Hague, depending on experience.
• Supplementary health insurance
• Paid leave benefits:
◦ 25 days of paid vacation per full year worked.
◦ 24 compensation days per full year worked (given the basis of 39 hours worked per week).
• Work / Life Balance: FIDH is committed to fostering a healthy work environment that supports flexible scheduling, with occasional adjustments to employees’ hours if agreed upon in advance with supervisors.
• While most of the work will be undertaken from Paris, The Hague or Brussels, you will have to be ready to travel internationally.