Work percentage: 100%

Length: Open-ended contract, in accordance with legal requirements of place of employment

Location: appropriate location in Africa or ISHR’s office in Geneva, with a strong preference for a location in Africa.

Start date: As soon as possible

Reports to: Senior Programme Manager (Africa)

Applications close: 02.03.2025 (midnight Geneva time)

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is an independent, non-profit organisation with offices in Geneva and New York. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to our work in Africa supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to significant and systemic human rights concerns. For more information, consult our website www.ishr.ch.

Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Manager (Africa), the Africa Legal and Advocacy Officer plays a key role in supporting ISHR’s work to strengthen legislative protection of human rights defenders in Africa, as well as its advocacy at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and its engagement and advocacy on country situations in Africa at the UN Human Rights Council.

As part of the Africa Programme team, the position holder will also be part of ISHR’s larger programme on transparency and rule of law and be required to participate in and contribute to the work of another programme within ISHR - Equality, dignity and non-discrimination; Environmental justice and sustainability; or International accountability.

The position requires regular travel, at times on short notice, on the African continent and to ISHR offices (Geneva /New-York).

Qualifications

Required

University degree in human rights law, public international law or equivalent, with admission to practice as a lawyer in an African jurisdiction an advantage;
Minimum 5 years of experience working in the field of human rights law, policy or advocacy;
Knowledge of international legal and policy matters relating to human rights, particularly the promotion and protection of human rights defenders;
Strong knowledge of regional human rights mechanisms in Africa, especially the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Knowledge of the national legal frameworks in Africa;
Experience in carrying out and/or using legal research, ideally in a human rights context;
Experience working on issues affecting civic space and human rights defenders in Africa, including restrictive legislation;
Experience developing, organising and delivering trainings and consultation workshops;
Attention to detail and ability to easily communicate legal and technical information orally and in writing;
Ability to work cooperatively internally and externally with different stakeholders and people from diverse backgrounds;
Excellent ability to represent ISHR externally, including in a diplomatic context, in governmental and other discussions;
Ability to plan and prioritise work, including when under pressure, and to ensure that deadlines are met;
Project management experience;
Ability to effectively work remotely and independently;
Excellent level of written, spoken and legal proficiency in English and French;
A strong commitment to, and passion for, the principles and practice of human rights;
A commitment to contributing to ISHR’s work on transparency and rule of law, including through solidarity and support to defenders working to promote transparency, to combat corruption, and to safeguard and strengthen laws and institutions that protect defenders and promote democracy, accountability and the rule of law;
A strong interest and relevant experience in another core ISHR programme area - Equality, dignity and non-discrimination; Environmental justice and sustainability; and International accountability.

Desirable

Fluency in a language spoken in Africa other than French or English such as Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili etc.

International Service for Human Rights, Geneva

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Africa Legal and Advocacy Officer