Back Liaison, Student Task Force

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
LIAISON
Student Task Force
Los Angeles Office
Application Deadline: May 7, 2021

Human Rights Watch (HRW) advances human rights worldwide by investigating wrongs, exposing facts, offering solutions, and challenging those with power to respect rights. The Student Task Force (STF) is a HRW sponsored youth leadership-training program that brings together high school students from the Los Angeles area and empowers them to advocate for the human rights of children. HRW STF staff and STF teachers partner to mentor students in leadership skills and activism, fostering confidence and maturity among students, enabling them to become effective voices for change and social justice within their communities.

For more information on the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force, please visit www.hrwstf.org.

Position Overview
HRW STF seeks a highly qualified Liaison to create digital human rights education programming and toolkits in support of the Student Task Force’s annual advocacy/activism campaigns. The Liaison will also develop and implement plans to reach a growing constituency of students and teachers, with special attention to under-served students in Los Angeles-area schools with inadequate resources for human rights education.

STF is looking for an innovative, creative thinker with a deep understanding of human rights education and experience with high school age youth. The candidate should have strong project management skills and be detail oriented. This is an opportunity to help expand HRW’s human rights education advocacy efforts and mobilize the next generation of human rights advocates on the most pressing human rights issues of the day.

The Liaison will collaborate daily with STF colleagues as well as external vendors and the expanding network of high school stakeholders.

The position is based in the Los Angeles office. Candidates currently residing outside of Los Angeles should plan to relocate to the area by August 2021.

Due to COVID-19, many of our global offices are currently closed or operating in reduced capacities. The successful candidate may be required to work remotely initially, or if local requirements mandate it. We recognize that this moment, during the pandemic, is a uniquely difficult time for most people, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, and we aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment for and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities:

1. Work with the STF team to develop and implement the strategic vision of the STF program, to expand the program online;
2. Develop and implement plans to reach out to under-served students in Los Angeles-area schools and identify strategies for working with students with limited student/teacher engagement at their home schools, or who are unable to attend STF meetings in person.
3. Research and develop advocacy and human rights education materials (online toolkits) for student activities;
4. Stay current with evolving trends, tools, policies and methodologies in curriculum development and e-communication strategies;
5. Manage communication with students, teachers, volunteers and human rights organizations utilizing online communication tools;
6. Write and promote content on social media, STF website and other communications platforms;
7. Provide administrative support including proofreading, formatting and distributing materials; scheduling and preparing for meetings; and responding to inquiries;
8. Liaise with STF team and LA development colleagues to develop strategies for cultivating and stewarding donor relationships, including conducting development and fundraising research and assisting with composing grant proposals and related materials; and
9. Other tasks may be required.

Candidate Profile:

The successful candidate will be a highly skilled, motivated, and innovative manager and problem-solver, with a proven track-record of curriculum development, human rights activism and student engagement.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required. An advanced (graduate) degree in education or human rights is a plus. Candidates with equivalent training/experience, extensive relevant experience, and a passion for human rights work are also encouraged to apply.

Experience: Minimum three years of experience in the human rights field, human rights education and/or youth engagement is required.

Required Qualifications / Skills:

1. Demonstrated experience drafting course curriculum using a human rights lens.
2. Excellent written and oral communications skills in English are required; Proficiency in Spanish, or at least one other language in addition to English is desirable.
3. Experience working with middle school, high school and/or university students.
4. Mastery of MS Office applications, Google Suite, and databases. Experience with Salesforce is a plus.
5. Experience with web design, web analytics, generating social media content, and the use of multimedia preferred.
6. Quick learner, creative thinker, productive worker with frequent deadlines.
7. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well under pressure while juggling multiple tasks simultaneously are required.
8. Grant writing experience is a plus.
9. Proven research and report generating skills.
10. Ability to make sound decisions consistent with job responsibilities is required.
11. Commitment to HRW’s mission and human rights values.

Salary and Benefits: HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.