Front Line’s current Deputy Director Andrea Rocca is sadly leaving and Front Line Defenders is now seeking candidates for the position of Deputy Director, reporting to and working together with the Executive Director, Andrew Anderson. The post is based in the organization’s headquarters in Dublin. The division of responsibilities between the Executive Director and the Deputy Director may be revised based on needs and relevant expertise.
The Deputy Director has particular responsibility for the following areas of work:
➢ Research & Policy regarding security& protection of human rights defenders;
➢ Office security, mission security, security and well-being of staff;
➢ Advocacy/lobbying;
➢ Capacity Building;
➢ Digital security;
➢ Strategy & Planning;
➢ The Dublin Platform;
The role includes regular international travel and representation of the organization.
Applications
Applications should be sent by email to recruit@frontlinedefenders.org with the job title “Deputy Director” in the subject heading. Applications should contain a CV and cover letter with two references in one pdf format document that should not be more than five pages. Please do not include additional attachments. The deadline for applications is 25th May 2020. We expect to organize a first round of interviews online in early June.
Required Competencies
- She/he should have at least five years of working at a senior level for the protection of human rights defenders /or equivalent experience in a human rights based activity/organisation in a leadership role and have experience of management, budgeting, planning and evaluation. The Deputy Director will have strong communication and analytical skills. She/he will have a very good understanding of the political environment for human rights defenders and an understanding of international human rights law and the relevant parts of the UN system. She/ he will have a high level of interpersonal skills and will lead by example to motivate staff and ensure the values and culture of the organisation are maintained.
- Experience of working in an international context for the protection of human rights/human rights defenders, ideally experience of working in an international or regional human rights/human rights defenders NGO.
- Experience of working with gender-focused initiatives, including but not limited to gender policies and gender-sensitive programming. Proven understanding of how gender intersects with race, disability, class and sexuality in human rights defenders’ lived experiences and their protection needs.
- Excellent political judgement, including the ability to make strategic choices based on sound analysis of potential costs and benefits.
- Management experience in a relevant field that includes financial management, people management, staff well-being, strategic planning and evaluation.
- Experience of building and working successfully with teams of people with different professional or cultural backgrounds.
- A third level qualification, ideally in the area of human rights, law, politics, international relations or other relevant discipline.
- Personal leadership, initiative and proactivity. Capable of identifying and resolving potential problems before they arise. Sound decision making, extremely well organised and structured in approach.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English is essential and working knowledge of one of Front Line Defenders other working languages (Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish) is desirable.
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Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 