East Africa Researcher & Representative Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

2.5 days (17.5 hours) per week - based in Nairobi

Fees: KSh 155,000-165,000 per month for working 17.5 hours per week (depending on experience and education) - Fees are equivalent of KSh 310,000-330,000 per month for full-time work.

closing date: 21 November 2011

Applicants must have:
• excellent English language skills;
• the right to work in Kenya (you must have this now); and
• previous work or volunteer experience in a non-profit organization addressing human rights, labour rights, development, environment, or other social issues.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, the international NGO tracking the social & environmental impacts (positive & negative) of 5100 companies, is seeking a highly-motivated person to be its East Africa Researcher & Representative. The Centre’s website (www.business-humanrights.org) is the leading informa-tion hub on this subject. The United Nations & ILO link their websites to ours. 23 academic institutions, including HURIPEC (Human Rights & Peace Centre, Univ. of Uganda), comprise our Academic Partners.

You will be responsible to the Centre’s Director and Research Director, working with them and other staff members to further develop the organization and its website.

We also have an Anglophone Africa Researcher based in South Africa; a Francophone Africa Researcher in Senegal; an East Asia Researcher in Hong Kong; an Eastern Europe/Central Asia Researcher in Ukraine; a Latin America Researcher in Colombia; and a South Asia Researcher in India. We are seeking funding to recruit other regional researchers based in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

The main focus of your coverage will be East Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. Your responsibilities will include:
• Online research and input of information onto the Resource Centre website;
• Representing the Resource Centre regionally, at meetings & conferences;
• Building contacts with, and seeking information from, a broad range of people working in East African NGOs, companies, media, investment firms, universities, governments, etc;
• Conducting regional research missions;
• Making a special effort to draw attention to under-reported issues & cases in the region;
• Inviting companies to respond to civil society concerns about their conduct; allegations and company responses are posted on our website and in our Weekly Updates (sent to 12,000 opinion leaders worldwide).

You must have an ability to represent the organization in East Africa and build a broad range of contacts. You will need strong research and analytical skills to identify relevant materials for the website, categorise the information, and compose brief summaries. You will need to be willing to do a significant amount of online input to help keep the website updated. Rigorous attention to detail, sound political judgment, and the ability to present information objectively and impartially are also required.

You must have good word processing skills, and the ability to function under pressure and manage a heavy workload. Good organizational, communication & interpersonal skills, and a strong commitment to human rights, are essential. You must be willing to work on your own initiative, prioritise with minimal supervision, and work independently as well as function as part of a team. You must be self-servicing in terms of administrative tasks.

As we do not have office premises in Nairobi, you will need to be willing and able to work from home and/or from a host institution (e.g. if a university or NGO is willing to provide office space).

Further details about this post (including job description & application form) can be found via the “Announcements” box on our homepage: www.business-humanrights.org. The application form is required; we do not accept résumés or curriculum vitae.