Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is seeking a dynamic leader to take forward our work on forced labour in global supply chains through our flagship investor benchmark, KnowTheChain, and to drive our investor strategy across our three global programmes. The successful candidate will be an experienced researcher able to lead the research and delivery of high-quality benchmarks, to build investor action, and drive advances with policy-makers to address forced labour. They will also lead and support our Global Team in integrating investor strategies into programmes on labour rights in supply chains; just transition to clean energy; and technology and rights. They will be an experienced human rights advocate, practiced in both creating research and analysis for investor audiences and policymakers and engaging directly with investors, especially on labour rights. They will be an able people manager leading a team of two, with good relations across our Global Team of 80.

DETAILS

Reports to: Programme Director

Salary: GBP 40,000-50,000 depending on experience and location, plus 5% pension

Closing date: 14 November 2021

Interview Dates:

• 23-24 Nov (1st round interviews)
• 25-26 Nov (2nd round interviews)

Location: Flexible, must be prepared to work at least 3 hours a day on US/European time zones. Location in London or Berlin an advantage.

Contract type: Full time, open-ended

Annual leave: 24 days/year

Line Management: 2 researchers plus occasional consultants

Start: Dec 2021/Jan 2022

THE ORGANIZATION

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre works with diverse allies and partners to put human rights at the core of companies’ business models and end abuse; to empower communities and workers to secure their rights and gain accountability for abuse; and to encourage governments to create the right regulation and incentives to uphold human rights in business. We are a global organisation that is rooted in five continental regions. We have a diverse Global Team of 80, based in 20 locations around the world. The Global Team members work with a rich network of human rights advocates in ten languages. Our work covers the full gamut of human rights in business, with three thematic programmes: accountable digital technologies; workers’ rights in global supply chains; and responsible natural resource use and a just transition. These are complemented by three cross cutting approaches: civic freedoms and human rights defenders; corporate legal accountability; and racial and gender justice.

We place strong emphasis on our alliance with grassroots organisations facing often profound inequalities of power in protecting their rights; alongside our ability to influence responsible business, investors, and governments for transformative change. Our three primary approaches to deliver this vision are to: strengthen allies and movements; drive accountability for abuse; and influence decision-makers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead KnowTheChain Benchmarks (80% workload). The successful candidate will provide leadership and project management in delivering our KnowTheChain benchmark and advocacy. This involves leading the team to:

• Deliver high impact benchmarks and analyses that assess company policy and practice in sectors with high risk of forced labour.
• Ensure our benchmarks’ impact on forced labour through rigorous research methodologies and design, and a powerful model of change. Lead in further advances in research in these areas.
• Nurture and support our network of concerned investors, provide frequent investor guidance that is responsive to their needs to address forced labour. Engage with investors and their associations to encourage bolder engagement with companies regarding transformation of business models and purchasing practices to enhance due diligence and remedy on forced labour, alongside workers’ empowerment. Equally, increase the accountability of investors that fail to act to eliminate forced labour, and labour rights risks, from their investments.
• Deploy our findings to inform policy reform processes that lead to bold action by governments to regulate and incentivize business – this includes rules on human rights due diligence, import bans, modern slavery acts, and rules to support and enable robust workers’ rights.
• Support engagement with benchmarked companies to spur the development of new business models including responsible purchasing practices, due diligence processes placing workers at the core, and securing remedy outcomes for workers.
• Work with the global anti-slavery and labour movements to empower their approaches and amplify their voice through the KTC benchmark and findings.
• Represent the organization at international events and in the media regarding modern slavery.

Lead Organisational Investor Strategies (20% workload). The successful candidate will develop and oversee investor strategies to increase investors’ understanding and company engagement on human rights and through more effective regulatory environments for finance, including in ESG. They will encourage and support the further integration of investor strategies into our three global programmes: workers’ rights in global supply chains; responsible natural resource use and a just transition; and accountable digital technologies. They will represent the organization at international investor events and in the media.

People management. Directly manage and support the members of the KTC team to deliver the KTC benchmark and company engagement; and engage diverse members of our Global Team involved in our investor strategies.

Donor relationship and fundraising. The Head of KnowTheChain and Investor Strategy works with the development (fund-raising) team and senior leadership to ensure good working relationships with funders and to ensure compliance with their requirements and conditions for funding KnowTheChain and associated work on modern slavery and investors. The Head also contributes to new fundraising efforts for the Resource Centre’s work on forced labour and modern slavery.

Contribute to cross-cutting rights strategies. Work with fellow leaders and members of our programmatic and regional teams to enhance the respect of labour rights – from forced labour to decent work, living wage and freedom of association. Work with other Heads of Programmes to ensure forced labour is built into our work on just transition to clean energy, and tech, rights and civic freedoms.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Strategic leader: At least 4 years’ experience leading ambitious human rights, or economic justice programmes. Proven experience in developing and implementing high-impact strategies that require engagement with rightsholders, investors, companies, and governments.
• Experienced Researcher: Skill and enthusiasm to handle and analyse big data sets, benchmark methodologies, and powerful indicators on human rights, including data software skills.
• Investor Expertise: At least 5 years’ experience in the investor field. Knowledge of how investors and broader finance can bring change to human rights and workers’ rights.
• Labour rights, and economic justice expertise: At least 4 years’ work in this area. Demonstrable commitment and expertise in labour rights, and/or economic justice.
• Project manager: Proven ability to manage large projects for external impact through strong understanding of the programme cycle, building high quality diverse teams, and external alliances, and excellent relations with funders.
• People manager: At least 3 years’ experience in line management and/or programme management of people, preferably across cultures and geographies. Ability to delegate, and empower teams and their members with accountability. Ability to train and nurture talent. Experience of remote management of global teams an advantage.
• Communications: Proven ability to drive high quality external communications, and good knowledge of communications strategies for external impact, especially for investor audiences. Excellent command of written and spoken English essential. Other languages an asset. Willingness to work across time zones.
• Network and alliance-building: Demonstrable success in helping nurture effective international networks and alliances to advance human rights or economic justice, especially with labour rights organisations.
• Commitment to our values: Demonstrable commitment to the values and model of change of the Resource Centre as expressed in our Strategic Plan 2021-2024. A desire to work to our change strategies in business and human rights, and understanding of global South realities.