Associate Human Rights Officer (TJO)

About the role

The Associate Human Rights Officer (TJO) is based in Geneva within the Rule of Law, Accountability and Civic Space (RACS 1), Special Procedures, Thematic and Special Procedures Division of the OHCHR. The post reports directly to the Chief of Special Procedures RACS 1 and generally to the Chief of Special Procedures. It covers monitoring of international human rights and humanitarian law, evidence-based analysis of rights issues, report writing and support to counterparts and civil society.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor the implementation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and support follow-up on recommendations from treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review, special procedures and investigative mechanisms.
• Collect, document and analyse evidence-based information on civil, cultural, economic, social and political rights, including the right to development, with gender and leave-no-one-behind perspectives.
• Draft, review and contribute to reports, briefings, legal and policy analyses, and prepare analytical papers informing strategy and policy.
• Verify and analyse multi-source information on thematic and country-specific human rights situations, ensuring data quality and gender-responsive analysis.
• Support national and regional counterparts in strengthening human rights systems, complaints mechanisms, victim and witness support and implementation of recommendations.
• Help integrate human rights norms into political, peace and security, humanitarian, development and economic frameworks, and support civil society in integrating human rights into protection, rule of law and accountability work.
• Engage with UN entities, UN Country Teams and development actors to integrate human rights, including gender dimensions, into policies and programmes.
• Support work on protection of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence and child protection, and provide research and follow-up support to treaty bodies, special procedures and commissions of inquiry.
• Produce data visualisations (graphs, charts, tables) and contribute gender-focused sections to reports and communications.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in human rights, law, political science, international relations, social sciences, economics, public policy, sustainable development, humanitarian affairs or a related field; a first-level degree plus two years of qualifying experience, or a first-level degree with no experience for YPP, NCRE or G to P candidates.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in human rights or related areas; no experience needed for candidates who passed a UN competitive recruitment examination.
• Knowledge of international human rights law, norms and standards, and ability to conduct legal analysis.
• Knowledge of regional and international human rights mechanisms; knowledge of international humanitarian law is desirable.
• Knowledge of global and regional gender equality frameworks is desirable.

Required skills

• Drafting human rights reports, policy and other documents.
• Human rights monitoring, documentation, analysis, research and reporting methodologies, including field missions (desirable).
• Collecting, processing and analysing large volumes of unstructured and structured data (desirable).
• Teamwork, planning and organisation.