Human Rights Officer – Special Assistant (2 openings)

About the role

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is seeking two Human Rights Officers to serve as Special Assistants to the Director of the Thematic and Special Procedures Division. This senior‑level position provides strategic support on human‑rights policy, reporting and advocacy.

Key responsibilities

• Provide direct, timely assistance to the Division Director on strategic planning, reporting, advocacy and thematic human‑rights issues.
• Review, monitor and evaluate activities related to the implementation of international human‑rights instruments, including treaty‑body recommendations.
• Support the work of treaty‑established bodies, extra‑conventional mechanisms and special procedures.
• Prepare human‑rights sections of reports for the General Assembly, Human Rights Council and other UN bodies.
• Collaborate with UN and non‑governmental programmes to integrate human‑rights and gender dimensions into their activities.
• Maintain up‑to‑date information on substantive human‑rights matters and propose actionable recommendations.
• Liaise with other UN sectors, international organisations and governments on coordination and policy matters.
• Collect and analyse data to identify trends, informing data‑driven planning and reporting.
• Train and supervise junior staff and perform other related duties as required.

Required profile

• Strong knowledge of a wide range of human‑rights issues, including political, ethnic, racial, gender and socio‑economic dimensions.
• Familiarity with the mandates, policies and procedures of human‑rights organisations and UN mechanisms.
• Ability to evaluate and integrate information from diverse sources and assess its impact on regional or country‑specific human‑rights situations.
• Experience conducting in‑depth studies and formulating solutions to complex human‑rights problems.
• Proven skills in training civil authorities and advocacy groups on early warning and preventive action.

Required skills