Deputy Director, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

About this role

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Deputy Director, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Environment, and Economic and Social Rights Division
Multiple Locations Considered
Application Deadline: October 6, 2026

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a Deputy Director to lead its work on Economic, Social and Cultural (ESC) Rights with a focus on Health, Social Security, and Labor within a newly created Environment, and Economic and Social Rights Division. Candidates with deep expertise on public health, health and human rights, and health harms experienced by communities affected by fossil fuel pollution, are encouraged to apply. The Deputy will work as part of the division’s management team and manage the ESC team responsible for this work, help develop and implement its strategy, coordinate with colleagues across HRW, uphold high standards of research and advocacy, and support fundraising for the division.

The successful candidate will be an effective leader, experienced in managing rigorous and complex research and maintaining organizational standards, and a compelling communicator with experience on key issues related to the position. They will have demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic human rights interventions and understand how to bring innovate approaches to research, advocacy and communications to effect change.

Position Overview

The Deputy will be working with the Director and a new management team to supervise staff with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, managing stress and resilience of staff, and encouraging a healthy work/life balance while supervising and helping to develop areas of programmatic work consistent with HRW’s strategy and the mandate of the new division. This full-time position will be based in one of HRW’s global offices, will work from the office on an as-needed basis, and will report to the Director, based in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:

1. Design and implement with the Director, divisional management team, and staff, a multi-year strategy for the ESC team to advance research and advocacy consistent with the organization’s Global Strategy and the mandate of the division;

2. Help integrate members of the new division and provide day-to-day management and strategic leadership of the ESC team to develop, implement, and oversee strategies to advance this key area of work; help the team keep abreast of current research and discourse on these issues;

3. Manage research ensuring sound project selection, rigorous investigative research methodologies, and compliance with organizational standards and mandate;

4. Coordinate with other parts of the organization to strategically guide and advance work on these areas of work through support for research, helping to develop innovative communications and advocacy products, and developing new policies to support this work;

5. Act as a senior representative and advocate for the work of the division internally;

6. Act as a senior spokesperson and liaise with external actors to advocate on the work of the division;

7. Represent HRW and the work of the division externally;

8. Foster meaningful and equitable partnerships when working with local organizations and other movement partners;

9. Work with HRW’s development staff as needed to support HRW’s fundraising efforts;

10. Work with colleagues in advocacy and communications to develop multidisciplinary strategies to support the work to achieve impact;

11. Identify and manage legal and security risks, together with the Director, security, program and other colleagues as appropriate in line with organizational policies;

12. Travel domestically and internationally, as required for internal meetings, research missions, and advocacy opportunities; and

13. Undertake other responsibilities as required.

Management Responsibilities:
1. Manage and guide staff in conjunction with the Director to deliver timely, high-quality work that supports EESR’s strategy and priorities;

2. Lead, motivate and mentor staff by setting clear expectations, providing regular and constructive feedback, supporting balanced workloads and professional growth, and monitoring staff well-being;

3. Promote and inclusive, creative and positive work environment by soliciting diverse perspectives, modeling inclusive behavior and adhering to HRW’s values;

4. Provide appropriate and timely feedback on staff performance and guidance, coaching and training, as necessary;

5. Contribute to putting in place systems, processes, and policies to ensure the efficient functioning of the team and its ability to manage projects and budgets and deliver timely outputs;

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be a thoughtful, collaborative, and strategic leader with deep knowledge and experience working on human rights issues related to health, labor, social security and the environment. They will have experience of conducting on-the-ground investigative human rights research, as well as managing researchers. They will be a persuasive advocate with a strong track record of driving change, building equitable partnerships, and shaping HRW’s contribution to the global human rights movement.

They will be an experienced manager who communicates effectively across teams, builds consensus around key challenges and new research and advocacy approaches, comfortable managing experienced staff, and upholds the highest research standards in a culture of learning, trust, teamwork, and collaboration. They will be someone who operates from a place of principle and inclusive leadership.

They will champion health, labor and social security work throughout the organization, clearly explain technical concepts in plain language, and communicate the human rights dimensions of this work to internal and external audiences.

Qualifications

Education: A graduate degree or an equivalent level of experience in a field related to economic, social and cultural rights or environment and human rights…