Background

A human rights organization is seeking the services of a highly motivated Research Specialist to join a small team of high impact researchers for its Harare office. The ideal candidate for the position must be a researcher who understands the Zimbabwean context and is eager to make an impact on human rights policy and practice in Zimbabwe and beyond, multi-talented, highly collaborative, and an excellent writer and a skilled communicator who must excel at targeted research and advocacy initiatives. The Research Specialist must excel at convening diverse groups of stakeholders to move strategy from vision to implementation and impact. S/he must believe in all human rights for all people, injustice and accountability for all and be willing to go an extra mile to ensure that the organization's goals are achieved.

Overall job purpose

Under the supervision of the Senior Researcher, the Research Specialist will be directly responsible for the implementation of the following project: Human rights monitoring and documentation; Unified database human rights system management; impact research, archival; and lobby and advocacy (human rights protection and promotion) at national and international levels.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Research Specialist include: Designing and implementing high impact research projects; Producing thoroughly researched analytical papers on human rights; Designing appropriate interventions and recommendations for the human rights sector in Zimbabwe; Convening and facilitating regular stakeholder meetings, which include training and dialogue on key human rights issues in Zimbabwe; Compiling and dispatching human rights reports within agreed timeframes; Keeping a tag on and designing appropriate responses to critical human rights developments in the country; Developing funding proposals; Ensure budget parameters and grant agreements compliance; Any other duties can be allocated from time to time.

Profile of the Research Specialist position

To be considered for this role, you must: Be passionate about the promotion and protection of human rights; Have a strong record of handling and delivering effectively in a similar capacity; Have strong interpersonal skills and experience in working with a range of stakeholders from the human rights community, partners and community-based groups; Have good communication and writing skills (English); Be a self-motivated personality with sound judgment; Have the gravitas and credibility to engage with target stakeholders, including state institutions, independent commissions, inter-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, funding partners, communities and victims; Have the ability to work independently and under pressure; Have good computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).

Qualifications

The candidate must have the following experience and qualifications: Possess a degree in law, social sciences or related field from a reputable institution; A postgraduate qualification in social sciences or related field; At least three years of professional experience in human rights research and advocacy and community engagement with at least one year of working experience in donor / NGO projects; Experience in database management and data mining.