Job Description

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international non-profit human rights organization, is seeking a dynamic Labour Rights Researcher to join a high-performing, committed team working to advance labour rights in global supply chains.  

• Salary: £30,000 - 35,000 plus 5% employer pension contribution
• Full time, 2 year contract
• Location: London, UK (remote working during pandemic, other locations considered)
• Closing date: 2 January 2022

About 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 inten languages including Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. Our work covers the full gamut of human rights in business, with three thematic programmes. Workers’ rights in global supply chains; responsible natural resource use and a just transition; and accountable digital technologies. These are complemented by three cross cutting approaches: corporate legal accountability; racial and gender justice; and civic freedoms and human rights defenders.

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.

About the Position

The successful candidate will cover of a key role in our high performing Labour Team, with emphasis on the apparel sector. They will report to the Senior Labour Rights Lead. The Labour Rights Researcher will support efforts to promote decent work, living wages and fairer purchasing practices, and hold lead companies accountable for the human rights impacts of their business practices in supply chains. All work will be done in active collaboration with trade unions, labour and women’s organisations in the Global South, and will involve engagement with companies, investors, and policy makers.

The successful candidate will undertake research to keep the labour coverage on our website up-to-date, seek responses from companies to human rights allegations, and support strategic research and analysis on labour rights issues and business models to tackle structural causes of injustice and inequality, and enhance workers’ conditions in supply chains.

As Labour Rights Researcher, you will have excellent communication and analysis skills, a strong understanding of and personal commitment to working on labour rights issues, and a track-record of working with networks and building close relationships. You will be able to work autonomously and collaboratively. You will have an astute analysis on the structural causes of human rights abuses linked to companies and supply chains; be propositional in what needs to change; and have the strategic nous to help make that change happen. Experience of working on apparel or tea supply chains is highly desirable as is experience working on corporate accountability strategies.

Responsibilities

The Labour Researcher will have a particular focus on the apparel sector, but work will also encompass labour rights work in other sectors. Responsibilities will include: 

• Conduct research:  research and monitor labour rights developments by collecting and analysing information from a range of sources, including NGOs, unions, local and international media, companies, government and others; identify trends and thematic research priorities, design qualitative and quantitative research tools, gather data and conduct data analysis on the drivers for labour abuse, especially in the apparel industry, and emerging practice from by workers’ organisations and leading companies to address abuse, respect rights, and empower workers.
• Engage constructively with companies and investors: take up allegations of abuse with company HQs to seek responses to allegations of labour abuse, conduct follow-up outreach for remedy and build relationships to enhance human rights due diligence; engage with policy makers to propose business regulation and incentives that promoteworkers’ rights.
• Build transparency and accountability: work with regional researchers and external partners to strategically identify allegations of labour abuse for deeper-dive investigations and coordinated advocacy for greater impact
• Lead and manage digital platforms: Manage labour rights company dashboards and indicators to promote labour rights.
• Outreach: Sustain our active network of contacts on labour rights globally, including trade unions, civil society organisations (local, national & regional), companies & business associations, investors, media, universities and governments.
• Contribute to organisational and labour strategies: ­­ Build strategies for own areas of responsibility and support the Senior Labour Rights Lead to implement our labour strategy across all our programmes and regions.  
• Develop high quality written materials: Write compelling content for our website and outreach, including case summaries, blog posts, briefing notes and papers, and articles to be submitted to relevant media outlets.
• Line manage research and project implementation support:  Line manage Labour Rights Assistant 
• Travel: There may be occasional international travel for information gathering, communications and/or representation.

Essential skills and experience

• Labour Rights commitment and expertise: Strong, demonstrable commitment and expertise in labour rights, economic justice or human rights. At least four years’ experience in project delivery, policy research, campaigning or advocacy in this area. A clear understanding, vision, and strategic insight on human rights in business and the global economy. Global South experience is an advantage.
• Research & analytical skills: Strong experience in researching and writing briefings preferably in the field of labour rights in global supply chains. Able to search and identify relevant information online and offline; adept at undertaking systematic data collection to a high level of detail and accuracy; ability to synthesise research and policy for effective communication to a broad range of audiences.
• Partnership and coalition building: Commitment to, and at least four years’ experience in working with diverse international partners and building coalitions with shared objectives and targeted outcomes. This will range from strategic alliances with workers’ organisations from the Global South, to tactical collaborations with allies in the human rights and labour movement.
• Strategic thinking: A strong understanding of labour rights and economic justice in a global context is essential.  The ability to grasp, analyse, summarise, and present complex information coherently to external audiences is required. Demonstrated experience thinking critically about impact required.
• Values: Strong, demonstrated commitment to labour rights and human rights. Shares the values and ethos of the Resource Centre.
• Team player:  Experience of working in high performing multi-cultural and international teams, playing a leadership role working with colleagues to deliver high impact programs. Experience with remote, inter-disciplinary, and culturally diverse teams.
• Organisation and initiative: Able to work efficiently and methodically to support achievement of deliverables; strong prioritization skills; self-motivated and comfortable working independently within agreed framework while maintaining communication with a global team in different time zones and geographies.
• Communication Skills: Excellent English language skills. Strong speaking skills and experience representing organisations to external audiences. Powerful writing skills and ability to synthesise research and data for effective communication.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is a diverse, global team. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background and we acknowledge that people from certain backgrounds are under-represented in this area of work and seek to directly address that through our hiring practices. We particularly encourage applications from women, BAME applicants, people with disabilities, and people who identify as LGTBQ+.