SENIOR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER

These positions are located in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and in regional and country presences, as well as peacekeeping operations of the United Nations Secretariat. The incumbents will report to a Director, Chief or designee and may be assigned to a Head of Country Presence position. The job family of Human Rights entails five distinct specialties: (1) General Human Rights, (2) Human Rights Adviser, (3) Gender Adviser, (4) Legal Adviser, and (5) Human Rights, Protection of Civilians Specialist. Candidates successfully added to the roster will be able to apply to any of the specialties represented on the roster throughout the period of their roster membership, in accordance with the United Nations Secretariat’s applicable staff selection and roster administration procedures.

Within delegated authority, the Senior Human Rights Officer will be responsible for the following duties: - Provide strategic oversight for the monitoring of the implementation of human rights and international humanitarian law and ensure follow-up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and special procedures, as well as investigative findings, to ensure compliance with human rights and advance accountability. - Provide strategic direction and exercise institutional accountability for the collection, documentation and management of evidence-based information on civil, cultural, economic, social and/or political rights, including the right to development, enabling thorough analysis, early warning and response, and informed decision-making, ensuring data is discoverable, interoperable and shared appropriately from gender and leave-no-one-behind perspectives. - Set the strategic framework for and provide senior-level oversight of human rights monitoring and field verification missions, including assessments and early warning exercises, ensuring adherence to UN methodology, gender indicators and victim/witness protection standards, and the quality of comprehensive reports on findings and recommendations. - Provide strategic oversight and final clearance for the drafting and dissemination of human rights reports, briefings and other communications, with legal analysis as appropriate, and ensure the preparation of analytical papers to inform strategies, policies, programmes, crisis management, guidance and strategic decision-making processes, with attention to gender integration and leave-no-one-behind perspectives. - Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative direction for the preparation of analytical papers, including on lessons learned, ensuring integration into human rights strategies, crisis management, prevention and response policies, programmes and other strategic decision-making processes. - Provide senior-level guidance to national and/or regional counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems, institutions and frameworks, including complaints mechanisms, victim and witness support services, and engagement with human rights mechanisms, including reporting and implementation of recommendations. - Provide strategic direction and exercise senior-level oversight of human rights capacity-building programmes for State institutions, security forces, NHRIs, civil society and other stakeholders, including on human rights-based approaches with attention to gender integration and leave-no-one-behind perspectives. - Exercise institutional accountability for human rights mainstreaming and the integration of human rights norms and standards into political, peace and security, humanitarian, development and economic frameworks and processes, to tackle impunity and address socio-economic, development and other human rights challenges. - Represent and engage at a senior level in inter-governmental negotiations, public forums and peace processes, providing authoritative advocacy for the integration of human rights standards, mobilizing support for comprehensive anti-discrimination action and building strategic coalitions. - Provide senior-level guidance to civil society on the integration of human rights into protection, rule of law, human rights economy, transitional justice and accountability, establishing framework for engagement. - Provide authoritative senior-level guidance to UN leadership and UN partners on the integration of human rights into protection, rule of law, human rights economy, transitional justice and accountability. - Represent the human rights function at the highest levels in senior-management and other UN coordination fora, integrated analysis and planning processes and/or joint funding opportunities, ensuring coherent information flow and timely integration of human rights analysis into UN decision-making and programmatic responses. - Provide strategic direction and exercise institutional accountability for the development of strategies on protection of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence and child protection, ensuring early warning is translated into coordinated responses. - Exercise strategic oversight and provide authoritative guidance on support to treaty bodies, special procedures, the UPR and/or commissions of inquiry, exercising accountability for quality and consistency of outputs. - Oversee and steer the resource mobilization strategy and its implementation to advance the Office's goals, providing senior-level guidance, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and exercising accountability for performance and outcomes. - Set the strategic direction and provide senior-level oversight for advocacy and impactful outreach activities for the promotion of Human Rights, ensuring institutional coherence. - Oversee and steer the implementation of an Office-wide partnerships strategy, providing senior-level guidance, and ensuring partner engagement and results. - Direct the implementation of an effective communication strategy to amplify human rights messaging and outreach, exercising strategic oversight to ensure coherence, reach and impact. - Maintain confidentiality and integrity and handle sensitive information with discretion, ensuring compliance with the UN data privacy, security requirements, and standards. - Provide strategic direction and exercise senior-level oversight of the design, delivery and quality assurance of training programmes and workshops using various platforms for different audiences to enhance the capacity of UN staff and partners. - Manage and coordinate the activities of the team, including hiring, training, assigning tasks and responsibilities, and ensuring that deadlines are met. - Plan and manage required resources to implement the responsibilities, projects, and activities. - Provide guidance to team members to promote professional development and a positive team culture.

Professionalism: Ability to identify trends and provide insights. Skills to communicate complex and technical matters to diverse audiences. Strategic thinking skills. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in human rights, law, political science, international relations, social sciences, economics, public policy, sustainable development, humanitarian affairs or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Not available.

A minimum of 10 years of experience in human rights or related areas is required. Relevant experience may include, but is not limited to political affairs, public affairs, international relations, law, social sciences, economics, development, humanitarian affairs, or other related areas. Knowledge of international human rights law, norms, and standards is required. Skills to integrate a human rights-based approach, leave no one behind, gender equality and women's empowerment into all areas of work is required. Programme Management skills are required. Ability to mobilize support from a wide range of partners and stakeholders is required. People management skills are required.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, either English

or

French is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

French

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. The United Nations Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified and available candidates to fill anticipated job openings in the UN Secretariat. The purpose of this job opening is to generate a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in the Senior Human Rights Officer roster at the P-5 level. The entire assessment process takes an average of six months; all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) within 14 days of the conclusion of the process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently will be invited to apply for field mission vacancies open only to roster members. Roster membership does not guarantee selection. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2026, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, China (People's Republic of), Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Nicaragua, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. Applicants, who successfully go through a competitive recruitment process and are recommended for selection and/or inclusion in the roster of pre-approved candidates for subsequent job openings at the same level and with similar functions, may have their application information and roster status shared with other UN Organizations. Such applicants may be contacted by other UN Organizations for similar job openings, subject to the confirmation of their interest. Placement on the roster is no guarantee of a future selection.

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.