Head of Labour Rights At Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is seeking an experienced Head of Labour Rights to join our team in leading and managing our Labour Rights programme, including delivering high quality research, analysis, interventions, and strategies on the full range of labour issues especially freedom of association and collective bargaining, living wage, and forced labour in supply chains.

• Reports to: Director for International Programmes
• Direct Line Reports: four
• Location: Flexible, London or Berlin preferred, or a willingness to work at least four hours each day on US/European time zones.
• Salary: £48-55,000 per year (commensurate with experience and adjusted for cost of living)
• Contract type: Full-time, open-ended
• Closing date: February 28, 2022
• Interview dates: March 9-10, 2022 (candidates should be available during this time in the event that they are short-listed for interview)
• Start date: As soon as possible

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 in ten 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.

Our Labour Rights work covers the full spectrum of labour abuse in business with a focus on the root causes of inequality in global supply chains. Our international projects seek to balance the power between businesses and workers including a focus on building worker power in supply chains; seeking accountability and action from brands, suppliers and investors; support to regulation and core labour conventions such as freedom of association, collective bargaining and living wage; and investor action.

The Post

The successful candidate will be the strategic leader and manager of our programme to advance labour rights in supply chains. They will have a track record of strong strategic leadership and impact in labour rights and business. They will demonstrate skills and experience in achieving strategic change; generating powerful purpose-driven research; senior representation; successful leadership of ambitious change programmes; alongside agility to take opportunities for impact; an ambitious spirit to fund them; a clear commitment to working in solidarity with workers, unions and communities; and expertise and fluency in high-quality communications and influencing with media, governments, investors and companies.

They will also work closely with our regional teams, and KnowTheChain team delivering on forced labour

Lead and manage the Resource Centre’s Labour Rights in Supply Chains programme:

Provide the strategic leadership and management of our Labour Rights in Supply Chains Programme to shape and deliver high impact research, products, and influence that make a real difference to rights of workers in supply chains, especially women. Sustain and nurture a high-impact team culture with five team members; collaboration with the KnowTheChain team working on forced labour, our regional teams in 20 locations, and sustaining our rich network of partners and allies in this field. Represent the Resource Centre to civil society, business and investors, government, funders, and media and advocate to business, investors and government for changes in policy and practice.

Deliver high-quality change programmes of research, analysis, and influence:

Lead key labour rights influencing programmes across the organisation. Provide leadership, management and delivery of effective strategy, research and analysis, alliance-building, communications, and influence. Support and ensure effective programme management, resourcing, impact measurement, powerful collaboration with diverse civil society allies, and effective tactical collaborations with appropriate investors, business, and governments to promote common agendas. Deliver high quality research, compelling timely analysis that strengthens our, and allies, influence in current key debates for transformation of labour rights in supply chains.

Work with the Senior Management Team, and across the global team, to ensure high quality advocacy and communications, both externally and internally:

Sustain high advocacy and communications standards for all our external postings, reports, briefings, blogs, and media interviews, mindful of our role as a digital action platform for our diverse audience (civil society organisations, companies, governments, investors), and our drive for impact. Act as the organisational spokesperson on labour rights in supply chains to the media and social media channels, and build our relations with key opinion-formers and media outlets.

Work with our Development Team to build partnerships with key funders for our labour rights programmes:

Work with the Development team, to drive our funding strategies. Provide high-level representation to funders, building constructive and close relations with key personnel. Work with programme leads, and the Senior Management Team, to help develop funding proposals that fit our strategic goals, and those of funders, and ensure timely reporting from programme teams.

Other responsibilities:

Take on other responsibilities as necessary for the health and development of the organisation with the rest of the Leadership and Management Team.

Key competencies and attributes

• Labour rights, and economic justice expertise: At least 7 years’ work in this area, including experience in the Global South. Demonstrable expertise of research and influence regarding labour rights in supply chains, economic justice, and feminist/intersectional analysis. Vision, and strategic insight to catalyse transformational change in business models to enhance worker’s rights and power. Demonstrable experience in encouraging regulatory advances and change in the approaches of investors and finance an advantage.
• Strategic leader: At least 6 years’ experience leading ambitious human rights, or economic justice programmes. Proven ability to inspire compelling high-impact programmes with strategic allies, and regular strategic reflection to drive impact.
• People manager: At least 4 years’ experience in line management and programme management of a team. Proven ability to inspire and build a high-performing diverse team with common vision and purpose. Ability to delegate and empower team members with accountability, and nurture talent. Experience of remote management of global teams an advantage.
• Programme manager: At least 5 years’ experience and demonstrable success in the design, management, and monitoring of strategic large-scale and multi-year programmes with motivated teams, and a diverse network of allies, funders and targets.
• Research Manager: At least 5 years’ experience leading substantial international research on economic justice issues, including labour rights, with demonstrable success in contributing to change.
• Network and coalition-building: Demonstrable success in helping nurture effective international networks and alliances including both grassroots trade unions in the global South and larger organisations. Experience working successfully with civil society, workers’ organisations, trade unions and communities in the global South required.
• Communications: At least 6 years’ experience driving high quality external communications strategies for external impact. Strong representation skills including media, social media, public speaking and lobby. Excellent command of written and spoken English essential. Other languages an asset.
• Financial and Fundraising success: Proven experience in the financial management of organisational and programme funds, and attracting substantial funding to programmes of work. Proven ability to build strong partnerships with funders. Alertness to external opportunities, and drive to work with others to build the resources of the Resource Centre to deliver our mission.
• Commitment to our values: Demonstrable commitment to the values and model of change of the Resource Centre. An understanding of corporate power and accountability methodologies, Global South realities, and proven ability to collaborate with, and build equitable alliances with grassroots communities and global South organisations. Willingness to work across time zones.