Programme Director

Are you an inspiring and experienced leader in the field of international human rights law? Do you want to be the person that will spearhead Amnesty International’s advancement of human rights law as a critical tool for change? Do you want to oversee cutting edge advocacy, research and litigation on some of the most critical human rights challenges the world faces?

JOB PURPOSE:

The Law and Policy Director provides leadership and vision in the development and application of international law and policy for the Amnesty International Movement and the broader human rights movement. They ensure that Amnesty International maintains an effective role in pushing for the development and implementation of legal standards and norms in order to empower human rights activism globally. They ensure the Programme’s staff provide expert advice and review and engage in carefully selected and strategic research, advocacy and strategic litigation to influence international and national standards, institutions and policies relating to key human rights themes led by the programme.

ABOUT YOU:

You are a visionary leader with significant experience and expertise in human rights law and policy development, and in public interest litigation, external representation, media and communications, and in the management of people and other resources. You can communicate a vision of the opportunities and threats human rights face. You are a reliable source of good judgement and have the ability to give and receive constructive feedback, impartially weigh different views and to help resolve them in an emotionally intelligent manner. You have a demonstrable personal commitment to subverting patriarchy, power differentials and marginalisation in Amnesty’s external work and within the movement. You communicate, verbally and in writing, in a compelling manner and in plain language, including on complex legal issues. You lead, inspire and motivate your own and other teams to work collaboratively and effectively.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES: (please refer to JD for full list)

Ensure that legal and policy advisers provide expertise and advice and ongoing training to IS staff and the wider AI movement to ensure that Amnesty’s outputs accurately reflect relevant legal standards, are consistent with AI’s policies and are of high quality.

• Oversee the human rights policy development and curation process, including engaging with the wider Amnesty movement on key human rights policies.
• Provide overall leadership over the delivery of the programme’s thematic focuses, including research, legal and policy analysis, advocacy and strategy development in fields such as holding and expanding civic space, securing remedy for crimes under international law, tackling human rights impact of punitive criminal justice approaches, control over the trade in and use of policing equipment and other weapons, ending the death penalty, protecting children’s rights, with addressing discrimination as a key objective within each of these themes.
• Act as an ambassador for the organization on law and policy issues.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: (please refer to JD for full list)

• Significant experience and expertise in the field of human rights law and policy development, and in public interest litigation, external representation, media and communications, and the management of people and other resources.
• Ability to work well with legal and policy experts, media experts, campaigners and advocates, regional experts and researchers, thematic experts and researchers, and the ability to facilitate communication among different parts of the IS and the AI movement.
• Accomplished written and oral presentation skills
• Commitment and ability to effectively manage and professionally develop the staff in the Programme and to lead, inspire, motivate and facilitate their own and other teams to collaborate/support one another to deliver integrated and co-ordinated interventions.

ABOUT US:

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. We reach almost every country in the world.

Our aim is simple: an end to human rights abuses. Independent, international and influential, we campaign for justice, fairness, freedom and truth wherever they’re