SENIOR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER

United Nations Secretariat

Geneva, Switzerland

Skill Required: Project and Program Management

Experience: Above 10 Years

Apply By: 16-03-2026

The Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP) was established by the General Assembly in its resolution 77/301, adopted on 29 June 2023. Please note that while the position is currently located in Geneva, Switzerland, the duty station may be subject to change. 

Responsibilities:

  • Coordinates and oversees the preparation of institutional reports on mandate implementation for submission to intergovernmental bodies.
  • Formulates and coordinates the implementation of strategic priorities and work plans across sections, including from a gender equality perspective; develops a vision or direction for the work and creates the conditions for implementing that vision or direction.
  • Advises the SRSG on human rights matters.
  • Represents the institution in high-level meetings and coordinates its engagement with member states and international partners on institutional matters.
  • Negotiates directly with relevant parties the human rights elements of peace accords or the human rights concerns while long-range solutions are sought.
  • Proposes policy directives and plans of action to appropriate United Nations bodies for immediate and long-range solutions to human rights problems in general and specific geographical areas.
  • Designs, develops, and implements significant policy and program changes to address regional or global human rights issues, including their gender dimensions.
  • Formulates the program of work, budget, and medium-term plan of the unit and participates in the overall formulation and approval of the program of work and administrative matters concerning the section/division or mission.
  • Prepares human rights reports on key sectors or key regional developments.
  • Develops and maintains relations with officials at the highest levels of governments and advises them on human rights issues and policies.
  • Coordinates and oversees human rights research initiatives.
  • Manages, coordinates, organizes, and supervises other human rights officers or organizational segments as assigned.
  • Leads team members' efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation, and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate, and share the data they need. 
  • Performs other related duties as required.

Requirements:

  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences, or a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  • A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law, or a related area is required.
  • Experience supporting senior leadership in coordinating reporting on the implementation of newly established humanitarian or human rights mandates to intergovernmental bodies is required.
  • Experience coordinating engagement with Member States and international partners, including preparation of briefings and representation in high-level meetings, is required.
  • Experience providing legal and policy outputs in support of an institutional mandate related to missing persons is required.
  • Experience monitoring implementation of institutional priorities and work plans across multiple units or sections is desirable.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/271583?language=en