Human Rights Officer

Organizational Context

The Human Rights Officer position is based in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) West Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal. Reporting to the Regional Representative, the role involves monitoring human rights compliance, analyzing data for early warning and policy, drafting reports, and advising on protection of civilians and rule of law.

Job Purpose

The Human Rights Officer's primary purpose is to monitor and investigate compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law, analyzing data to inform early warning, accountability, and policy decisions. This includes drafting evidence-based reports, providing strategic advice, and integrating human rights perspectives into peace, humanitarian, and development planning. The role also involves advising UN leadership and national authorities on civilian protection, rule of law, and transitional justice, while fostering partnerships, capacity-building, and advocacy to advance equality and ensure no one is left behind. The position contributes to strengthening human rights systems and promoting human rights through advocacy and outreach.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include conducting substantive monitoring of human rights and international humanitarian law implementation, and following up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms. The role involves collecting, documenting, and analyzing evidence-based information on civil, cultural, economic, social, and political rights to support early warning, response, and decision-making, ensuring data is shared appropriately with gender and leave-no-one-behind perspectives. Field verification and fact-finding missions to document violations are essential, adhering to protection standards. The officer will draft, review, and disseminate human rights reports and analytical papers, provide advisory support to national counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems, and offer technical support to integrate human rights norms into development policies. Advocacy, outreach, data analysis for visualization, and delivering training programs are also key duties.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights or related fields is required. Experience in political affairs, international relations, law, social sciences, development, or humanitarian affairs is relevant. Skills in designing and delivering training programs, knowledge of human rights mechanisms, and experience drafting reports are necessary. Desirable experience includes integrating a human rights-based approach, gender equality, and knowledge of monitoring, documentation, analysis, research, and reporting methodologies.

Skills

Professionalism, teamwork, and planning/organizing skills are essential. Specific competencies include: designing/delivering training, knowledge of human rights mechanisms, drafting reports and policy documents, integrating human rights-based approaches, gender equality, and women's empowerment. Experience in human rights monitoring, documentation, analysis, research, and reporting methodologies is also key.

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