Officer, Law and Tech Policy

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY

Officer, Law and Tech Policy (Paralegal)

(administrative - not an attorney position)

General Counsel’s Office

New York Office

Application Deadline: April 15, 2018

Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking highly qualified applicants for the confidential position of Officer, Law and Policy (Paralegal) with the General Counsel’s (“GC”) Office. This position is not for an attorney, but an administrative officer with responsibility for matters of legal compliance, risk management, data systems and Internet rights under the direction of the chief legal officer. The General Counsel’s Office at Human Rights Watch is responsible for legal oversight and protection of the organization, by advising on matters of governance, policy, directing its participation in litigation, and handling new challenges in media law, security and technology issues, domestic and foreign operations, and employment. This position will be based in New York and will report to the General Counsel based in New York.

Responsibilities:

1. Manages intellectual property registration and protection with outside counsel, lobbying compliance, sanctions vetting compliance and training staff in these and other procedures;

2. Coordinates work flow and manages a network of attorneys, acting as a direct liaison with outside counsel;

3. Creates and maintains technical, filing and knowledge management systems to organize and track legal information including for international and domestic litigation;

4. Assists as needed with research into a variety of human rights and legal topics (particularly around technology and human rights), coordinate cross-divisional research group and assist with writing human rights-related publications and guides for staff;

5. Assists with the legal registrations of HRW’s international offices and affiliates;

6. Drafts and edits legal correspondence and legal applications;

7. Assists HRW management team in personnel investigations and collective bargaining matters as needed;

8. Manages support services for HRW staff, including HRW’s Continuing Legal Education program and other training programs;

9. Assists with research and training in computer systems and communications as needed;

10. Provides administrative and paralegal assistance to the GC office including coordinating meetings, managing calendars, assisting with travel arrangements and follow-up, recording and processing divisional finances, drafting documents, taking minutes at meetings and processing mail;

11. Recruits and coordinates legal volunteers and interns; and

12. Carries out other duties as required.

 

Qualifications:

Education: A bachelor’s degree is required and experience and interest in a range of computer technologies and secure communications.  

Experience: A minimum of 2 to 3 years of relevant work experience is required. Demonstrated excellence in writing and research skills required. Coding experience and/or experience with cyber-rights issues is a plus. If a more experienced candidate is identified, HRW reserves the right to offer the position at a higher level.  

Related Skills and Knowledge:  

1. Prior office/administration experience and very strong organizational skills are required.

2. Maturity of judgment, a willingness to take on responsibilities, and ability to independently solve problems and self-teach new topics is required.

3. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.

4. Strong interpersonal skills in order to work collaboratively within Human Rights Watch as well as with external partners are required.

5. Must be self-motivated, able to work independently, handle pressure and deadlines, prioritize, and organize multiple tasks and responsibilities.

6. Ability to maintain confidentiality and information security is required.

7. Proficiency in various computer packages, including MS Office applications and ability to quickly learn other applications is required; experience with open source software such as Tor, TAILS, etc. is highly desirable.

8. Interest and familiarity with international human rights and digital privacy issues is important.  

Other: Applicants for this position must possess current United States work authorization valid for a minimum of two years from start date. Please do not apply if your intention is to use this as a “transition year” between university and graduate studies; however, we are open to applicants who are simultaneously pursuing graduate studies so long as they are available for a full-time schedule during a normal range of office hours.