Solidarity Coordinator

Position description

ESCR-Net - International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) is seeking a Coordinator to facilitate its System of Solidarity.

ESCR-Net connects over 280 NGOs, social movements and advocates across more than 75 countries to build a global movement to make human rights and social justice a reality for all. Through ESCR-Net, members exchange information, build solidarity across regions, develop new tools and strategies, and advance collective actions to secure economic and social justice through the human rights framework, with a special focus on economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR). The member-led, collective work of ESCR-Net is guided by core principles of gender and regional balance in leadership and participation, intersectional analysis, and centrality of grassroots groups and social movements.

For a complete overview of ESCR-Net’s work, please visit our website at www.escr-net.org.

PRIMARY ROLE

ESCR-Net is seeking a full-time staff member to serve as a key part of its secretariat team, with responsibility for coordinating ESCR-Net’s System of Solidarity (SOS), guided by an Advisory Group of ESCR-Net Members. ESCR-Net works to strengthen the security and protection of environmental and human rights defenders (HRD) and their communities at risk, with particular attention to the different and disproportionate threats often facing women human rights defenders and others facing intersecting forms of discrimination, by harnessing the collective power of the Network’s membership and serving as a flexible and decentralized mechanism for urgent response. This includes petitions and open letters on behalf of the Network’s membership, media work and related advocacy actions, and referrals of cases requiring technical, logistical or material assistance. These actions are, whenever possible, grounded in a recognition of the broader systemic drivers of social, economic and environmental injustices which compel HRDs to take action to defend human rights and face reprisals as a result. The Solidarity Coordinator will also serve as an internal advisor on protection issues for ESCR-Net members and the secretariat and, moving beyond urgent actions, will facilitate member-to-member connections to provide additional strategic support to the broader struggles of defenders and their communities, drawing on members’ strengths and commitments to practical solidarity. Working in close collaboration with the SOS Advisory Group, the Solidarity Coordinator will facilitate member-to-member learning, analysis, and mutual support, including via security and protection workshops and consultations on evolving issues, supporting efforts to integrate member analysis and demands into collective advocacy and campaigning across ESCR-Net.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinate urgent and targeted responses to threats or attacks, guided by HRDs facing repression and drawing on the collective strengthen of members, including: researching and verifying information, drafting communications, identifying relevant resources, and coordinating advocacy actions involving members;
• Convene regular meetings of the SOS Advisory Group, drawing on their guidance and capacities in addressing urgent threats, building wider alliances to ensure robust protection resources, shaping spaces for mutual learning, and deepening analysis of the root causes of repression and their evolving manifestations (i.e. the political economy of violence, corporate capture of government institutions and decision-making, conflict, authoritarianism, etc.);
• Serve as an internal resource and advisor on protection issues for ESCR-Net members and secretariat, including guiding the ongoing development of secretariat- and Network-wide security protocols and facilitating or organizing capacity-building for ESCR-Net members and secretariat staff on risk assessment and physical, holistic, and digital security;
• Collaborate and communicate with regional campaign and membership facilitators, the program coordinator focused on strategic litigation, and the communications team to strengthen urgent actions, as well as with the program and campaign teams to facilitate wider member-to-member strategic support;
• Build trusting relationships with members, particularly social movement and Indigenous members, many of whom face systemic or recurring repression as a result of their advocacy;
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant UN Special Rapporteurs, allies specialized in emergency funding and various aspects of protection, and related individuals and institutions, as well as serving as the primary liaison with ProtectDefenders.eu;
• Follow-up on cases undertaken by the SOS to assess impacts and ongoing risks, draw lessons and contribute to the system’s further development;
• In coordination with ESCR-Net’s finance team and development and learning coordinator, ensure implementation and reporting on grants dedicated to supporting the System of Solidarity, including via preparing narrative reports and financial reports, fielding informational requests and maintaining financial records, and supporting preparation for audits;
• Keep abreast of trends in the field of security and protection of HRDs, including via monitoring information from ESCR-Net members, reports from the UN and regional bodies, etc.; and
• Identify, develop and disseminate resources and materials related to the security and protection of at-risk HRDs.

QUALIFICATIONS | REQUIRED:

• A minimum of six years of relevant experience and in-depth knowledge of security and protection work as well as human rights, with strong grounding in movement-based work; or a minimum of four years of experience and a relevant university degree or other studies;
• In-depth knowledge of human rights, including economic, social, cultural and environmental rights (ESCER);
• At least three years’ experience working with grassroots, Indigenous or other frontline human rights advocates and communities, including promoting the security and protection of defenders advocating ESCER;
• Experience facilitating mutual learning, capacity building and/or analytical discussions with human rights defenders;
• Strong political judgment and proven ability to engage, build relationships of trust, and foster collaboration with a wide range of actors;
• History of applying an intersectional feminist analysis, attentive to issues facing women human rights defenders in all of their diversity as well as to histories and implications of colonialism, imperialism, and the dominant model of development;
• Effective planning and organizational capacities and experience in managing competing deadlines and prioritizing workload in a busy environment;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including ability to represent ESCR-Net in multiple spaces; and
• Fluency (oral and written) in English and strong proficiency in either Spanish, French or Arabic (the working languages of ESCR-Net).

QUALIFICATIONS | DESIRABLE:

• Experience working with mechanisms and institutions focused on the protection of HRD;
• Extensive experience supporting different aspects of security training and planning;
• Familiarity with digital security;
• Substantial experience as an organizer, political educator, or campaigner with social movements, Indigenous Peoples, unions, or other grassroots formations;
• Proficiency in more than two working languages of ESCR-Net;
• Experience living and working in multiple regions of the world; and
• Experience organizing international events.

COMPENSATION

This position is a full-time, exempt position with benefits, including medical coverage and vacation and paid leave. Starting salary will be discussed during first interviews, as it is calculated using a cost-of-living index. The primary location of the ESCR-Net secretariat is in New York City, where this position would ideally be located; however, in certain circumstances, we will consider a remote working arrangement.

START DATE

As soon as possible, and ideally by 1 November.

INCLUSIVE HIRING AND WORKPLACE

ESCR-Net is committed to inclusive hiring practices and strives for a secretariat staff that represents the diversity of its members. ESCR-Net is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, persons with disabilities and people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, ethnicity, gender identity, medical condition (cancer-related), the conditions Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS Related Conditions or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified persons with disabilities may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Application instructions

Please send a curriculum vitae, a letter of interest and contact information for 3 references to ESCR-Net by email, using “Solidarity Coordinator Search” and your initials, as the subject of your email. We encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning 5 September 2023. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Thank you for your understanding during this process.

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