Senior Researcher, Criminal Justice

The United States Program (USP) of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a Senior Researcher to play a leadership role within the US Program in identifying, researching, and advocating to change key US human rights issues as they relate to criminal justice.

The US Program works to advance human rights in three priority areas — criminal justice, immigration, and democracy — in ways that center racial justice and equity. In partnership with allied organizations, USP undertakes research and provides expertise to evaluate ongoing human rights violations in the US, identifies goals and targets for remedy, and engages in advocacy for change. In addition to its own work, USP collaborates with the multiple HRW thematic and regional divisions that work in the United States as well.

The Senior Researcher will lead USP’s criminal justice research and advocacy.

This role reports to the Director of the US Program, based in New York.

The successful candidate will be based within commuting distance of one of HRW’s US offices (New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, or San Francisco) and may be expected to work from office up to 3 days per week.

Candidate Profile:
The Senior Researcher should have demonstrated experience and deep subject matter expertise in criminalization; policing, use of force, and other law enforcement practices; racial justice and systemic discrimination, including racial profiling; due process and other criminal legal system processes; and accountability for police misconduct and other law enforcement harms. The ideal candidate will have strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, including legal analysis, policy review, and data interpretation and will have demonstrated expertise in designing and leading complex research projects from inception through publication.

The ideal candidate should be a recognized expert in the area of criminal justice and related topics with the experience of being consulted by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and others interested in US criminal justice concerns.

Education: A US law degree (J.D.) or an advanced degree in US criminal law/policy, journalism, or public policy or a related field is required.

Experience: A minimum of seven years of relevant experience is required. Relevant experience may include among other things, work as a criminal defense attorney or other litigator, investigative journalist, analyst or advocate on criminal justice policies at an NGO, court, academic institution, or in government.

Required Skills and Knowledge:

• Extensive knowledge of criminal and racial justice, social justice and civil and human rights issues in the United States and ability to identify, monitor, and evaluate trends and opportunities for research and advocacy;
• Demonstrated ability to design and conduct complex and innovative research, including effective trauma-informed interviews with a broad range of people, and community-based and other policy advocacy projects with minimal staffing and supervision;
• Experience working successfully with communities who have suffered civil or human rights violations in the US, particularly communities of color and poor people;
• Relevant experience and familiarity with human rights research methodologies and local and international advocacy environments;
• Relevant experience in work to combat structural barriers that entrench racial and criminal injustices in the United States, preferably including work with or alongside organizations led by directly impacted people, in determining advocacy, research, and communications strategies to pursue;
• Ability to write and edit accurate, persuasive, well-organized, analytical, and timely reports and traditional and social media products in English, including creative use of images, audio, video, data, and online tools in the presentation of findings and in advocacy; edit HRW colleagues’ work for the USP team
• Dynamic and compelling public speaking skills in English are required – Spanish language skills are desirable;
• Strong initiative, follow-through, and capacity to think creatively and strategically, often on a short timeline;
• Strong interpersonal skills to work collaboratively within HRW as well as with local partners, government officials, media, and other external partners; and
• Ability to multi-task effectively, including having good planning and organizing skills and ability to work under pressure.

Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this position is USD 88,000 – 104,000 Human Rights Watch offers comprehensive employer-paid benefits, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, a retirement savings plan and twenty (20) days of vacation per year.

Tagged as: Research/Writing/Journalism