Officer (Paralegal)

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Officer (Paralegal)
General Counsel’s Office
New York City Preferred
Application Deadline: June 5, 2023

The General Counsel’s (GC) Office of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking applicants for the position of Officer (Paralegal). The GC’s Office at Human Rights Watch is responsible for legal oversight of the organization’s policies, compliance, risk management, and governance, as well as a wide range of corporate matters including media law, intellectual property, U.S. and foreign operations, tax, insurance and contract review, worldwide litigation and international and domestic employment matters including labor relations. The Officer will assist the GC’s Office across all areas of work, as part of a growing legal team and a diverse and collegial staff on a variety of projects. This position focuses on organizational legal and compliance matters, and not advocacy, policy or legal work related to programmatic positions and activities.

This position will ideally be based in New York City, and will report to the General Counsel based in Washington, D.C. This position is full-time at 40 hours a week.

The successful candidate will be expected to work a hybrid schedule, combining remote work from home with in-person work out of the New York office. We aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment for and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities*:*

1. Support attorneys in the GC’s Office in fielding legal and organizational policy questions from HRW staff, including, but not limited to, inquiries regarding intellectual property and use of third-party content, internal policies and guidelines, potential conflicts of interest, secondary employment, etc.;
2. Draft and edit legal correspondence, applications, contracts, agreements, and other documents;
3. Assist as needed with research into a variety of human rights, legal and compliance topics, coordinate cross-divisional research groups, and/or assist with writing organizational guides for staff;
4. Manage intellectual property registration and protection with outside counsel, lobbying compliance, sanctions vetting compliance, and related training for staff in these and other procedures;
5. Prepare presentations for various audiences (such as the Board, colleagues in other departments, or for the GC team itself), and create related metrics and visual guides as needed;
6. Create and maintain technical, filing and knowledge management systems to organize and track legal information including for international and domestic litigation;
7. Assist with the legal registrations of HRW’s international offices and affiliates and other regulatory or compliance processes;
8. Support the HRW management team in personnel investigations and collective bargaining matters as needed;
9. Coordinate workflow and manage a network of attorneys, acting as a direct liaison with outside counsel and external partners;
10. Contribute to brainstorming strategic priorities for the GC’s Office and projects or initiatives to optimize internal procedures and proactively address challenges;
11. Recruit and coordinate legal volunteers and interns, and assist with the recruitment process for vacant positions in the GC’s Office as needed;
12. Provide administrative and paralegal assistance to the GC’s 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; and
13. Carry out special projects and other duties as required.

Qualifications*:*

Education: A bachelor’s degree, or equivalent working experience, is required.

Experience: A minimum of three (3) years of relevant work experience is required. Demonstrated excellence in writing and research skills is required. Prior experience in a legal role or office setting, including paralegal experience, is highly desirable.

Related Skills and Knowledge:

1. Prior office/administration experience, outstanding organizational skills, and exceptional attention to detail are required.
2. Maturity of judgment, a willingness to take on responsibilities, and ability to independently solve problems and self-teach new topics are required.
3. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and strong research and analytical skills, are required.
4. Strong interpersonal skills in order to work collaboratively with HRW’s talented, multi-national and diverse staff, as well as with external partners, are required.
5. Self-motivation and an ability to prioritize tasks with minimal supervision, work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities while working effectively toward deadlines are required.
6. The ability to maintain confidentiality and information security is required.
7. Proficiency in various computer packages (such as MS Office applications, and Westlaw or LexisNexis), and ability to quickly learn other applications are required.
8. Intellectual curiosity, an eagerness to take on responsibilities, and an ability to self-teach new topics are required.

Salary and Benefits: HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits. HRW offers a relocation assistance package and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. This position is based in the United States and the salary range would be USD 60,000-66,000. Salary ranges outside of the United States vary based on location.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application submission, or if you require a disability-related accommodation to submit your application, please email recruitment@hrw.org. Due to the large response, application submissions via email will not be accepted and inquiries regarding the status of applications will go unanswered.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.**

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.