Research Fellow

Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) is a grassroots, Karen-led human rights organization established in 1992 that operates in rural Burma. With eighteen years of experience and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 and 2001, KHRG is recognized internationally as a leading authority on major issues such as internal displacement and forced labour in Burma.

Closing date: 30 Nov 2010
Location: Thailand

The Research Fellow position is full-time and based in KHRG’s information processing office in northern Thailand and the post holder should be prepared to commit at least six months to KHRG. The successful applicant will have an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of human rights work and make a large contribution to the struggle for human rights in Burma.

The position involves implementing KHRG’s ‘Interviews Project’ as well as supporting human rights documentation and report writing activities to supplement the organisation’s advocacy, lobbying, networking and campaigning at regional and international levels. Reports will be related to the general human rights situation in Burma, the SPDC and its actions, Karen IDP and human rights situations, forced labour, forced migration, women, children, deserters, prisons and convicts and landmines, among other topics.

KHRG operates on a consensus basis with all office-based staff taking part in decision-making within the organisation. The position holder will largely work as part of a small team for each report, thus team-working skills are important. Applicants should also be highly motivated, able to work with little supervision, and should have experience researching or working on human rights issues, preferably in the region. A strong commitment to helping rural people claim their human rights is essential.

Main Responsibilities

1. Develop and maintain KHRG’s ‘Interviews Project,’ which will be designed to give full voice to villagers in eastern Burma without mediation from outside perspectives. Responsibilities will include designing Project release and publication strategies, developing background material and preparing interviews. Full activity details are available on request.
2. Build capacity of Karen staff, including effective writing and communication skills, through on-the-job training, assessments and other activities or trainings as needed. Full activity details available on request.

Additional Responsibilities

1. Implement research priorities identified during management meetings. Depending on performance and expertise, the Fellow will take on added responsibilities editing writing detailed human rights reports based on field research conducted by KHRG’s network of field researchers.
2. Participate in management meetings and play an active role in KHRG’s inclusive management decision-making process.

Knowledge and Experience

1. Knowledge of the human rights situation in Burma, with specific knowledge of the situation as it affects the Karen population.
2. Knowledge about international human rights standards, mechanisms and practices as well as ongoing debates on internal displacement, Burmese politics, human rights, development issues, etc.

Note: Candidates lacking prior knowledge in some of the areas described above will still be carefully considered. Such a candidate must be willing to address lack of area specific knowledge by:

1. Committing to preparatory research before beginning work with KHRG.
2. Committing to research outside of working hours after beginning work with KHRG. The Fellow and KHRG will collaborate to devise a personal research schedule, and the Fellow will be expected to complete agreed upon outside research activities. KHRG will provide orientation, materials, guidance and feedback.

Skills

Essential

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
2. Expertise in writing human rights reports, or similar writing projects.
3. Self-motivated, self-disciplined, well organised, and able to function under pressure and handle numerous tasks simultaneously.
4. Good knowledge of popular computer applications, such as,\ Microsoft Office, (Word, Excel), Internet and email applications.

Desirable

1. Some knowledge of Karen, Burmese, and/or Thai.
2. Knowledge of computer applications such as PhotoShop, PageMaker, and PowerPoint.
3. Knowledge of website design and maintenance (HTML, FTP) and other IT functions such as networking and general computer maintenance.

Abilities

1. Ability to work independently and in teams in a multicultural working environment.
2. Ability to meet deadlines and respond promptly as necessary.

Salary and support

KHRG operates on a consensus basis, with all staff in our office taking part in management decision-making, and has an egalitarian salary system that does not discriminate between local and expatriate staff.

This position is not funded and applicants are encouraged to seek outside funding. After six months, however, shift to a permanent salaried position may available subject to availability, performance, management decisions and support from external donors.
How to apply
There is no formal closing date for the position, but we hope to fill it no later than November 2010. Applications for the position should include:

1. A cover letter stating, among others, why the applicant is interested in the position.
2. A writing sample that can appropriately be compared to KHRG reports. While edited or peer-reviewed samples are welcome, particularly published papers, an additional sample that has not received outside editing should also be provided.
3. A detailed CV with references. Referees will not be contacted without notifying the applicant in advance.

A phone interview may be requested of some applicants. Please send materials to: applications@khrg.org