Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Fellow
Are you concerned about the growing power that internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies have over people’s lives? Do you believe that corporations as well as governments have a responsibility to respect human rights? Do you enjoy the challenge of making complex ideas accessible to policymakers, journalists, and advocates alike? If so, Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) encourages you to apply to become our first Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Fellow.
We’re seeking a human rights due diligence fellow to develop a methodology for a community-led human rights impact assessment (HRIA) that can be applied to technology companies with large user bases, including digital platforms and telecommunications companies. You will be part of a project team that will adapt existing human rights due diligence tools to the needs of those directly or indirectly impacted by the operations of tech companies, particularly in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian contexts. You will conduct stakeholder interviews, review existing
methodologies, and lead the development of a scalable community-led HRIA framework that can be tailored to tech companies operating in different environments, including in contexts such as but not limited to Vietnam, China, and Myanmar.
The HRDD Fellow will report to the company and investor engagement manager while working closely with other members of RDR’s team.
If you thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment and are passionate about supporting teams to achieve their full potential, we encourage you to apply.
About RDR
RDR works to promote freedom of expression and privacy on the internet by creating global standards and incentives for companies to respect and protect users' rights. We do this by scoring and ranking the world's most powerful digital platforms and telecommunications companies on relevant commitments and policies, based on international human rights standards. We work with companies as well as advocates,
researchers, investors, and policymakers to establish and advance global standards for corporate accountability.
RDR is housed at New America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of policy challenges. We are a globally distributed team, with staff and contractors working from locations around the world.
Responsibilities include:
- Review existing methodologies for human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) and other forms of human rights due diligence (HRDD);
- Formulate a broad development plan for a community-led HRIA tailored to tech companies and telcos, with a focus on selected countries, and lead the development of a methodology for the HRIA;
- Conduct interviews with stakeholders to inform methodology development (including but not limited to users, companies, civil society organizations in various countries, consultants, and investors);
- Pilot the methodology and support or supervise its application in different environments;
- Liaise with civil society partners;
- Provide updates and communicate progress at internal meetings, through public blog posts, etc.
Qualifications:
- Strong commitment to protecting human rights in the context of business and technology;
- Demonstrated experience with human rights due diligence (HRDD) and human rights impact assessment (HRIA) methods;
- Experience with human rights issues in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian countries; experience with human rights issues in Vietnam, China, and Myanmar a plus;
- Strong interest in and awareness of current events and trends in corporate accountability, content governance, cybersecurity, encryption, government surveillance, artificial intelligence, algorithmic bias, privacy, free expression, and/or other related areas;
- Strong project management skills, adherence to deadlines, and ability to outline plans to achieve a strategic goal;
- Excellent oral and written communications skills in English; other languages a plus;
- Collegial, collaborative approach to problem-solving;
- Uncompromising adherence to deadlines.
Location & physical demands
RDR operates as a distributed team, with some staff based at New America in Washington, D.C., while other staff and contractors work from other locations around the world. We will prioritize candidates with U.S. work authorization and who work +/- 1 hour from EST or who can offer a compelling reason why their specific time zone, if outside the +/- 1 zone, would be advantageous to RDR.
This position often requires completing work at a computer.
Compensation:
The successful candidate will be paid $ 6500/month for a period of eleven months between February 2023 and December 2023. the deadline. Flexible on start dates. Application deadline January 23, 2023.
We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not match all the qualifications listed above, creating
Ranking Digital Rights and New America is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization thereby creating a culture that allows us to better serve our mission, our employees, and our communities. We value and encourage the contributions of our employees and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and drive outstanding results. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.