About us

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the regulator of equality and human rights for Great Britain. We are Great Britain’s national equality body and a United Nations accredited National Human Rights Institution. We were established by the Equality Act 2006 and our job is to protect and promote equality and human rights across England, Scotland and Wales. We do this by safeguarding and enforcing the laws that protect people’s rights to fairness, dignity and respect.

Britain has a strong reputation as a global leader in equality and human rights and we are committed to ensuring this continues into the future. We are ambitious to achieve maximum impact with the powers and levers available to us to bring about change in society and make a difference to individual’s lives.

As a statutory non-departmental public body, we are funded by HM Treasury via the Cabinet Office, but we operate independently of governments.

We pride ourselves on being a flexible and inclusive employer. We celebrate difference, embrace diversity and support all our people to thrive at work. If this sounds interesting - apply to join us!

Our Vacancy

It’s an exciting time to join the Human Rights Monitoring team. Our world-leading Human Rights Tracker and highly-respected policy reports evidence the challenges facing people in Britain today, and suggest vital ways that human rights can be better respected and protected. We spotlight these on the international stage and work with domestic stakeholders to make change happen. What’s more, ensuring that this work continues to be delivered to a high standard, and that we maintain our reputation for setting international best practice, will be an essential way of retaining our status as a national human rights institution when it is reviewed in 2022. There is lots of work to do, and juggling our priorities will not be easy, but if you are looking for a challenge, enjoy working in a flexible and supportive team, and you like a role where you can work on some of the most important challenges of our time – then we may have just the vacancy for you.

Key Responsibilities

The main responsibilities of this role will include:

• delivering complex projects to implement the Human Rights Monitoring Strategy, including overseeing project planning, budget profiling, contract management, and governance processes

• coordinating input from colleagues across the Commission to draft evidence-based reports and policy recommendations on how to implement UN human rights treaties in the UK

• working with colleagues across the Commission to use the UN human rights framework as a means to influence others and achieve the Commission’s strategic goals

• managing relationships with external stakeholders, including those in Government, Parliament, civil society and other UK NHRIs, to inform and implement the Commission’s Human Rights Monitoring Strategy and strategic goals

• supporting civil society, Government and Parliaments in using international human rights law in their work.

What we are looking for

To be successful in this role you will need:

• In-depth knowledge of human rights gained through applied experience

• Ability to analytically examine information and evidence, identify key points and use it to develop policy positions and recommendations

• The ability to develop and implement strategies to influence Government, Parliament, and other decision-makers

• Experience of identifying, engaging with and working in partnership with a variety of different organisations and senior stakeholders

• Experience of managing complex projects.

You will be assessed against our core skills (Leadership, Delivery Management and Stakeholder Engagement) and the knowledge, skills and experience required for the role in the application form. Please provide evidence and examples from your work history or other aspects of your life to demonstrate how you meet the criteria required. Full criteria details can be found in the candidate pack.

Important Information

We are trialling hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their EHRC office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for this role or for yourself, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working patterns, 30 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (full time FTE), access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and partnership pension schemes, and enhanced parental leave benefits. More information can be found in the candidate pack.

How to apply

If this sounds like the role for you, please review the attached Candidate Pack for more information and submit your application today!

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an accredited Disability Confident Leader and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for candidates with a disability.

Should you wish to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme or request a reasonable adjustment, please indicate this in your application.  

If you require an alternative accessible version of the application form or wish to discuss your application or reasonable adjustment  – please contact us by email at recruitment@equalityhumanrights.com or by telephone on 0161 829 8100.

Diversity in our workforce

At the Commission, we are proud of our inclusive workplace where we celebrate difference, value everyone’s contribution and where people of all backgrounds can thrive.  We do not accept discrimination or harassment, and all our recruitment decisions are based on fair and open competition, with appointment on merit. We are committed to further growing our workplace by making sure that the talent pipelines for our most senior roles are as diverse and inclusive as they can be. We welcome applications from everyone and encourage disabled people and people from an ethnic minority background to apply. This is to ensure we are taking positive action in order to achieve our legitimate aim of a balanced representation in our workforce at senior grades.