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Interim Head of Legal and Policy and Legal and Policy Coordinator UNCRC
Are you passionate about Human Rights?
Do you want to help improve the realisation of Human Rights for everyone in Scotland?
Do you have the skills, values, experience and expertise to help make that happen?
Are you interested in strengthening Scotland’s National Human Rights Institution?
If so, you could be just what we are looking for!
The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is Scotland’s human rights watchdog.
We are an independent, expert body that works with and for the people of Scotland; we monitor, listen, and speak up for all our rights and respond when things go wrong. We are a public body created by statute, with a mandate to protect and promote the human rights of all people in Scotland.
The Commission is established as a National Human Rights Institution. As such we are part of a global network of bodies accredited by the United Nations to monitor state compliance with international and national human rights law and treaties. We are independent of government. It is the job of National Human Rights Institutions to use the rule of law to promote and protect the human rights of all of the people who live in any given country and assess the actions of the state on that basis. This is how the Scottish Human Rights Commission approaches its work.
Recruitment
We have a number of opportunities for people who share our values and passion for human rights to join our growing team. We are a small organisation with big ambition to use our mandate to further the realisation of people’s human rights in Scotland, and these key strategic posts, working together with colleagues across the Commission, will be integral to our success over the coming years.
The Commission is now recruiting following an expansion of our mandate with the enactment of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024; and through investment in the development of a People and Culture Programme that will enable us to conclude the implementation of our Independent Governance Review from 2023.
In April the Commission embarked on its new 4-year Strategic Plan for 2024-28, focused on standing up for those in need of protection and holding those responsible for human rights to account. This requires us to build a Commission team infrastructure that is equipped to deliver this, and the current opportunities will support us to enhance our engagement with the Scottish Parliament, the media, and the application of the law through strategic litigation and monitoring of human rights across Scotland.
The Commission is committed to being agile, engaged, accessible, open to collaboration and above all visibly committed to the realisation of rights in Scotland, as an authoritative and challenging partner in pursuit of that goal.
These posts are a critical to enhancing the skills and capacity of our existing team in order to achieve the Commission’s goals.
The 2 posts are;
• Interim Head of Legal and Policy
• Legal and Policy Coordinator – UNCRC (temporary, 2 years)
These are described more fully below:
Interim Head of Legal and Policy
Full time (37 hours per week)
Temporary - 12-month contract – secondment opportunities very welcome
Grade 5 (£65,800 plus 5% responsibility allowance)
Based in Edinburgh, Hybrid working available
This is a critical post for the Commission, and will be in central in strengthening the impact of the Commission in informing the human rights legal and policy framework and for the progressive realisation of rights in the everyday lives of people in Scotland
Reporting to the Executive Director, this is a key leadership role with responsibility for ensuring organisational effectiveness of the legal and policy function and as an integral part of the Senior Leadership Team as the Commission delivers its People and Culture plan in 2025. The postholder will effectively lead and manage the Legal and Policy Team to deliver its core work programmes of advice to Parliament, international treaty monitoring, spotlight monitoring, and strategic litigation opportunities via the Commission’s powers to uphold human rights. The role will be responsible for quality assurance of legal and policy outputs in addition to ensuring delivery of key commitments in the Commissions Strategic Plan.
For a recruitment pack, please visit http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/about/opportunities/
or email recruitment@scottishhumanrights.com
Closing date for applications: 9.00am, Monday 20 January 2025
Interview date: W/C 10 February, tbc
Please note that CVs will not be accepted and applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Legal and Policy Coordinator UNCRC
Full time (37 hours per week)
Temporary – 2-year contract, with possibility of extension
Salary: Grade 4 (£43,764 - £52,183)
Based in Edinburgh, Hybrid working available
About the Role
This is a truly exciting opportunity to play a central role within the Commission as it deploys it legal powers, focusing on developing and ensuring delivery of SHRC’s new legal powers and duties under the recently enacted United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 (the “Act”).
We are looking for someone to join our legal and policy team who has experience of strategic litigation to uphold human rights, gained in a variety of settings. With a background in law and policy, in addition to a working knowledge of human rights, and particularly the rights of the child in a domestic context, your skills will be utilised to lead on interventions, develop proposals for potential areas of own name litigation under the UNCRC Act 2024, monitor human rights court judgements for the Commission, and manage live cases. You will also be responsible for liaising and developing a network with a variety of stakeholders, including people who are experiencing human rights violations, civil society advocacy organisations, the Courts, Law Centres, and the Law Society.
You will uphold the SHRC’s values and be confident representing the Commission with external audiences.
For a recruitment pack, please visit http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/about/opportunities/
or email recruitment@scottishhumanrights.com
Closing date for applications: 9.00am, Monday 20 January 2025
Interview date: W/C 17 February 2025, tbc
Please note that CVs will not be accepted and applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
