The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) London office is seeking two (2) Research Officers, one (1) each based in India and Bangladesh, for its South Asia Media Project. We are looking for individuals with strong skills and experience in research, data collection, analysis, and writing. The research officers will also have significant knowledge and understanding of the national media landscape in the countries.

About the South Asia Media Project

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has built an online repository of news pieces published in traditional and digital formats in the form of a digital archive. The purpose of this project is to preserve news and information shared and circulated during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as document the spread of disinformation and misinformation.

The web portal analyses news and social media narratives and compiles a historical record of their impact on governance and civil liberties, as well as the political and social landscapes of the countries of the region. The mandate of The Media Archive is to be a digital resource for present and future research on themes of migration, racism, hate speech and discrimination across three South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.

About CHRI

CHRI is an independent, international non-governmental organisation working for the practical realisation of human rights through research, advocacy, and mobilisation since 1987. We have offices in London, New Delhi and Accra.

CHRI focuses on the intersection of human rights, transparency, and good governance, with programmes on access to justice, access to information, eradicating contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking, freedom of expression, and building the capacity of small States to access UN human rights mechanisms. CHRI’s London office leads research and advocacy work focusing on the eradication of contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking (SDG Target 8.7). CHRI London founded the Commonwealth 8.7 Network a global network of 70+ civil society organisations that share a common vision to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Review data from Bangladesh/India and translate the same into data for visualisation, develop tech friendly tools for The Media Archive and document data themes and trends;

• Research, collect and document stories on the incidents of racism, hate speech, discrimination, and migration crisis from traditional media, digital news media and social media to further update the archive;
• Writing/co-writing blogs to be published on The Media Archive;
• Support in organising focus group discussions as well as identifying relevant topics/themes for focus group discussions and providing relevant networks of resource persons;
• Support in producing content for the website and for social media;
• Actively participating in brainstorming sessions, feedback sessions and virtual meetings with developers and project team, and contributing to creative ideas for The Media Archive and project.

Position in Organisation

Reports to Project Coordinator

Person Specification

Essential:

Education:

• At least two to three years experience in research, documentation, data analysis and publication 
• Education in journalism, communications, human rights or a relevant social science discipline

Experience:

• High levels of competence in conducting research, including online research, and analysing content;
• Multimedia savvy, displaying the ability to work with text, video or image formats with experience of data visualisation and infographics;
• Knowledge of national news media landscape and trends, government ministries and their functioning;
• Ability to articulate clearly and simply (verbal and written) in English, Hindi(for India) and  Bangla (Bangladesh) without need for significant editorial revision;
• Familiarity with academic research and writing;
• Ability to prepare clear and concise reports;
• Ability to fact-check;
• Working knowledge of human rights;
• Understanding of social inequalities in the context of Bangladesh/India;
• Experience in the NGO or international sector or related field will be an added advantage.

Other Skills:

• Experience working remotely
• Ability to work methodically and independently while knowing when to report upwards.
• Ability to organise, prioritise, and deliver to a high standard under time constraints and pressure.
• Solution-focused with an ability to exercise judgement in solving problems.
• Experience working as part of an international, cross-cultural team is desirable.

Contract: Seven months, with anticipated extension 

Days: 4-5 days per week. Flexible working hour options will be considered.

Location: Work is remote but the applicant must be based in the countries concerned - Bangladesh and India

To Apply: To apply for this position, please forward a 500 word cover letter and your resume (CV) to london@humanrightsinitiative.org. Please include in your cover letter:

• why you are interested in this position
• how you meet the requirements of this post,
• a summary of your educational qualifications, and
• the number of years of work experience you have.

Please write ‘Application: ‘SA Media Project Research Officer (Specific country)  in the subject line of your email.

Application Deadline:  Deadline for applications is 31st October, 2022. However we will be interviewing on a rolling basis so we encourage you to apply early.

In accordance with our diversity policy, we welcome applications from LGBTQ+ community and/or minority groups.

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive, only those who are shortlisted will be contacted. We thank you in advance for your application.