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Human Rights Watch · 1 hour ago

Officer, General Counsel and Administration

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid Level

$66K/yr - $68K/yr

3+ years exp

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations and advocacy campaigns. The Officer in the General Counsel’s Office will assist with legal oversight, compliance, and administrative functions, supporting both the legal team and the Washington office's operations.

Non Profit

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Provide administrative and paralegal assistance to the GC office and support the office’s professional positions. Administrative responsibilities include, but are not limited to, coordinating meetings, managing calendars, assisting with travel arrangements and follow-up, recording and processing divisional finances, monitoring tasks and timelines, taking minutes at meetings, and processing mail

Create and maintain filing and knowledge management systems to organize and track legal information, including for international and domestic litigation

Support GC attorneys in fielding legal questions from HRW staff

Assist HRW staff with legal compliance and policy requirements, including sanctions and lobbying reporting, copyrights, and other matters

Provide support on the legal registration of HRW’s international offices and affiliates

Contribute to the monitoring and protection of HRW’s trademarks and other intellectual property

Assist with research into a variety of legal and programmatic topics, such as intellectual property law, and federal and state statutes, regulations and case law

Draft and edit legal correspondence, legal applications, contracts, memoranda, and other documents, and prepare presentations

Support HRW’s compliance efforts with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and global privacy laws

Assist with developing and maintaining HRW’s pro bono legal counsel network and liaise with outside counsel

Coordinate key legal services for HRW’s global staff, including training programs

Assist HRW management in collective bargaining matters

Recruit and coordinate services from legal volunteers and interns; and

Carry out special projects and other duties as required

Ensure the smooth and effective functioning of the Washington DC office; handle all office maintenance and facilities issues; liaise with the landlord on issues relating to the premises

Maintain and ensure staff compliance with office security protocols and staff training; ensure office safety standards are in compliance with HRW policies, landlord requirements and local regulations; administer local instance of the office access control system and video surveillance system

Provide administrative and operational support to the office, including processing visitors, supporting events held in the office, and maintaining records

Conduct the onboarding, orientation and departure of local staff, fellows, consultants and interns related to DC office protocols

Occasionally help set up for events at the DC office during after work hours; and

Carry out other duties as required

Provide administrative support including scheduling, preparing for and taking minutes at meetings, preparing agendas and background materials and processing mail

Process and track expenses

Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion, adhering to company policies and data protection regulations; and

Carry out other duties as required

Qualification

Legal office experienceResearch skillsOrganizational skillsMS Office proficiencyConfidentialityCommunication skillsInterpersonal skillsProblem-solvingSelf-motivationTeamwork

Required

A bachelor's degree, or equivalent working experience, is required

A minimum of three (3) years of relevant work experience is required

Outstanding organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail are required

Ability to maintain confidentiality, handle sensitive information and security matters is required

Research and analytical skills are required

Sound judgment, and an ability to problem-solve are required

Intellectual curiosity, an eagerness to take on responsibilities, and an ability to self-teach new topics are required

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required

Interpersonal skills in order to work collaboratively with HRW's talented, multi-national and diverse staff, as well as with external partners, are required

Self-motivation and an ability to prioritize tasks with minimal supervision, work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities while working effectively toward deadlines are required

Ability to work well independently as well as function as a member of a team is required

Proficiency in various computer packages, including MS Office applications, and ability to quickly learn other applications are required

Preferred

Prior experience in a legal office setting, including paralegal and administrative experience is highly desirable

Proficiency in other language is a plus

Benefits

Medical

Dental

Vision

Disability

Life insurance

Company

Human Rights Watch

Glassdoor3.2

Human Rights Watch is a non-profit and non-governmental human rights organization.

Founded in 1978

New York, New York, USA

201-500 employees

http://www.hrw.org/

H1B Sponsorship

Human Rights Watch has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (4)

2024 (4)

2023 (3)

2022 (7)

2021 (3)

2020 (6)