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.

Legal and Policy Coordinator UNCRC

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.

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

Please click Apply now and submit your CV with a covering letter

Closing date for applications: 9.00am, Monday 20 January 2025

Interview date: W/C 17 February, tbc