Duration: Two years, six months’ probation
Reporting to: Executive Director
Salary: In line with ICCL’s pay scale, the salary range for this position is €65,000-€80,000.
About the Role
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is the foremost civil liberties organisation in Ireland with a long and successful track record of defending human rights and civil liberties, including at times when the political climate was hostile to their protection. Fully independent of government and fearless in our advocacy for human rights, we have been at the forefront of all the key human rights debates in Irish society, making a significant impact on law, policy and public opinion.
ICCL are looking for an experienced Head of Research and Policy to plan and ensure the delivery of an agreed policy and research agenda that supports ICCL’s strategic plan. The successful candidate will provide a timely flow of impactful, well researched and legally accurate policy outputs from within the policy team, with particular emphasis on the areas of Justice, Equality and Democratic Freedoms.
Main Responsibilities
1. Planning and Strategy
• Ensure that the policy agenda and research requirements of ICCL’s strategy are supported and actioned. • Contribute to ICCL’s strategic planning exercises.
• Collaborate with the rest of the senior management team to ensure the implementation of the Strategic Plan and contribute to decisions on the general direction of ICCL and how it conducts its business.
• Develop and implement a process to monitor legislative and policy developments in the areas set out in ICCL’s strategic plan
2. Research and Policy Output
• Act as key sign-off authority on ICCL research and policy output in designated areas – specifically in the areas of Justice, Equality and Democratic Freedoms.
• Subject to the overall responsibility of the Executive Director for all ICCL output, ensure the legal accuracy of ICCL’s policy output in the areas of Justice, Equality, and Democratic Freedoms.
3. Communications, Networking and Influencing
• Working closely with the Communications Team and the Executive Director, communicate and represent ICCL’s research and policy output to key stakeholders, including through media, making ICCL’s output relevant, interesting and impactful to our key audiences.
• Represent the ICCL nationally and internationally in support of and in conjunction with the Executive Director ensuring that the organisation is visible and advocating on behalf of human rights.
• Assist in developing, and engage in advocacy and representational work that effectively promotes ICCL’s objectives.
• Develop and maintain high-level relationships with international organisations, government and statutory bodies, donors, academia, the legal community, media and non-governmental organisations.
Specific Objectives of the Role
1. Policy
• Work with the Executive Director to develop research and policy priorities for the organisation, in line with ICCL’s strategic plan.
• Agree policy positions of ICCL in consultation with the Executive Director.
2. Team management
• Manage the performance, work quality and outputs of research and policy staff, interns and consultants.
• Use the performance management system constructively to provide a structured mechanism for giving and receiving feedback so as to enhance standards of individual and teamwork.
• Actively encourage the career development of the Research and Policy Team through robust performance management, mentoring and encouragement of opportunities for self -development.
• Advise research and policy staff on research focus, methodology and standard of writing to ensure that ICCL’s research remains of the highest possible quality and credibility.
• Take responsibility for recruitment of new staff as required.
3. Deliverables
• Plan and oversee preparation of ICCL submissions on key areas of law reform, including the areas of justice, equality and democratic freedoms.
• Ensure that ICCL’s research and policy outputs respond to and engage with the agendas of the organisation’s stakeholders, in particular rights holders, policy-makers, political actors and donors.
• Assume primary responsibility for producing regular research and policy reports to the ICCL’s Executive/Board and to its sub-committee on research and policy as requested.
• Engage with and contribute to the work of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations on behalf of ICCL and other networks of which ICCL is a part.
• Act as spokesperson for ICCL as required, and often at short notice, especially on current policy matters, including in the absence of the Executive Director.
4. Deputy role
• Deputise for the Executive Director when he is unavailable, in line with relevant ICCL procedures and policies.
Essential Requirements of the Job Holder
• A recognised postgraduate level degree in human rights, or a related discipline, or a possible combination of human rights and law qualifications.
• Significant work experience at senior research and/or policy development level. While the number of years of this experience is not stated, it is important that the previous experience has been at a level that has made a significant contribution to the employing organisation.
• First-class research, drafting and writing skills.
• A strong working knowledge of international and Irish human rights and equality standards and current issues.
• Proven capacity to produce high-quality research or policy material to tight and sometimes competing deadlines. • Leadership ability as demonstrated through track record of successfully managing the performance and morale of other professionals, particularly in a team context.
• Capacity to integrate effectively into a small organisation and to work collaboratively with other senior managers and across functions.
• Excellent communication skills typically demonstrated through:
• Respect for the values of ICCL and a motivation to join in its drive to advocate for human and civil rights.
Desirable Requirements
• Relevant qualification to PhD level, in Human Rights or related field.
• Knowledge of EU law.
• Experience of media engagement via social media and print and broadcast media.
• Direct professional experience of engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
• Excellent organisational, time management and administrative skills, and experience of project management.
• A desire to deliver excellence, sometimes under tight deadlines and ability to deal with varied and changing demands on their time while remaining calm under pressure.
• Complete competence with new media technologies and IT.
•Awareness of the challenges facing a small civil liberties and human rights organisation such as ICCL in campaigning for an equal and fair society.
Further Information
• ICCL provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in relation to access to employment, conditions of employment, training or experience for or in relation to employment, promotion or re-grading or classification of job, and in other employment decisions without discrimination on grounds of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller community.
• We believe that diversity is crucial in our work, and we aspire to reflect this in our workforce. We welcome applications from people with disabilities, those who belong to minoritised or over-policed communities or areas, and those who have been affected by social and structural injustice. We also recognise that some applicants from these backgrounds may face barriers to accessing or progressing in our sector. If you meet some, but not all, of the job requirements and come from a less privileged background, we strongly encourage you to apply.
• This role requires applicants to have the right to work in Ireland.
Application Process
Please submit an up-to-date CV and a cover letter to info@iccl.ie by 5pm on Friday 6 October 2023. Please include ‘ICCL Head of Research and Policy – Application’ in the subject line of the email. Any informal queries about the role can be directed to Liam Herrick, ICCL Executive Director, at liam.herrick@iccl.ie.
For more information, please visit: https://www.iccl.ie/news/were-hiring-head-of-research-and-policy/