Advisor, Planning and Impact at Human Rights Watch

The Advisor, Planning and Impact will report to the Deputy Program Director, Program Office, and will preferably be based in one of HRW’s main offices.  This is a 12-month fixed term contract, ideally to begin in January 2026.  

Responsibilities:

1. Lead the implementation and strengthening of HRW’s strategic planning, and MEL standards and practices, aligned with organizational goals and human rights principles.
2. Work directly with Departmental and Divisional leadership teams to strengthen HRW’s capabilities for strategic planning and impact assessment.
3. Build strategic planning and MEL capacity among program and advocacy staff through training, mentorship, and resource development.
4. Develop and manage organizational guidelines and toolkits to support effective strategy development and assessment.
5. Under the guidance of the Program Office, promote a culture of reflection, planning for impact, evidence-based decision-making and adaptive learning across teams.
6. Support nimble and effective strategic planning processes that produce focused, well-resourced plans that advance HRW’s global goals.
7. Ensure rigorous evaluation methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative approaches appropriate for human rights contexts.
8. Maintain high standards in data collection and analysis and provide technical support to staff; Ensure project-level planning and assessment can effectively build to goal-level programming and assessment.
9. Produce quarterly and annual impact reports, including program-performance analysis for senior leadership.
10. In close collaboration with the Global Strategy Hubs, facilitate internal learning processes and reflection workshops to apply lessons learned in program design and delivery.
11. Produce learning products, such as briefs, reports, and case studies, for internal and external dissemination.
12. Collaborate with program, advocacy, media and development teams to translate strategic plans and MEL findings into accessible formats for stakeholders and the public.
13. Contribute to funding proposals, including developing compelling theories of change, results frameworks, and MEL narratives.
14. Guide effective means of collaboration across teams and encourage new ways of working specifically around theory of change development and planning for impact.
15. Perform other tasks, as may be required.

Qualifications

Education: A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in international relations, human rights, law, social sciences, economics, or related studies is required.

Experience: A minimum of seven years of progressive experience in the area of strategy design, implementation and assessment, or in the area of organizational development, with specific experience in organizational-level strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Preferably within the human rights, social justice or international development sectors.