Call for Applications: Research and Analysis Officer

HuMENA is recruiting a Research and Analysis Officer to lead the organization’s day-to-day research, monitoring, and analytical work on civic space and the protection of human rights defenders across the MENA region. The role covers civic space in its full scope — fundamental freedoms, digital civic space, and civic space in exile — together with monitoring and documenting the situation of human rights defenders. The Research and Analysis Officer produces HuMENA’s regular analytical outputs, builds and sustains a professional network of contacts across priority countries, supports HuMENA’s statements and advocacy positions with verified evidence, and represents HuMENA in selected partner meetings and regional missions.

AT A GLANCE

1. BACKGROUND

HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement is a non-profit, non-partisan human rights organization headquartered in Brussels, with a regional office in Beirut and team members working across the MENA region and in exile. HuMENA works to protect and expand civic space, support human rights defenders and civil society actors, and advance fundamental freedoms in contexts marked by repression, conflict, displacement, and shrinking public freedoms.

HuMENA approaches civic space in its full scope, across three interconnected dimensions: fundamental freedoms — freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association; digital civic space — online expression, surveillance, technology-facilitated abuse, platform regulation, and the digital protection of human rights defenders; and civic space in exile — transnational repression, diaspora political participation, and the rights and conditions of exiled defenders. The protection of human rights defenders cuts across these dimensions and is integral to HuMENA’s mandate: from monitoring arrests, prosecutions, and reprisals, to documenting patterns of judicial harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and transnational repression targeting HRDs, their families, and partner organizations.

HuMENA also works with activists, journalists, researchers, and marginalized communities, including women, LGBTQI+ persons, refugees, migrants, and exiled defenders, whose access to public participation is often restricted or targeted. HuMENA combines research, documentation, advocacy, capacity-building, and strategic communications. We monitor civic space and HRD developments, produce legal and policy analysis, support rights-based campaigns, engage with UN and EU mechanisms, and develop practical tools and resources for civil society actors working under pressure.

2. POSITION SUMMARY

The Research and Analysis Officer leads HuMENA’s day-to-day research, monitoring, and analytical work on civic space and the protection of human rights defenders across the MENA region. The role covers HuMENA’s full civic space mandate — fundamental freedoms, digital civic space, and civic space in exile — and tracks the situation of human rights defenders across priority countries, including arrests, prosecutions, reprisals, intimidation, and patterns of judicial harassment.

The role combines desk-based monitoring with direct engagement: the Research and Analysis Officer builds and sustains a network of contacts across priority countries, conducts periodic in-person missions to meet partners, human rights defenders, and stakeholders, and represents HuMENA in selected partner meetings and external engagements. The role supports HuMENA’s statements, advocacy positions, and donor reporting with verified evidence and rigorous analysis. The role is both substantive and field-engaged.

3. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Research and Analysis Officer will:

• Conduct daily monitoring of civic space and human rights developments across the MENA region, covering HuMENA’s full civic space mandate (fundamental freedoms, digital civic space, and civic space in exile) and the situation of human rights defenders
• Maintain comprehensive, up-to-date country files documenting legal, political, and rights-related developments
• Maintain case files on individual human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and partner organizations under threat, tracking arrests, prosecutions, reprisals, and intimidation
• Verify reported incidents through primary sources, direct contact with partners, and rigorous source triangulation
• Build and sustain a professional network of contacts — including human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and partner organizations — across priority countries
• Produce HuMENA’s Weekly Civic Space Brief, in coordination with the Executive Director and the Communications Manager
• Develop pattern notes identifying trends, convergences, and emerging risks across the region
• Author HuMENA’s monthly and quarterly civic space and rights analysis outputs
• Produce verified backgrounders and evidence packs to support HuMENA statements, submissions, and advocacy positions, including interventions on individual HRD cases
• Contribute research and analytical sections to donor reports and grant deliverables
• Conduct periodic in-person missions to meet partners, human rights defenders, and stakeholders in priority countries
• Represent HuMENA in selected partner meetings, coalition gatherings, and external engagements as agreed with the Programs Lead and the Executive Director
• Participate in HuMENA’s UN and EU advocacy engagements as relevant to the role, including the preparation of submissions, briefing notes, and follow-up materials
• Coordinate with the Communications Manager on the translation of analytical outputs into accessible public-facing content
• Coordinate with the Programs Lead to align research outputs with programmatic deliverables and donor commitments
• Contribute to HuMENA’s annual planning and identification of research priorities for the year ahead

4. WORKING STANDARDS AND POSTURE

In the discharge of these responsibilities, the Research and Analysis Officer shall:

• Apply rigorous standards of source verification, factual accuracy, and analytical integrity to all outputs
• Uphold HuMENA’s rights-based framing and editorial standards: factual, legally precise, non-rhetorical, and aligned with international human rights law
• Apply a gender- and ability-sensitive perspective throughout research outputs, with attention to the distinct patterns of risk faced by women HRDs, LGBTQI+ defenders, and HRDs with disabilities
• Refer content involving political, legal, or human rights sensitivity to the Programs Lead and the Executive Director for clearance prior to publication
• Respect agreed timelines and communicate proactively where delivery is at risk

The Research and Analysis Officer is expected to bring initiative and ownership to the role: proposing research priorities, identifying patterns and emerging risks, and taking the lead in shaping HuMENA’s analytical output. This initiative is exercised within HuMENA’s strategic and editorial framework.

The position is full-time, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 Brussels time.

5. PLANNING AND REPORTING

The Research and Analysis Officer and the Programs Lead shall agree at the outset on a working rhythm for planning and reporting. As a starting point: a forward research plan shared at the beginning of each month, a brief monthly account of work undertaken and outputs delivered, and a quarterly conversation on direction and priorities. The format and frequency may be revised as the working relationship develops.

6. WHAT HUMENA PROVIDES

To enable the Research and Analysis Officer to deliver against this assignment, HuMENA will:

• Provide a structured induction, including the editorial style guide, research and documentation protocols, security and protection guidelines, the Artificial Intelligence policy, and existing country files
• Share access to project documentation, the existing partner and source network, prior research outputs, and ongoing programmatic workstreams
• Designate single points of contact in programs, communications, advocacy, finance, and administration
• Provide a dedicated annual travel allocation for regional missions, with per diem, insurance, and visa support facilitated by HuMENA
• Provide paid annual leave and public holidays in line with HuMENA’s policies
• Provide regular feedback and qualitative review at agreed intervals
• Support professional development opportunities aligned with HuMENA’s mission and the Officer’s growth, including access to psychosocial support where appropriate

7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Research and Analysis Officer’s work involves direct access to information about human rights defenders, sources at risk, sensitive cases, and confidential organizational matters. The selected candidate will sign a confidentiality undertaking before commencing work and will operate in accordance with HuMENA’s Code of Conduct, Confidentiality, Security, Data Protection, and Artificial Intelligence policies, which form an integral part of the engagement.

The role is delivered within the framework of HuMENA’s Guidelines on Security and Protection. In particular, the Research and Analysis Officer shall:

• Operate under a strict do-no-harm principle, flagging in writing any source, content, or research process that could expose individuals, communities, or partner organizations to additional risk before publication or release
• Treat reprisals against HRDs — including reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms, as well as reprisals affecting relatives, networks, and partner organizations — in line with the UN framework on intimidation and reprisals
• Maintain professional independence in research judgments, free from external pressure by donors, governments, or political actors

8. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The Research and Analysis Officer shall disclose in writing, at the application stage, any current or recent advisory, employment, or representational relationship with HRDs, civil-society organizations, governments, donors, or international bodies that could create an actual or perceived conflict of interest with this assignment, and shall update this disclosure in writing during the engagement should new relationships arise. Disclosure does not automatically disqualify the candidate; non-disclosure does.

9. REQUIRED PROFILE

Essential

• A minimum of four years of professional experience in research, monitoring, documentation, or analysis within a human rights, civil society, or policy organization
• Demonstrated expertise in civic space and the protection of human rights defenders, with depth in one or more dimensions — fundamental freedoms (expression, assembly, association), digital civic space, or civic space in exile — and working knowledge across the field
• Demonstrated track record of producing institutional-standard analytical written outputs (briefs, reports, policy notes)
• Sound understanding of the MENA region’s political, legal, and human rights contexts
• Working familiarity with international human rights mechanisms, including UN Special Procedures, the Universal Periodic Review, and EU human rights structures
• Native Arabic and strong English (written and spoken)
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently, manage competing priorities, and deliver high-quality work without close supervision
• Demonstrated experience building and sustaining professional networks with human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, or civil society partners
• Sound judgment on security-sensitive material, source protection, and basic OPSEC awareness
• Comfort with public speaking, panel participation, and on-camera or on-record engagement in Arabic and English
• Valid passport and willingness to travel regionally and internationally; HuMENA facilitates visa applications where required
• Comfortable and motivated working in a small, collaborative, remote team across MENA and Brussels

Desirable

• A Master’s degree in human rights, law, political science, sociology, media studies, or a related discipline
• Working knowledge of French
• Prior published analytical work (reports, policy briefs, op-eds, peer-reviewed articles) on civic space, HRD protection, digital rights, or exile activism in the MENA region
• Experience representing an organization in external settings (panels, donor meetings, advocacy missions)
• Familiarity with verification methodologies, OSINT tools, and case documentation databases
• Experience working on transnational repression, exile activism, or diaspora political participation
• Existing professional relationships within MENA human rights, digital rights, or civic space networks

Encouraged to apply.  Applications from women, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, candidates with lived experience of exile or displacement, and applicants from marginalized communities across the MENA region are strongly encouraged. HuMENA is committed to equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, age, or any other protected characteristic.

10. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The first three months of the engagement constitute a probation period, at the end of which a formal probation review is held. Beyond probation, performance is assessed qualitatively by the Programs Lead and the Executive Director, based on direct observation, quality of outputs, engagement with teams and priorities, and contribution to HuMENA’s analytical work and rights-based positions. Formal reviews are held at month six and month twelve; any agreed adjustments are recorded in writing.

11. HOW TO APPLY

Applications must include:

• A CV (maximum 3 pages)
• A one-page motivation letter
• Two or three samples of analytical work the candidate has personally authored on MENA human rights or civic space topics (published or unpublished, up to ten pages per sample); confidential or sensitive materials should not be submitted
• A written response of no more than 500 words to the following question: “Describe a situation in which you produced research or analysis without close supervision. How did you identify priorities, make decisions about scope and methodology, and assess the quality of your own work? What would you do differently?”
• A short conflict-of-interest disclosure, half a page is sufficient
• Contact details for two professional references (contacted only at the shortlisting stage)

Applications received after the deadline or missing required components will not be reviewed. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The selection process includes initial screening of applications, two interviews with HuMENA leadership, a practical task (drafting a verified backgrounder and a short analytical brief on a specified MENA civic space or HRD-related incident or trend, under a defined deadline), and reference checks.

12. SELECTION CRITERIA

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

HuMENA reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates, request clarifications, and to choose not to award the contract if no application meets the required quality threshold.