Research Technologist

FIXED-TERM FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIST
Digital Investigations Lab
Technology, Rights and Investigations Division
Multiple Office Locations Considered
Application deadline: September 1, 2024
 
The Digital Investigations Lab within the Technology, Rights and Investigations Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a Research Technologist. The role, under the supervision of senior team members, will specialize in computer assisted reporting methods that involve the creative and ethical acquisition of data from online sources, as well as building out technical solutions to automate research, for instance software development, writing scripts, integrating open source tools within workflows.  The Digital Investigations Lab conducts rigorous human rights investigations, working in partnership with Human Rights Watch’s thematic and regional researchers. 

This role is an opportunity for a technologist to join a team of passionate, solution-oriented researchers to enhance how they find, collect and process large amounts of information to conduct human rights investigations. This role would suit a creative technologist with systems administration experience who is excited about using technology to answer questions about some of the world’s most pressing human rights issues, from investigating automated decision-making systems, to exposing companies involved in illegal mining practices.

This full-time position reports to the head of Open Source Investigations in the Digital Investigations Lab, part of the Technology, Rights and Investigations Division, and is expected to collaborate closely with HRW’s  Information Security team and the office of the Chief Information Officer, along with other teams across the organization. This is a fixed-term position for one year. 

The successful candidate may have the option to work remotely. The position will preferably be based in one of HRW’s European offices (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, or Stockholm) or remotely in an African or European timezone, but may be based in North or South America. We aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible in both the recruitment and onboarding of this position.

Responsibilities:
 
1. Creatively acquire and analyze data for human rights investigations across various thematic and geographic areas, in line with the priorities set by Human Rights Watch’s global strategy. This acquisition of data could involve: scraping public information, creating machine readable data with approaches such as optical character recognition, finding hard to access data, finding company and website data, etc.; 
2. Work closely with HRW’s Information Security and Technology team (IST) to ensure that information is securely managed and that any scripts, software, or new tools conform to HRW’s in-house security and safety standards;
3. Automate ways of working by building out technical solutions to automate day-to-day research processes within the Digital Investigations Lab. This could involve integrating open-source tools within the team’s existing workflows, software development, writing scripts to automate daily tasks, and exploring machine learning techniques. 
4. Integrate findings and analysis into Human Rights Watch research by collaborating closely with the Digital Investigations Lab and other researchers to analyze the data, write up findings, and present information, either on GitHub or on the HRW’s website in a concise and accurate manner, in accordance with guidance provided by Human Rights Watch;
5. Present work at conferences, workshops, or to donors and others as required and when the opportunity arises;
6. Collaborate and coordinate with colleagues who have diverse technical backgrounds located around the world who conduct investigations with non-traditional human rights techniques (e.g. remote sensing, data analysis, open source investgations) on the effective delivery of activities and outputs in a fast-paced environment where new challenges often present themselves
7. Collaborate with researchers across HRW regional and thematic divisions to develop research and investigation plans and explore strategies to incorporate technology, open source data and research methodologies into investigations; 
8. Follow and help set best practices as set out by the Digital Investigations Lab on storing data, discovery, verification and analysis of data, ensuring consistency across how research is carried out across the organization;  
9. Develop internal standards, processes and best practices concerning the ethical and secure acquisition, storage and analysis of data with other interested parties internally;
10. Deliver outputs in a timely manner and maintain consistency with the agreed strategy and priorities of the division;   
11. Work with the Communications Department to present the findings of investigations involving computer-assisted reporting methods in new, clear and compelling ways; and
12. Perform other tasks, as may be required.  

Qualifications:

Education: A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience is required.

Experience: A minimum of five years of relevant experience developing tools to obtain and manage different types of data and information for use in investigative research is required.

Required Skills and Knowledge
1. Curiosity about digital investigations and geospatial analysis and, at minimum, an interest in learning the skills to do such work is required;
2. Proficiency in extracting data from the internet via both official (API) and unofficial (scraping) methods is required;
3. Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Python, R) is required;
4. Proficiency with data munging, cleaning, analysis, and visualization is required;
5. Recent, demonstrable System Administration experience with a focus on Azure, Windows and Linux operating systems is required;
6. Proven experience in software development with a creative approach to technology and problem-solving is required;
7. Strong understanding of open-source software principles and experience in contributing to open source projects;
8. Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Github etc.);
9. Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills;
10. Proficiency with Linux and the command line is required;
11. Familiarity with generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT and an interest in learning about the application of machine learning methodologies to open source research;
12. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required; additional languages are advantageous;
13. Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and adjust to changing priorities, including making progress independently toward short and longer term projects is required;
14. Excellent organization, communication, and interpersonal skills, and the ability to respectfully engage with people from different backgrounds, countries, and cultures at varying level of technical expertise are required. 

Salary and Benefits: HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance. HRW offers a relocation assistance package and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; people of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. The salary range for this position if based in the US is USD 80,000 – 88,000 Salary ranges outside of the US vary based on location.

How to Apply: Please apply by September 1, 2024, by visiting our online job portal at careers.hrw.org and attaching a cover letter and resume, preferably in PDF format. No calls or email inquiries, please. Only complete applications will be reviewed, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application submission or require a disability related accommodation, please email recruitment@hrw.org. Due to the large response, application submissions via email will not be accepted and inquiries regarding the status of applications will go unanswered.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio- economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high- profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.

Last updated on Aug 9, 2024