Time Commitment:  Full time
Location: Delhi or Chandigarh
Duration: Six months

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), India is an independent, non-partisan, human rights non-governmental organisation working for the practical realisation of human rights. Access to Information and Access to Justice are two focus areas of CHRI’s work. For more information, please visit: www.humanrightsinitiative.org.

CHRI is presently seeking a dynamic and articulate candidate for the position of Senior Programme Officer to further its work on prison reforms in India. CHRI’s Prison Reforms Programme has worked in India for around 30 years. CHRI’s work is focused on increasing transparency of a traditionally closed system. A major area of work is checking gaps and failures of the legal system that result in terrible overcrowding and unconscionably long pre-trial detention and prison overstays, and engaging in interventions to ease this. We believe that attention to these areas will bring improvements to the administration of prisons as well as have a knock-on effect on the administration of justice overall.

Job Description: Responsibilities include:

• collecting and analysing literature and data on prisons and prisoners;
• engaging in advocacy with relevant stakeholders on various aspects of work undertaken;
• compiling, tabulating, interpreting and analysing data collected from primary and secondary resources;
• designing the research methodology for studies or surveys undertaken by CHRI;
• researching, drafting and editing publications on prisons, legal aid;
• organising and conducting workshops and seminars;
• developing suitable material for publication, and writing regularly for the media; initiating, moderating and popularizing the Prisons Reforms Programme’s e-forums, and social media discussion groups;
• coordinating and cooperating closely with other staff, including consultants; preparing work plans and reporting on progress periodically;
• conducting project-related correspondence; maintaining project documentation, drafting project proposals;
• represent the programme in meetings and forums as required;
• preparing progress reports for funders and other similar project-related work in general; other tasks, as needed.

Essential Qualifications:

• Degree in relevant area, such as law, criminology or social sciences; preferably at a post-graduate level
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience
• Understanding of and commitment to human rights
• Competent research and analytical skills
• Excellent written and spoken English and Hindi.
• Proven ability to work with a high degree of initiative and creativity under minimal guidance
• Excellent computer skills, including word processing, email, social media and internet research
• Knowledge of moderating email discussion groups and discussions in social media
• Enthusiastic and willing to learn
• Strong sense of commitment to work

Desirable qualifications:

• Experience of working in the field of Prison Reforms or Legal Aid
• Knowledge of other languages such as Punjabi/Bengali. 

The selected candidate shall be based in Delhi or Chandigarh, and travel within the country, as required. 

Salary: Remuneration will be commensurate with knowledge and experience levels.

Type of Appointment and duration: 6 months fixed term contract with a 1 month probation period. The contract may be extended up to May 2025, on mutual agreement.

To apply: Interested candidates may apply with a CV, a covering letter, contact details of two references and two writing samples of 2-4 pages to vinu@humanrightsinitiative.org with cc to madhurima@humanrightsinitiative.org.

Please use this subject line: Application: Prison Reforms Programme

Last date of submission is 31st July 2024. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. We regret we cannot reply to every applicant. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.