Job Title: Business & Human Rights Officer

Duration: 1 year, with possibility of extension

Reports to: Business and Human Rights Team Leader

Duty Station: Bangkok, Thailand

SUMMARY

This is a key position in our growing organization that will focus on engaging local and global businesses to become more socially responsible and competitive through strengthened labor practices. Issara takes an innovative approach to working with Thai companies - utilizing data and worker voice channels to inform business decision making about labor conditions in their facilities. The BHR officer will help business identify and remove labour risk, resulting in better systems and workplace conditions for business and for workers. This is a unique opportunity to work with a wide range of businesses and industries, from leading national brands to small processors and farmers, at all tiers of the value chain.

The ideal candidate will be able to balance maintaining a relationship with businesses while advancing the rights and voice of local and migrant workers. The candidate will be analytical, organized, and able to work independently. Program management and private sector experience is required, as is training and facilitation ability and strong writing skills. The individual must have strong business acumen, ability to professionally present information to a range of stakeholders, and be comfortable balancing data and information from a wide range of stakeholders and understanding the business enabling environment, while upholding and advancing the standards of international buyers.

BACKGROUND

The Issara Institute is an independent non-profit organization based in Thailand, Myanmar, and the United States tackling issues of human trafficking and forced labour in global supply chains through data, technology, partnership, and innovation. The Institute was established in 2014 by a team of anti trafficking experts coming out of the United Nations who created an alliance of private sector, civil society, and government partners committed to addressing labour issues in global supply chains with practical, measurable, and scalable results. It is staffed by leading regional and international experts in labour rights, business consulting, and ethical sourcing, with additional technical advisors in the US and UK supporting the Institute’s work on an ongoing basis.

Issara Institute programming is run by four inter-linked teams:

1. Outreach and Empowerment – The O&E Team is comprised of professionals who are the nationality of the workers in the country of operations. Together the team has expertise in counseling, case management, hotline management, and digital communications, and are the key team linking Issara operations to the populations we aim to empower - jobseekers and workers.

2. Business and Human Rights - The BHR Team is comprised of locally-based, locally-informed professionals in the country of operations. The BHR Team’s main objective is to provide ongoing support and technical assistance to suppliers, recruiters, and industries to improve ethical labour recruitment and management practices, taking guidance from worker feedback and other empirically-based means of risk assessment.

3. Strategy and Global Partnerships - This team cultivates the connection and engagement between global brands, retailers, and importers, and the situation on the ground in their supply chains and more broadly. Transformations in how responsible sourcing is done globally are not possible without global buyers understanding and incentivizing more ethical labour recruitment and management systems within their supplier base.

4. Technology and Innovation includes research, technology, and worker voice tools and channels (the Issara multi-lingual hotline, Golden Dreams Android smartphone app, and social media) to better understand labour conditions in supply chains. People – including worker voice and feedback – are at the center of Issara’s data and intelligence work, and we conduct a wide range

of research, analytics, and technology development related to human trafficking and global supply chains – the people, the policies, the impact, and how to eliminate it.

SCOPE OF WORK

The BHR Officer will play an integral role on the Business & Human Rights Team, which carries out Issara’s supply chain improvement-oriented work. Through this work and collaboration with Issara’s Outreach and Empowerment team, staff have a rare opportunity to work with leading Thai businesses across the country, helping them to strengthen their ethical and responsible sourcing and recruitment.

Specific aspects of the scope of work include:

1. Inclusive Labour Monitoring, Primarily with Businesses in Strategic Partner Supply Chains

   • Build and maintain relationships with Thai businesses and industries, from large seafood processors and garment factories to fishing vessels and farmers

   • Work on labour-related issues, risks, and remediation, providing technical support to strengthen grievance mechanisms, labour recruitment processes, and other business systems related to human resource and production management. This includes ongoing coordination with Thai business on worker voice and corrective actions, and monitoring of progress on remediation.

   • Support supply chain reporting to Strategic Partners, including contributing to field reports sharing key findings from business workplace visits.

   • Conduct workplace assessment interviews with management and human resource departments (HR) of local businesses (in Thai language), and conduct analysis of business information in coordination with other Issara teams.

   • Coordinate and manage the logistics of field visits with Thai-speaking business partners, taking the lead on scheduling meetings and coordinating follow-up.

   • Ensure up to date and comprehensive entry of information – related to ongoing business response and remediation and also business profile/background – in the ILM internal data system.

   • Support Worker Satisfaction Surveys (WSS) – coordinate with businesses and other Issara teams on organization, conduct data collection with Thai workers, and support analysis and reporting of results to businesses.

1. Ethical Recruitment with Businesses in Strategic Partner Supply Chains

   • As part of ongoing work with suppliers, closely tied to ILM - collect, analyze, and discuss ongoing recruitment practice with Thai businesses. This includes supplier introductions, management interviews, and streamlined diagnostics with Thai businesses and recruitment agencies.

   • Support the formulation of Ethical Recruitment workplans, and communicate these plans to suppliers.

   • Coordinate with Thai businesses on ongoing recruitment of workers and recruitment practice, and share updates and analysis with all Issara teams in a documented and organized manner.

   • Coordinate closely with other Issara teams on ER information and workplans for suppliers and ongoing deliverables.

1. Training and Resource Development

   • Develop a clear workplan for the Issara Academy and all training and resource development for capacity building of Thai businesses, and ensure deliverables against that workplan.

   • Coordinate the creation of new training material for the Issara Academy, including facilitators guides.

   • Conduct training on business and human rights for company management, HR staff, line managers, supervisors, and others.

   • Support the creation of Thai-language resource materials for local business partners, including written and online products covering relevant legal and policy information, analysis of ongoing trends, and summaries of main Issara products and analysis.

   • Conduct webinars for multi-stakeholder audiences, including business, government, industry associations, CSOs, etc.

1. Outreach and Support to Thai Workers

1. Run Thai worker voice channels, outreach and data collection efforts, including running the Thai language helpline and responding to Thai workers on social media

2. Drive the creation of Thai-language resource materials relevant to Thai workers

1. Analysis, Reporting and Coordination

1. Coordinate with Thai government offices on an ongoing basis, building relationships for their participation in multi-stakeholder events, for confirmation of government policies and their publication and application, and for analysis of ongoing labour issues in Thailand.

2. Participate in relevant external events on BHR issues, including those on the Thailand seafood and fishing sector, and provide relevant information, analysis and translation to all Issara teams.

3. Ensure knowledge management of all relevant business and industry information, including translations of main government policies and other relevant analysis, and industry trends.

4. Support ongoing analysis of business information, both publicly available and through Issara’s ILM data system, and development of external analysis and research products.

QUALIFICATIONS

We have a lean, dynamic, seasoned team that is committed to change, innovation, and impact. We are conscientious, we hold a high standard of care for our beneficiaries, and understand that we have to be able to work effectively with partners spanning the largest multinational corporations to the smallest grassroots CBOs. Our work ecosystem is multi-cultural, respectful, and energetic, whether we are working on tasks in teams, or working alone. We aim to ensure that there are many opportunities for sharing, learning, and growth on our team, and are looking for individuals who would flourish in our unique environment.

The Business & Human Rights Officer should have at least 6-8 years of working experience from either the private sector, government, and/or international or national organizations (NGOs). Direct experience working with or in businesses in a business advisory and/or analytical capacity is mandatory. The ideal candidate will have strong negotiation, facilitation, and training skills, be comfortable with presentation and public speaking, and be committed to supporting both local businesses and their employees.

Desirable skills and experience within: business and human rights; supply chain and ethical sourcing; sustainability; CSR; facilitation and delivering training content; labour rights and project or business management/consulting. Fluency in English and Thai required, with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong representational and negotiation skills also required. Experience working in a professional, multicultural environment is mandatory. Must be able to handle confidential data with discretion.

Master’s degree in international development, business, area/social studies, and/or human rights. Willing to travel within Thailand and regionally.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send a CV, the names and contact details of three references, and a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and relevant expertise to admin@issarainstitute.org. Please note a cover letter specific to motivation and relevance for this position is required for consideration.

Detail : https://www.thaingo.org/jobs/detail/10888