Position: Multimedia Specialist—Southeast Asia
Location: Bangkok, Thailand; Southeast Asia
Contract: 1 year, renewable
Start Date: TBD
Compensation: Competitive with benefits
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW:
Fortify Rights works to ensure and defend human rights for all. We investigate human rights violations, engage stakeholders, and strengthen initiatives led by human rights defenders, affected communities, and civil society. We believe in the influence of evidence-based research, the power of strategic truth telling, and the importance of working in close collaboration with individuals, communities, and movements pushing for change. Fortify Rights is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Southeast Asia and registered in the United States and Switzerland.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Multimedia Specialist produces high-impact multimedia content for publication, including investigative and promotional films, photography exhibits and photo essays, and audio productions, and trains others to do the same. The Multimedia Specialist works closely with Fortify Rights’ Human Rights Specialists in Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia and in collaboration with the executive leadership to document and expose human rights violations through audio and visual multimedia, and to conduct other relevant storytelling. S/he also works collaboratively with local human rights defenders and affected communities to strengthen and support their initiatives. S/he works to expand the abilities of human rights defenders and affected communities to use multimedia for the promotion and protection of human rights by facilitating tailored workshops, participatory trainings, and by other means. The Multimedia Specialist reports to the Executive Director and receives strategic direction and technical oversight from the Chief Executive Officer. Fortify Rights will provide necessary and state-of-the-art hardware and equipment.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Produce, shoot, and edit high-impact investigative films, photo exhibitions, audio productions, and other media content featuring information from Fortify Rights’ investigations and partner-led initiatives for distribution online and via other platforms. Develop scripts, storyboards, photo captions, and other narrative guides that provide a sound analysis of research findings.
- In collaboration with Fortify Rights’ executive leadership and country-based teams, develop a concrete and coherent multimedia strategy utilizing the latest technologies aimed at ensuring human rights for all. Establish clear, achievable objectives to address human rights violations through film, photography, and other mediums, as well as other relevant storytelling.
- Monitor human rights practices in Southeast Asia and serve as a credible, reliable source of human rights information, both internally and externally.
- In coordination with Fortify Rights’ country-based teams, investigate priority human rights issues through interviews, focus group discussions, site visits, document collection, secondary research, and other forms of evidence collection in line with best practices.
- Develop positive relationships with human rights defenders, allied organizations, and affected communities in Southeast Asia. In coordination with Fortify Rights’ country-based teams, Develop and conduct workshops and participatory trainings for Fortify Rights’ partners, including human rights defenders and affected communities, on utilizing film and visual multimedia to promote and protect human rights.
- Work with country-based teams, the Development Specialist, the Finance Specialist, and the executive leadership to contribute to fundraising initiatives and monitoring and evaluation processes as needed. Contribute to timely reporting of project activities, expenses, and impacts.
- Work closely in collaboration with the Fortify Rights team, including the executive leadership, Development Specialist, and other Human Rights Specialists, to ensure effectiveness, scale the organization’s impact, and ensure sustainability.
- Perform other tasks as requested.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience in all relevant aspects of multimedia work, including script development, film and photography editing, sound recording, etc. is required.
- Post-graduate degree in relevant fields or comparable work experience. At least five years demonstrated experience producing high quality and creative multimedia projects—including investigative films, photography, and audio production—preferably in the field of human rights or journalism. Experience working in video journalism is highly preferred.
- Experience in international human rights research, documentation, strategic advocacy, working with and providing support to human rights defenders or at the community level is preferred.
- Understanding or demonstrated ability to learn human rights research ethics, methodologies, and best practices; human rights and humanitarian law, and local, regional, and international advocacy strategies is preferred. Country-based knowledge of human rights in Southeast Asia preferred.
- Excellent organizational and decision-making skills. Ability to self-manage and work efficiently in a fast-paced but flexible environment. Ability to cope with stress in healthy and productive ways.
- Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of people, including survivors and witnesses of abuse, news media, and others.
- Experience working collaboratively and effectively with human rights defenders and affected communities. Ability to develop and facilitate participatory trainings and workshops and provide ongoing technical support to human rights defenders and partner organizations in using multimedia to promote and protect human rights.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a flexibly structured team. A willingness to learn and contribute to a positive team environment. A desire for innovation and creative solutions to complex problems.
- Willingness to travel regularly within Southeast Asia. This may include travel to remote and potentially insecure areas.
- Fluency in written and oral English required. Additional language skills preferred.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
To be discussed with short-listed candidates.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Fortify Rights seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Fortify Rights is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse pool of applicants.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please apply immediately by emailing your resume and cover letter to fortify.rights@fortifyrights.org with the Subject Line “MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST.” No calls or email inquiries, please. Due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted further.
Closing Date: 05 December 2016
