WITNESS

People Relations Coordinator

ABOUT WITNESS 

We are a global human rights organization, comprised of a team of passionate human rights activists with remote staff based across 5 continents. WITNESS’ mission is to help people use video and technology to protect and defend human rights. While we’re legally a non-profit that is registered as a 501(c)3 in the U.S, our multi-disciplinary team of 55 staff members (as well as consultants, interns, fellows and a vast community of partners and collaborators) are based around the world and reflect a group of activists with diverse skills and backgrounds. 

WHAT WE DO

WITNESS pairs grassroots community support with advocacy at a systems level. Our team works holistically on a global scale to understand how communities are using and want to use video and technology for human rights.  With a cellphone camera, anyone can become a human rights defender and expose injustice, making it harder for perpetrators to hide or for systems of oppression to remain invisible.  But using video for community organizing, justice and accountability can be dangerous – videos can put defenders (or those they film) at risk, can be used against communities in court or deceitfully discredited by tired old power narratives.  Filming is almost never enough – for videos to make a difference they need to work alongside strong advocacy or legal strategies; they also need to be created, preserved and shared in ways that avoid creating more harm or trauma.

New threats to human rights are emerging at the intersection of artificial intelligence, misinformation and disinformation and a global wave of rising authoritarianism.

When it comes to systemic challenges we are on the watch for both existing problems – like how large amounts of critical human rights footage are lost because of the arbitrary decisions of platforms – but also emerging threats and opportunities, such as those posed by ‘deepfakes’, new ways to manipulate media to make it look like someone said or did something they never did.

THE TEAM

Committed to the organization’s mission and vision, you will be part of a dynamic, global team of activists who work across the world and in different time zones. The People Team currently consists of a Senior Global People Partner and a People Operations Specialist and sits within WITNESS’ broader Operations Team. 

THE ROLE 

The People Relations Coordinator plays a key supporting role in designing and implementing human resource processes and practices that foster a positive employee experience and an organizational culture that is healthy, values-aligned and empowers staff to achieve impact in line with WITNESS’ mission.

This role will support the WITNESS employee experience across many countries around the globe, with a specific focus on recruitment, on/offboarding, culture building and staff growth, in line with WITNESS’ organizational values and DEIJ principles.

This requires balancing the need for an overarching, equitable and pragmatic employee experience with the realities of diverse local cultures, norms and personal preferences.

The role will occasionally assist with processes and systems related to the HR operations infrastructure for a globally-dispersed remote team. It will also support the design and implementation of policies, processes and practices that foster a collaborative, productive and sustainable work culture so WITNESS employees are engaged and able to deliver on the organization’s vision and goals.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage recruitment, onboarding and offboarding in coordination with the People Operations Coordinator [30%]

• Support recruitment processes by posting job openings, scheduling interviews, coordinating communication with candidates and hiring managers, and conducting screening calls and supporting in interviews as needed.
• Assist in onboarding new employees, ensuring an effective, clear and inclusive experience by coordinating orientation sessions, preparing onboarding materials, and supporting initial training processes.
• Facilitate offboarding for departing employees by coordinating exit interviews, managing documentation, and assisting with offboarding logistics in collaboration with the People Operations Specialist.
• Maintain a structured and updated repository of onboarding and offboarding resources, gathering feedback to refine and improve these processes over time.

Support work dedicated to culture building, DEIJ, organizational values and trauma in close collaboration with the Senior Global People Partner [30%]

• Coordinate and propose culture building activities in close collaboration with the Senior Global People Partner and the Deputy Executive Director.
• Support the design and manage the implementation of WITNESS’ annual Engagement Survey and sharing the results to the team.
• Maintain documentation, both internal and team-facing, including regarding WITNESS’ culture work and external resources in collaboration with external DEIJ consultants.
• Organize trauma training sessions and resources in collaboration with the Senior Global People Partner and external subject matter experts

Support in responding to Employee Relations matters [20%]

• Serve as a primary point of contact for employees on matters related to workplace relations, including handling initial inquiries related to HR policies, and workplace conflicts.
• Coordinate and support the Senior Global People Partner in conducting employee relations investigations, gathering documentation, and following up on resolutions.
• Maintain a confidential, comprehensive log of employee relations issues and solutions, ensuring accurate records for tracking trends and areas of improvement.

Support in policy design and manage policy implementation and data management [10%]

• In close collaboration with the People Team, support the design of People policies, promoting a DEIJ lens and alignment with WITNESS’ organizational values.
• Support the Senior Global People Partner and the People Operations Coordinator in ensuring adherence to global HR policies and organizational guidelines.
• Collaborate with the People Operations Specialist and/or Knowledge Management Team to roll out new policies, providing logistical and administrative support, training resources, and employee communications to ensure clarity and consistency in policy application.
• Regularly review and proactively propose improvements to People Relations policies and processes. 
• Ensure all process and policy documentation relevant to the People Relations Coordinator’s role is kept organized and up-to-date, to empower and increase clarity and effectiveness for both the People Team and the larger WITNESS team.

Provide occasional support, as needed, to People Operations Coordinator around operational processes and requests [10%]

• Act as a backup, when needed, in the implementation of or staff queries related to payroll, contracts, benefits, and employment, in collaboration with the People Operations Coordinator,
• Act as a backup when needed for the People Operations Coordinator to respond to staff queries or requests regarding HR operations-focused processes or policies.

From time to time the role will require the completion of additional duties commensurate with the level of this position as needed and requested by your manager.

PRINCIPAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports to: Senior Global People Partner

• Supervises: N/A

• Oversees: N/A

• Works closely with: 
  • People Operations Coordinator
  • Director of People and Systems
  • Chief of Staff
  • Knowledge Management Coordinator
  • Deputy Executive Director
  • IT Manager
  • All Staff

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Education: 

• You can tell us about your degrees, but we’re more interested in what your passions are and what skills and experience you bring. If your degrees are part of that story, great!  (But no formal education required).

Work experience: 

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in Human Resources, with a minimum 1 year of experience supporting a multi national team or involving complex employment regulations.
• Experience in a nonprofit setting preferred.

Functional experience, Knowledge and Skills:  

• Recruitment: Demonstrated experience in recruitment for a diverse, globally-dispersed  team;
• Employee Relations: Demonstrated experience supporting complex employee relations matters, incorporating values-based approaches and legal compliance constraints.
• Interpersonal skills & global culture: Proven ability to work inclusively across a global, diverse team. High levels of emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, empathy and curiosity.
• Discretion: Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion in relationships; Excellent judgment in a variety of situations and contexts.
• Autonomy: Ability to work independently and research solutions, trends approaches to make sound, thoughtful recommendations on actions, policies and processes.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to present information clearly and professionally to job candidates and employees at all levels.
• Language: English fluency essential; additional languages (especially Spanish, Portuguese) a plus 
• Travel: Approximately 1-3 international trips per year
• Location: UTC -6 through UTC -3
• Internet: Access to fast internet essential.

COMPENSATION 

WITNESS operates a salary localization policy using a combination of regularly reviewed foreign exchange rates and location adjustment multipliers. 

Based on current rates, gross salaries for some of our current locations are given as an example: 

• Brazil – BRL 199,900
• Colombia – USD 37,600
• Mexico – MXN 782,200
• USA  – USD 63,150

This is a fixed-term contract for 18 months with possibility of renewal.

BENEFITS

• Health: WITNESS offers competitive and robust medical benefits that cover an individual’s and their dependants’ medical, dental and vision at 100%.
• Life Insurance & AD & D: WITNESS provides life insurance and AD&D payable at one time (1x) the employee’s salary, to the beneficiary, in the event an employee were to expire while employed by the organization.
• Remote Work Stipend: WITNESS recognizes that flexible working arrangements are key to equity and inclusion in the workplace and we currently provide a monthly remote work allowance, we are happy to talk about the type of flexible arrangements that might work best for you. This remote work stipend is provided to all staff members to pay for extra equipment, electricity, stationery, internet, wellness,  or whatever an employee deems necessary in order to work remotely. Please note that a computer and basic accessories are provided to all employees at the time of hire.
• Pension Contributions: After 1 year of service at the organization, WITNESS will contribute 3% of an individual’s gross baseline salary towards a global retirement fund.
• Paid Time Off: WITNESS has a range of paid time off types that support our staff.
  • Vacation leave: that meets local statutory levels or 15 days whichever is higher, in addition to staff’s local public holidays. The vacation allowance increases by 5 after 3 years of service.
  • Personal / Wellness leave: 5 days staff can use at any time to recharge in recognition of the importance of supporting positive mental well being.
  • End of Year closure: this usually is equivalent to a minimum of 5 days leave in addition to any public holidays across the last week of December and early January.
  • Sick Leave: follows local statutory guidance however; WITNESS ensures a minimum of 10 days paid time off for occasional sickness and health related absences. A minimum of 6 weeks of full pay in instances of longer-term absence.
  • Sabbatical Leave: At the 10 year mark we offer staff 10 weeks of paid time off in order to take a break, gain new insights and expand their horizons.
• Work/ Life Balance : WITNESS believes in creating a healthy work environment in which  flexible schedules are available, we also understand that sometimes an employee may just require a few hours to take care of personal issues in which case they can adjust their hours to make up for the time instead of taking a full day of leave. Both are allowable once agreed upon with the departmental supervisors.
• Mental Health Policy: WITNESS feels that all employees should feel supported both physically as well as mentally while they are at work and realizes that many times the issues that we deal with, the materials that we watch and the events surrounding some of the work that we do, can lead to feeling “unwell” and not in a “good space”. Should a situation arise in which an Employee requests support on mental health, WITNESS will award  (10) days of “WITNESS” paid leave.
• Professional Development: In support of the growth and development of our staff, WITNESS regularly seeks opportunities for professional development, exposure to new skills and supports a culture of learning. 
• Reading Days: As part of this we offer staff 1 day per month where staff can take a day to read, study and connect more deeply with peers, partners and colleagues to further functional knowledge relevant to their role or deepen their general understanding and ability to support human rights work. 

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in joining the WITNESS team, please apply through BambooHR: https://witness.bamboohr.com/careers. You will need to attach your CV/resume and answer several application questions. 

Please note that if you are seeing this post in a 3rd party system (Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter etc), be sure that you are submitting an application via WITNESS’ application link above in BambooHR.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications must be submitted by end of day December 16th, 2024  to be considered in the first round of application screening. Depending on the outcome of this first round of applications, later applications may be considered. Please note that due to the volume of anticipated applications, we will not be able to respond individually to each applicant. We kindly ask that you do not send duplicate applications via mail or email, and no phone calls. No recruiters please.

WITNESS is a global human rights organization and aims to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the communities we work with. We are interested in building a talented team that brings their true selves with diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. We are interested in receiving applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. 

WITNESS is an equal opportunity employer. People of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, genders, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and individuals protected by any other statuses under international federal, state or local laws, including but not limited to, disability, marital, domestic partnership, familial, caregiver, transgender, military or veteran statuses, are encouraged to apply. 

http://www.witness.org