Researcher/Writer (Part-Time Consultancy)

Position description

The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) seeks a Researcher/Writer to lead an exciting new project within its Just Transitions Programme, focused on telling the stories of “stakeholder-led” net-zero transitions across diverse sectors and contexts. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in research and fieldwork; comprehensive knowledge of the leading standards and principles around meaningful stakeholder engagement; and proven ability to transform complex topics and research inputs into compelling, accessible, and solutions-oriented reports and communications packages.

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

IHRB was founded in 2009. Our vision is to achieve a more just, regenerative global economy where:

• Workers and communities are free and able to use their voices effectively to ensure their rights are respected.
• Businesses demonstrate respect for the rights of workers and communities, and the natural systems they depend on, in their purpose, operations, relationships, and value creation.
• Financial actors use their leverage to positively impact the scale and performance of their partners’ human rights and environmental responsibilities.
• Governments actively implement a smart mix of long-term incentives and disincentives that drive rights-respecting and planet-aligned business.

IHRB’s mission is to make respect for people and planet part of everyday business. We advance our mission through human rights-based research, targeted convening, and development of collaborative action with businesses, governments and civil society to shape policy, advance practice, and strengthen accountability at all levels.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

We believe action is most effectively inspired through leading-by-example and real-world stories demonstrating the art of the possible. Yet narratives illustrating the benefits of meaningful engagement between public and private enterprises and workers, communities, and indigenous groups are rare to non-existent within the net-zero agenda.

This project is specifically designed to address this gap. The aim is to invest significant effort in the search for inspiring examples of decision-makers within institutions and potentially affected groups working in meaningful partnership to achieve fast and equitable decarbonisation across sectors.

Over the last few years, we have seen a wave of high-profile commitments to just transitions by financial institutions, companies, industry associations, as well as cities and whole nations. But there is huge variance across approaches so far, with the quality of many approaches undermined by:

• Decision makers within institutions not prioritising how to shift the agency of how decisions are made, by whom, and for whom.
• Those designing transition policies and mechanisms are disconnected from those implementing them, as well as those impacted by them.
• Limited resources are allocated to engagement and accountability mechanisms at the local, project, regional, and national/international levels.
• Decision-makers are not “pricing in” the social value of transitions, creating a human and financial resource gap.

Multiple and complex transitions are underway across public and private enterprises, cities, and whole nations. There is an urgent need to highlight change-makers – from transitioning institutions and the frontline groups most affected – who are finding ways of doing things differently, working in partnership to navigate the social, environmental, and economic trade-offs involved in the race to net-zero.

Running over the course of two years (2024-2025 inclusive), this project will seek to capture the human dimensions and lessons-learned of how these partnerships were formed, what makes them work, how agency has been embedded in the process, and how accountability is maintained.

This is the reality of how “just” net-zero transitions will ultimately be judged: by the workers, communities, and indigenous groups most affected by the disruption and change. 

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The key phases and outputs of the project include:

• Participatory story identification: Open submissions portal to crowd-source examples of participatory transition processes from around the world while also drawing on IHRB’s global networks to identify examples that merit deeper consideration for featuring.
• Project Steering Group: Constitute a group of just transitions experts across worker, community, and indigenous groups, as well as business, finance, and government constituencies to guide the framing, selection, and promotion of each featured example.
• Development of 3-5 final stories: Based on desk research, site visits, and extensive engagement with the individuals being featured, draft the final 3-5 stories the project will feature, centering on the human dimensions and lessons-learned of how these partnerships were formed, what makes them work, how agency has been embedded in the process, and how accountability is maintained. (Exact format and publication calendar to be determined)
• Disseminate and Amplify: Package the 3-5 stories in accessible, visual, and compelling formats (interviews, photography, audio), to disseminate widely across owned- and earned-media platforms.
• Convene: 3x convenings platforming those featured to tell their stories and inspire others to learn from the key principles their examples embody. These will likely take place at:Dec 2024: COP29 (Azerbaijan)
• Apr/Oct 2025: World Bank Spring/Annual Meetings (Washington, D.C.)
• Dec 2025: COP30 (Brazil)
• Final Call-to-Action: Co-create with those featured in each example a final synthesis report of key learnings.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Investigating what values and framing for the stories will work best with our target audiences, informed by a robust literature review of the leading research and standards on meaningful stakeholder engagement and partnerships.
• Developing the model structure for each story and how the collection will fit together cohesively, including how the project will apply a GESI lens (gender equality and social inclusion) to ensure appropriate disaggregation and differentiation of stakeholder perspectives.
• Developing interview and engagement protocols built on ethical journalistic principles and rigorous safeguarding policies to ensure the upmost care and respect for those being featured. Maintaining an ethical and objective standard at all times.
• Traveling (with the project Media Manager) to the selected story locations and interviewing the change-makers involved (both within the transitioning institution and the group(s) potentially or actually affected) to understand how these partnerships were formed, what makes them work, how agency has been embedded in the process, and how accountability is maintained.
• Regularly presenting to and engaging with the Project Steering Group composed of just transition experts that will guide the framing, selection, and promotion of all stories.
• Drafting the 3-5 final stories selected, including both long-form feature and coordinating with design and communications colleagues to distil content into short-form supplements such as infographics, audio snippets and podcasts, data visualisations, etc.; working in close partnership with the Media Manager to ensure content is gathered and developed in a way that maximises the potential for widespread dissemination and media uptake.
• Coordinating closely with the rest of the project team (Head of Just Transitions, Just Transitions Programme Manager, Head of Communications, and wider IHRB team), in particular the project’s Media Manager to ensure robust and strategic content distribution to diverse media outlets.
• Supporting the coordination of and presenting at key events that bring together the featured changemakers in each story and a wider ecosystem of practitioners to be inspired toward action.

Other key activities will be agreed on an as-needed basis throughout the ongoing collaboration.

TIMEFRAME & CONTRACTING

• Timeframe: The project commences in January 2024 and concludes in January 2026. The individual or agency will be recruited for a one-year period initially, with a view to extending to the second year dependent on first-year performance and quality. The level of engagement is expected to be 0.5 FTE equivalent as a part-time consultancy, and candidates must be able to commit up to 10 days per month to the project. Exact working patterns will be agreed with the successful candidate.
• Contracting: This post will have a consultancy agreement subject to UK law.
• Compensation: IHRB can offer a day rate of up to £300/day including VAT for a maximum of 112 days per year. IHRB will review and benchmark proposed fees against its established ranges for non-profit consultancies with various levels of experience.

REQUIREMENTS

Experience & Knowledge

• At least 3-5 years experience in research and writing functions, particularly interview-driven long-form reports, human-interest stories, and more in-depth primary research projects. Research/writing backgrounds in climate, development economics, and/or human rights preferred.
• Experience writing compelling communications content (long- and short-form) to suit and engage different audiences.
• Demonstrable knowledge of meaningful stakeholder engagement and participation standards, principles, and approaches.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the socio-economic implications of industrial transitions to net-zero, preferably across a diversity of sectors (ie energy, agriculture, finance, the built environment, blue economy, etc).
• A demonstrable commitment to working on human rights and social justice issues preferred.
• Experience undertaking work that requires awareness of political sensitivities and careful diplomacy.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English required. Additional language skills also desirable but not required (project budget provides for interpretation/translation).
• High capacity to organise and manage multiple priorities and work under time pressure and with a fully remote team, demonstrating adaptability, enthusiasm, initiative, and a positive approach to problem solving.
• A fluid, natural, and clear communicator who has experience writing and editing solutions-oriented content for publication.
• Ability to relate well with diverse populations and age groups, including worker groups, communities, and indigenous populations affected by net-zero transitions, as well as the practitioners and decision makers within large transitioning institutions (public and private).

Location and Travel

• Location is home-based and therefore flexible globally, but timezones within 1-2 hours of GMT will be preferred in order to work best with the rest of the project team.
• Willingness to travel long distances up to 4 times a year is required.
• For potential site visits to remote locations, must maintain a valid driver’s license and good driving record, and proof of insurance and liability coverage may be required.

Application instructions

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