Executive DirectorNewMultiple Locations Considered

Executive Director

SpencerStuart is proud to partner with Human Rights Watch in the search for an Executive Director.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) defends the rights of people worldwide by scrupulously investigating abuses, exposing the facts, and pressuring those with power to respect rights and secure justice. It is an independent, international organization that plays a key role in a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. This work is guided by international human rights and humanitarian law. When it comes to ending abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice, some victories are big and others are merely steps on a much longer journey to change, whether that change is immediate or incremental. HRW works on issues for years and knows from experience how to transform deep-rooted problems. The work has always been significant and critical, and now it is also urgent. The next Executive Director will lead and influence HRW at a time of multiple, extraordinary, and in some cases unprecedented challenges for human rights, humanitarian laws, and the global rights-based system.

The Executive Director of HRW will champion the power and relevance of human rights globally in everyday lifenot just as legal protections, but as values that connect us all. Therefore, the role and the external visibility it brings stands to influence institutions of justice and civil society on the world stage. In doing so, the Executive Director will be responsible for the executive leadership of HRW, including all strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational aspects, and for serving as the public face of the organization. Reporting to and working closely with the HRW Board of Directors, the Executive Director, together with a high-functioning leadership team and talented and passionate staff, will focus on the following priorities :

• Shape and guide the organization's strategy and adapt it to meet the evolving challenges facing the organization and the human rights movement.
• Continue to uphold HRW's reputation and focus on research excellence through its methodological tenets of Investigate, Expose, Change; to maintain the organization's leadership role within the human rights movement; and to be the organization's preeminent advocate on the world stage.
• Support and steer the programmatic work being undertaken by HRW's talented staff, many of whom are well-known figures in the human rights movement.
• Work closely with the development team on broadening and enhancing donor relationships and refining HRW's fundraising approaches and strategies to expand its base of philanthropic support.
• Focus on organizational leadership to enable efficiency and effective decision-making and ensure the long-term health of the organization as it relates to financial, legal, compliance, and reputational risks.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, teamwork, and mutual respect to enable diverse, geographically dispersed teams to pursue a collective vision.

Human Rights Watch therefore seeks an Executive Director who will be :

Ideal experience :

Critical leadership capabilities :