Deputy Head of Digital, Connectivity

Responsible to: Head of Digital

Key Relationships: Connectivity Project Programme Officers (2)

Contract: Permanent

Working Hours: Full-time, 37.5 per week

Salary: USD 75,712 – 97,344 (determined on the basis of a combination of factors, including skills, experience, and location)

Location: U.S.-based (remote/flexible work possible)

Working Language: English

Special Conditions: Travel required, occasionally extended

ABOUT US

Established in 1987, ARTICLE 19 (A19) works for a world where all people everywhere can freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear or discrimination. Our mission is to promote and defend the universal human rights of freedom of expression and information around the world, through international advocacy, legal analysis, and regional and national projects. Our Vision is for all people everywhere to be able to freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear of discrimination.

A19 has been expanding and strengthening our international reach by consolidating our presence outside the UK, recruiting national or regional staff, and establishing strong and operationally autonomous national or regional offices. Being based in the countries and regions in which we work, we believe we have a better understanding of regional and national realities and local needs and thus have greater impact on freedom of expression developments. We are able to respond more swiftly to opportunities or crises. We are closer to our partners, and thus more capable to respond to their demands and strengthen interactions and capacities.

Under the direction of A19’s organisational strategy, the mandate of the Global Digital Programme is to build and strengthen human rights considerations in the design, development, and deployment of Internet infrastructure technologies. To do so, we carry out a range of tactics in collaboration with other A19 offices and teams, including engaging in research, technical standardisation, multilateral advocacy, law and policy advocacy, business and human rights advocacy, civil society support, and strategic communications. The Global Digital Programme is composed of three projects that work on key issues at the intersection of Internet infrastructure and freedom of expression: Connectivity, Censorship, and Datafication.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Deputy Head of Digital for Connectivity is responsible for managing and leading the implementation of the Connectivity Project, which is part of A19’s Global Digital Programme. This role reports to the Head of Digital and works closely with the Global Digital Programme’s Operations Manager, Coordination Officer, and other Deputies.

The Connectivity Project works to ensure that all people have meaningful choices in how they connect to the Internet to exercise their rights to speak and know. As part of the Global Digital Programme’s 2022-2025 strategy, the Connectivity Project team advocates for the recognition of small, non-profit, and alternative network operators, and works toward ensuring that spectrum management practices and wireless networking technologies are designed to enable these operators.

This role entails a mix of responsibilities, with both management and programmatic delivery elements. In particular, the Deputy Head will hold primary responsibility for carrying out the team’s advocacy in multilateral bodies, including within the UN system, and on national or regional law and policy matters, working with other A19 offices and teams as necessary. The Deputy Head will also be responsible for supporting the Connectivity Project’s two Programme Officers, who primarily engage in technical standards development in the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R). The Deputy Head will coordinate research, written outputs, and civil society support activities as shared work across this team. The Deputy Head will also be responsible for responding to ad hoc requests for support or carrying out joint activities in relation to other A19 offices and teams on topics relevant to connectivity. The Deputy Head will work closely with the Head of Digital to ensure that the Global Digital Programme is working effectively, strategically, and impactfully.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the Connectivity Project. This work includes: providing direct management and support to a small team of programme officers; qualitative review of Project activities and outputs; and oversight of the progress of the Project toward its strategic outcomes, impacts, and goals.
• Participate in strategic planning activities for the Connectivity Project and Global Digital Programme. This work includes working closely with the Head of Digital and other Deputies to: develop multi-year programme and project strategies; set annual project and cross-programme targets; and prepare activities work plans for project team.
• Carry out multilateral, regional, and national law and policy advocacy for the Connectivity Project, in collaboration with relevant A19 offices and teams. This work includes: participating in international meetings, conferences, and decision-making processes, including those related to UN human rights mechanisms and procedures; engaging directly with regulators, policymakers, and other public sector decision-makers.
• Coordinate research on connectivity and human rights issues. This work includes overseeing and contributing to the design and development of case study projects, with support of local research consultants and in collaboration with Connectivity Project programme officers and relevant A19 offices and teams.
• Carry out strategic communications and the production of reports for the Connectivity Project. This work includes: developing, drafting, reviewing, and publishing a wide range of ARTICLE 19 materials, including blog posts, statements, policy briefs, framing papers, and reports; and engaging through external media outlets, including guest pieces, op-eds, and interviews.
• Keep abreast of developments in the connectivity field at-large to facilitate timely and ad-hoc responses.
• Build, maintain, and manage key internal and external relationships including with other A19 offices and teams, civil society partners, coalitions and networks, consultants, funders, and government and industry representatives.
• Represent the work of the Connectivity Project, Global Digital Programme, and ARTICLE 19 to internal and external audiences.
• Support other ARTICLE 19 programmes, offices, and teams, as needed and appropriate.
• Support grants management and fundraising, where needed, under the direction of the Head of Digital.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the role and reasonably assigned by the Head of Digital.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education and Knowledge:

• Educated to degree-level or equivalent experience.
• Technology and human rights expertise. Strong grasp of the international human rights framework, particularly freedom of expression and/or privacy; ability to understand how Internet infrastructure technologies work and make the case for their relevance to human rights.
• Knowledge of issues related to Internet connectivity.

Experience:

• Policy experience. Demonstrated experience in advocating for policies, laws, or regulation that protect and strengthen human rights online in national and/or regional processes; knowledge of how to develop policy agendas and positions to effectively engage policymakers and/or regulators.
• Project management experience. Demonstrated ability to monitor and evaluate project implementation over several years; strong understanding of logical frameworks and project elements, including the ability to conceptualise and differentiate between activities, outputs, and outcomes.
• People management experience. Demonstrated experience leading, managing, and supporting a global and diverse team; commitment to creating a culture of empathy and care for and among direct reports.

Skills and abilities:

• Strategic thinking skills. Strong understanding of how to design a coherent strategy and effective theory of change; ability to ‘zoom out’ to set a long-term vision for others; ability to identify and create opportunities that have clear strategic value; ability to develop effective responses to relevant developments that may threaten human rights; commitment to achieving meaningful impact.
• Critical and innovative thinking skills. Knowledge of current activities and approaches being deployed by civil society in the field; ability to identify problems or gaps in the field and develop novel or unique responses to effectively address them.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Ability to communicate both complex technological and human rights concepts in a clear and compelling way, taking into account different audiences across government, academia, civil society, industry, and the general public.

DESIRABLE

• Prior experience in engaging on Internet connectivity issues, particularly in the context of human rights advocacy.
• Research experience. Understanding of how to design and carry out research with policy-oriented impact.

Other requirements:

• Ability to successfully work in and lead global, diverse teams as part of a fully remote programme.
• Commitment to equal opportunities and non-discrimination.
• Commitment to excellence, and ability to bring this quality out in others.
• Grit and determination: interest in sticking with and working through hard problems, even when there aren’t clear or easy answers.
• A growth mindset: strong interest in learning more about Internet infrastructure technologies and human rights; interest in continuing to improve and learn new skills.
• Commitment to the aims and objectives of ARTICLE 19 and a human-rights-based approach.
• Willingness and availability for regular international travel, and occasional evening and weekend work.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff at ARTICLE 19. If you don’t have all of the experience or expertise set out in this JD, but still believe that you would be a good candidate for the role, we strongly encourage you to submit your application.