Associate, Development and Outreach

Human Rights Watch; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 73,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Sydney is seeking a full-time Associate in the Development and Outreach Department to support donor cultivation and fundraising activities, with a hybrid schedule and occasional evenings.

The role reports to the Sydney-based Director and involves managing donor data, event support, communications, and collaboration with global teams to advance HRW's Australia program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or related field or equivalent work experience required.
• Minimum 1 year of relevant work experience required.
• Experience with fundraising and donor relations preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support major fundraising and outreach initiatives in Australia under direction of the Director.
• Provide event support for annual fundraising dinners, receptions, and donor meetings in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Track donor gifts, invoicing, receipting, and donor acknowledgments.
• Manage and reconcile Australia income in the donor database (Salesforce).
• Coordinate outreach materials and logistics for events and campaigns.
• Support donor relationship management and communications.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Data analysis

Salesforce

Event coordination

Communication

Microsoft Office

HTML editing

Education

Bachelor’s degree or related field or equivalent work experience

Tools

Salesforce

Canva

InDesign

Excel

PowerPoint

HTML editing

Job description

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY

Associate, Development and Outreach

Development and Outreach Department

Sydney Office

Application Date: 21 September 2026

The Development and Outreach Department of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a full‑time Associate in our Sydney office. The Sydney office serves as an important base for HRW’s development, fundraising, and outreach efforts across Australia, largely characterised by a full schedule of donor cultivation and fundraising events. The ideal candidate is organised, a self‑starter, and interested in fundraising.

This position is hybrid and full-time at 38 hours per week and requires availability to work occasional evenings, including internal global meetings and special events. The successful candidate must be based within commuting distance of the Sydney office and will be expected to work from the Sydney office at least 2 days per week. The Associate reports to the Director of Development and Outreach based in Sydney.

Responsibilities

• Support the production of major fundraising, and outreach initiatives in Australia at the direction of the Director;
• Provide special event support for the annual fundraising dinners in Sydney and Melbourne, receptions, donor meetings, briefings and other events by creating communication materials, overseeing volunteers, coordinating materials, on‑site support, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders;
• Track and update donor gift Information, invoicing and receipting, and implementing timely donor acknowledgement and recognition;
• Management and reconciliation of all Australia Income in HRW donor database (Salesforce);
• Support and monitor communication with the global Finance and Operations divisions on all queries relating to gifts and the Australia bank account;
• Organise logistical aspects of fundraising by maintaining the database and key spreadsheets, preparing solicitation and acknowledgement materials in a timely manner, coordinating outreach materials, collating follow‑up reports and internal logistics, and liaising with internal teams and processes;
• Assist with prospect and donor relationship management by coordinating correspondence, contacting donors, scheduling and preparing for donor meetings, drafting solicitation materials, maintaining various contact lists, and tracking communication;
• Maintain the Salesforce donor database by updating records and information, generating financial reports, donor analytics, overseeing data entry, collating data and fundraising reports as necessary, and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the data;
• Prepare, design, edit and distribute communications, correspondence, and documents, including e-newsletter & event communications and web content for the Australia page;
• Assist with institutional funders including prospect research, assistance with proposal writing and award management;
• Track budget and expenses for the Australia Development and Outreach team;
• Support the annual Australia office audlt; ensuring gift documentation is filed and stored accurately;
• Support in the recruitment, onboarding and supervision of Australia interns; and
• Carry out other duties as required.

Qualifications

Education: A bachelor’s degree or a related field or equivalent work experience is required.

Experience: A minimum of one (1) year of relevant work experience is required.

Related Skills and Knowledge

• Ability to work independently as well as function as a member of a highly collaborative, fast‑paced team with staff in multiple locations globally.
• Demonstrated experience of data and financial management and analysis, office, administration and strong organisational skills.
• Ability to work well under pressure while juggling multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Proven interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a variety of audiences including donors and external partners are required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, natural curiosity and creativity, and strong commitment to human rights and/or international issues are required to be successful in this role.
• Familiarity with fundraising and philanthropy landscape in Australia is preferred.
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Proficiency in additional computer programs including MS Office applications, such as Power Point and Word; and Outlook.
• Prior experience using Excel and CRM databases (Salesforce preferred), and graphic design tools (e.g., Canva or InDesign) is required. Knowledge of HTML editing is desired.

Other

Applicants for this position must possess current valid work authorization in Australia. Human Rights Watch is unable to sponsor work permits for this role.

Salary and Benefits

HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer‑paid benefits. The gross annualized salary for this position is AUD 85,798.44.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self‑taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio‑economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in‑depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high‑profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights‑related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.