Senior Policy and Research Officer

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in Belfast is inviting applications for two Senior Policy and Research Officer posts (Permanent, Full-time). The roles will support the Deputy Director and Director across policy teams, advising on human rights compliance and coordinating workstreams to monitor rights protection in Northern Ireland.

The fixed salary for this grade is £51,248, with an annual pay award.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate one or more workstreams within the team and may be required to line manage staff or volunteers.
• Deliver human rights training and conduct statutory investigations as required by the Deputy Director and Director.

Job description

Applications are invited for the following full-time posts:

Senior Policy and Research Officer (Permanent) (Full-time) – 2 Posts

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is a statutory body with a wide range of functions relating to the promotion and protection of human rights.

The Commission operates its own pay policy which has a current fixed salary of £51,248 for this grade. The fixed salary is subject to an annual pay award each year.

The post-holder will contribute to the Commission’s work in reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of law and practice relating to the protection of human rights in Northern Ireland. Initially, at least one post is available within each of the policy teams (‘Advice to Government, Research, Investigations and International Treaties’ and ‘Human Rights after EU Withdrawal’) but a list of appointable candidates for each role will be retained for one year in case of further opportunities arising.

The Senior Policy and Research Officer roles support the Deputy Director and Director of each team in providing advice on human rights compliance in Northern Ireland to a variety of stakeholders, including the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Westminster Parliament, public authorities, Council of Europe monitoring bodies, United Nations treaty bodies and civil society. In addition, the post-holder will coordinate one or more workstreams within the team and may be required to line manage staff or volunteers.

The post-holder will also support the Deputy Director and Director in other areas, including delivering human rights training and conducting statutory investigations.

The two policy teams work closely together. The ‘Advice to Government, Research, Investigations and International Treaties’ team primarily engages the European Convention on Human Rights, UN human rights instruments and the international human rights system in its work. The ‘Human Rights after EU Withdrawal’ team focuses on how rights are protected in Northern Ireland following Brexit, including monitoring the implementation of the UK Government’s commitment on human rights and equality. Candidates should indicate on their application form whether they wish to be considered for one or either team.

The closing date for receipt of applications is: 10am on Monday 16 November 2026

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an equal opportunities employer and considers applications strictly on the basis of merit. Disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the post will be interviewed. The Commission wishes to particularly encourage applications from men who are currently underrepresented in the organisation.