Social and Human Rights Senior Officer

Earthworm Foundation Asia; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic non-profit organization in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a passionate individual for a role focused on human rights due diligence in the palm oil sector. You will work with various stakeholders to implement projects and provide training related to migration and labour rights. Ideal candidates must have strong communication skills, critical thinking abilities, and experience in facilitating discussions. Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia is essential, alongside a proactive approach in addressing human rights issues in rural settings.

Qualifications

• Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia is required.
• Experience in providing advice and support on human rights.
• Strong understanding of human rights due diligence.

Responsibilities

• Implement social and human rights projects in the palm oil sector.
• Develop training materials on forced labour and conduct training.
• Support technical team with labour-related assessments.

Skills

Knowledge in migration and labour rights issues

Strong communication skills

Public speaking ability

Critical thinking

Pro-active and collaborative team player

Job description

About Earthworm

With most of our staff operating directly on the ground where the issues are, we work with our members and partners to make value chains an engine of prosperity for communities and ecosystems.

We see a world where forests are a boundless source of materials and a home for biodiversity; communities see their rights respected and have opportunities to develop; workers are seen as productive partners, and agriculture becomes the instrument to feed a hungry planet and keep our climate stable.

Your Role

In this role you will work with companies, government agencies, civil societies and inter-governmental organisations to strengthen the implementation of collective actions in human rights due diligence (HRDD), primarily in the palm oil sector in Pahang and Johor. Specific focus is placed on supporting upstream palm oil companies to address forced labour issues which include but not limited to ethical recruitment and child labour. You will also play a crucial role to build the capacities of companies to remediate human rights issues; and to integrate human rights into the context of dealers and independent smallholders. You will be expected to travel frequently within Malaysia. Full scope entails the following:

• Implement social and human rights projects within the Southern Central Forest Spine (SCFS) landscape
• Liaise with government agencies, civil societies and to support the partnership and engagement team to implement collective actions in the landscape
• Develop training materials related to forced labour, ethical recruitment, operational grievance mechanism and conduct training for companies
• Support technical team to conduct labour related assessments in the field
• Draft reports regularly and prepare power-point slide decks for quarterly webinar with funders
• Provide solutions in reducing and mitigating social and human rights risks facing deal-ers and independent smallholders communities including the workers.
• Provide solutions in reducing and mitigating social and human rights risks facing deal-ers and independent smallholders communities including the workers.

Your Profile

You’re a passionate individual with knowledge in migration, labour rights issues or child protection who loves working in the business and human rights space to drive transformation across connected supply chains. Someone that is interested in a career with a dynamic non-profit that builds relationships with companies, governments and civil society organisations to bring responsible products to the market. An individual who is pro‑active and collaborative team player with good leadership ability. One that can participate in a collaborative and organized manner, and thrive in fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environments, demonstrating impeccable verbal and written communication skills on top of strong critical thinking skill. You enjoy going to the ground i.e into rural areas to implementing practical solutions with companies, conduct labour or social audits and assessments. You connect and work well with your counterparts, have a strong eye for detail in terms of analysing data gathered, developing practical solutions and implementing these recommendations to close gaps.

A natural public speaker who is at ease in conducting trainings, webinars and one who is capable of designing training materials related to human rights, labour rights, child rights and topics related to employers. Experience in leading meetings, presentations and facilitating stakeholder discussion are something you would be comfortable undertaking. You come with the willingness to learn from others. You enjoy working across teams and functions and take initiative whenever an opportunity arises.

To be successful, it would be a strong advantage to have a demonstrated experience in providing advice, support, capacity building and training to private sectors on human rights; core understanding of human rights due diligence; liaison experience with government agencies and civil societies; advanced knowledge on social and human rights issues in Malaysia within the raw commodity industries; strong knowledge on RSPO and MSPO requirements will be an added advantage; solid experience in conducting labour related risk assessments and developing corrective action plans for companies; fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia is required.

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