Executive Assistant

Human Rights Watch; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Human Rights Watch in New York seeks an Executive Assistant to provide operational, project, and administrative support to the Executive Director and the Special Advisor, Internal Communications. The role requires significant in-person presence in HRW’s New York City office.

Main responsibilities include managing calendars, coordinating travel, liaising with board members, donors, media, and government officials, and assisting in preparing materials for leadership meetings and events with

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s level degree, or equivalent working experience, is required.
• Experience supporting executive-level positions, ideally in international contexts, is highly desirable.
• Strong organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day calendar of the Executive Director and align with organizational priorities.
• Coordinate travel and scheduling for the ED and Special Advisor, including visas when needed.
• Liaise with Board members, donors, media, and officials across time zones with discretion.
• Oversee ED’s social media engagement in collaboration with Communications.
• Support engagement with Development for donor relationships.
• Coordinate executive leadership meetings, agendas, materials, and follow-up actions.
• Track cross-organizational projects and deadlines; streamline communications for ED Office.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and confidential interactions with stakeholders.
• Maintain records of speaking engagements and external events for the ED.

Skills

Executive support

Calendar management

Stakeholder coordination

Communication skills

Discretion & confidentiality

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

SharePoint

PowerBI

Asana

PowerApps

Job description

EXTERNAL JOB VACANCY

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Office of the Executive Director

New York Office

Application Deadline: September 7, 2026

The Executive Assistant provides operational, project, and administrative support to the Executive Director (ED) and the Special Advisor, Internal Communications. The Executive Director is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and ensures that HRW continues to build our organization for maximum impact in the world today.

This position reports to the Special Advisor, Internal Communications, in the Office of the Executive Director. The position will be based in HRW’s New York City office and requires significant in-person presence, including working in the office daily when the Executive Director is in New York.

Responsibilities

1. Manage the day-to-day calendar of the Executive Director to promote the most effective use of their time;
2. Ensure effective time management of the Executive Director and anticipate opportunities to facilitate workflow, including alignment with organizational priorities in mid- and long-term planning;
3. Manage travel and scheduling arrangements for the Executive Director, and where necessary for the Special Advisor, Internal Communications, which includes arranging transportation and hotel bookings, ensuring that calendars are kept up to date with relevant briefings and logistical arrangements, and assisting in securing visas as needed;
4. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to the Executive Director’s Office, including Board members, donors, media, and government officials, coordinating requests across multiple time zones, and, where necessary, with discretion and strict confidentiality;
5. Manage the Executive Director’s social media accounts in partnership with the Communications team, including scheduling and monitoring content across relevant platforms;
6. Support the Executive Director’s engagement with HRW’s Development department to help manage the Executive Director’s relationships with key donors;
7. Support the Special Advisor, Internal Communications, in planning and coordinating executive leadership meetings, including agenda development, preparation of materials, tracking decisions, and monitoring follow-up actions;
8. Support the Special Advisor, Internal Communications, in coordinating cross-organizational projects, tracking deliverables, and monitoring deadlines; and,
9. Develop systems to streamline communications and support timely correspondence by the Executive Director and other members of the ED Office.

Meetings and presentations

1. Plan, coordinate, and support internal and external meetings, including taking minutes when necessary and following up on action points;
2. Coordinate with the Special Advisor, Internal Communications, to assist with meeting preparation and ensure that all meeting materials (supporting documents for internal and external meetings including agendas, research briefs, presentations, and reports) are available for the Executive Director and the Special Advisor;
3. Attend and support the production of HRW Board meetings alongside the Board Relations Team;
4. Organize the Executive Director’s correspondence, presentations, and meeting notes; and,
5. Maintain records of Executive Director’s speaking engagements and participation in conferences, external events, and overseas travel on behalf of HRW.

Executive Office Operations Management

1. Manage budget and financial operations for the Executive Office;
2. Advise on and implement Operations policies across the Executive Office (e.g., physical and digital security, GC trainings and reporting); and
3. Provide event management support, including organizing catering for meetings and hospitality gifts, as needed.

Overall administrative support

1. Schedule and participate in regular staff meetings in the ED’s Office;
2. Ensure that the Executive Director’s public profile information is kept updated and respond to requests for materials regarding the Executive Director and the organization in general;
3. Implement and manage office systems including digital filing systems, as well as document and content management systems;
4. Support in the recruitment and onboarding of new staff as needed;
5. Manage sensitive and confidential interactions between key internal and external stakeholders;
6. Process the expenses and invoices related to the Executive Director, and the Special Advisor, Internal Communications; and
7. Perform other duties as required.

Executive Support Team

1. Be an active member of the Executive Support Team, working closely with other colleagues in Executive Staff support roles across the organization to ensure strong coordination across competing demands, providing support and training where appropriate.

Qualifications

Education: A bachelor’s level degree, or equivalent working experience, is required. While an understanding of or interest in international relations, media, fundraising, or human rights is desirable, we particularly value candidates who have a demonstrated long-term commitment to executive administration, operations, project coordination/management, or related professional support functions.

Experience: A minimum of five years of working experience is required, including experience supporting Executive-level positions, ideally in international contexts, and demonstrated experience managing projects, coordinating multiple stakeholders, tracking competing priorities and ensuring follow-through on deadlines and commitments is highly desirable.

Related Skills and Knowledge

1. Prior Executive-level office/administration experience and exceptional organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail is required.
2. Ability to exercise sound judgment in evaluating requests, determining priorities, and helping ensure that the Executive Director's time is aligned with organizational priorities is required.
3. Experience managing an Executive-level calendar and planning extensive international and domestic travel is required.
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required.
5. Excellent interpersonal skills are required to interact diplomatically with staff and stakeholders including Board members, donors, media, and government officials.
6. Sound judgement and the ability to maintain discretion and respect confidentiality are required.
7. Reliable and resourceful team-player, with the ability to work extremely effectively independently and with minimal supervision, is required.
8. Ability to adapt to various competing demands and demonstrate the highest level of collegiality, consistency, and professionalism in executing responsibilities is required.
9. Ability to work well under pressure while juggling multiple tasks simultaneously is required.
10. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is required. Experience with information management and online systems, especially Microsoft SharePoint, PowerBI, Asana, and PowerApps is highly desirable.
11. Excellent writing and editing skills are required; proofreading experience is desirable.
12. Demonstrated ability to work successfully with colleagues across multiple global locations and time zones is required.

Other

HRW is unable to provide work visa sponsorship for this role, candidates must possess valid US work authorization.

Salary and Benefits

HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits. The salary range for this position if based in the US is USD 80,000 – 88,000 plus benefits.

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.