Program Officer, SHARP/LAHI - OSI

The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Open societies are characterized by the rule of law; respect for human rights, minorities, and a diversity of opinions; democratically elected governments; market economies in which business and government are separate; and a civil society that helps keep government power in check. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. OSI places high priority on protecting and improving the lives of marginalized people and communities.

Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each national foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities.

The Open Society Institute’s Public Health Program (PHP) aims to promote health policies based on scientific evidence, social inclusion, human rights, and justice. Broadly, the program works with civil society organizations within two fields: promoting the participation of socially marginalized groups in public health policy and fostering greater government accountability and transparency through civil society monitoring efforts. Program areas focus on addressing the human rights and health needs of marginalized groups, facilitating citizen access to health information, and advocating for a strong civil society role in public health policy and practice.

For further information on the Public Health Program, please visit our website: http://www.soros.org/health

The Open Society Institute (OSI) seeks a full-time Program Officer in its New York office to work jointly with the Sexual Health and Rights Project (SHARP) and the Law and Health Initiative (LAHI).

In April 2005, PHP launched the Sexual Health and Rights Project (SHARP) to develop and implement a global strategy to improve the health and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers. SHARP seeks to ensure that those marginalized because of their sexual practices, sexual orientation, and/ or gender identity have access to quality health and social services and can effectively advocate for their rights. Through a combination of grantmaking and operational efforts, SHARP supports capacity building, education, advocacy activities and development of innovative service models. Its geographic mandate includes East and Southern Africa, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the former Soviet Union (fSU), and Southeast Asia (SEA).

For further information on the Sexual Health and Rights Project, please visit our website: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/sharp

The PHP’s Law and Health Initiative (LAHI) promotes legal action to advance public health goals worldwide. LAHI supports legal assistance, litigation, and law reform efforts on a range of health issues, including patient care, HIV and AIDS, harm reduction, palliative care, sexual health, mental health, and Roma health. LAHI’s priorities include integrating legal services into health programs, strengthening human rights protections within health settings, and developing training and education programs in law and health. A special focus is on supporting organizations and advocacy campaigns dedicated to ending human rights abuses linked to the global AIDS epidemic. By bringing together legal, public health, and human rights organizations, LAHI seeks to build a broad movement for law-based approaches to health and for the human rights of society’s most marginalized groups.

For further information on the Law and Health Initiative, please visit our website: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/law

Responsibilities:

The Program Officer will undertake joint work with the Law and Health Initiative (LAHI) and the Sexual Health and Rights Project (SHARP), reporting to the LAHI and SHARP Project Directors in New York. Some time may be devoted to supporting general LAHI or SHARP activities.

Primary responsibilities include:

* Decriminalization of sex work: conceptualizing a funding, advocacy, and convening strategy to promote the removal of punitive laws essential for HIV prevention for sex workers. This will be part of a larger decriminalization and HIV prevention strategy that involves the following programs: SHARP, LAHI, International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD), and LGBTI Initiative.
* Improving sex workers’ health through legal services: managing a grantmaking and operational research portfolio to document and disseminate the positive effects on access to health services by providing comprehensive legal services to sex workers.
* Documentation of rights violations against sex workers: providing technical assistance to the monitoring and management of an initiative to document rights violations against sex workers, and taking a lead in the projects that advance strategic litigation strategies.
* UN human rights mechanisms and sex work: conceptualizing a funding, direct advocacy, and convening strategy to promote the use of UN human rights mechanisms by civil society actors to advance the human rights and health of sex workers.
* Legal issues in transgender health: conceptualizing a funding, advocacy, and convening strategy to advance transgender health by addressing the issues of legal gender status change and transgender torture in detention and healthcare settings.
* Other issues in HIV/AIDS and human rights: supporting the Law and Health Initiative on other emerging issues related to HIV and human rights, such as human rights in HIV/tuberculosis co-infection and engagement with United Nations agencies and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
* Human rights in patient care: supporting the Law and Health Initiative on law reform efforts related to human rights in patient care in countries of the former Soviet Union

The geographic scope of this work will be the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, and East and Southern Africa.

The tools the Program Officer will use to undertake the responsibilities listed above include:

· Grantmaking: the program officer will oversee a portfolio of grants, which may include soliciting and evaluating proposals, preparing documentation, corresponding with grantees, and overseeing program monitoring and evaluation.

· Capacity building: the program officer will coordinate, where appropriate, technical assistance to grantees such as training, coaching, peer-to-peer learning, and work with external consultants

· Advocacy: in cases where OSI is uniquely positioned to conduct advocacy on legal and human rights issues related to sexual health and rights, the program officer will work with grantees on designing and implementing advocacy materials and campaigns targeting government officials, donors, and the media.

· Convening: the program officer will, as appropriate, convene meetings and seminars at a national, regional, and/or international level that promote legal and human rights issues related to sexual health and rights.

Additional responsibilities may include:

· Tracking and managing budgets for the above work.

· Recruiting and managing external consultants to assist with the above work as needed.

· Traveling to relevant meetings and representing OSI as appropriate.

· Preparing background papers, literature reviews, and information searches.

Qualifications:

· Law degree.

· Demonstrated commitment to using law progressively to advance public health and human rights objectives.

· Experience working in one or more of the following regions: East and Southern Africa, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (fSU), and Southeast Asia (SEA).

· Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

· Ability to work efficiently under pressure and on a wide range of tasks.

· Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

· Willingness to travel extensively.

· Commitment to working as a member of a team.

· Ability to listen and communicate clearly and effectively with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

· Discretion and ability to handle confidential issues.

Salary: Commensurate with experience, abilities. Excellent benefit package

To Apply

Please email resume and cover letter with salary requirements before March 5, 2010 to: [email][email protected]

*You must include job code in subject line: PO-LAHI/SHARP

OR

Open Society Institute
Human Resources – Code PO-LAHI/SHARP
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019

FAX: 212.548.4675

No phone calls, please. The Open Society Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.