Program Manager, United Nations Engagement

Founded in 1990, Outright International strives to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people live safer, healthier, and more empowered lives worldwide. Working from its offices in 18 countries and global headquarters in New York City, Outright documents human rights violations, helps resource LGBTIQ movements and allies, and advocates for the rights of LGBTIQ people.

Outright seeks a Program Manager, United Nations Engagement. Outright has consultative status at the United Nations and one of Outright’s core areas of work is advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people there. Outright engages with a wide range of UN processes and entities at UN Headquarters in New York City and elsewhere, including but not limited to the General Assembly and its Committees, the Security Council, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and several UN agencies.

Outright works to ensure that UN institutions and recognize, affirm, and protect human rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). Outright also supports in multiple ways LGBTIQ defenders from around the world to engage with the UN.

Outright is also a Member and the Secretariat of the UN LGBTI Core Group, a group of member states and other partners devoted to advancing LGBTIQ inclusion at the UN in New York.

The Program Manager is an exciting new senior position at Outright that will work in close collaboration with other members of Outright’s UN Program, focusing on maximizing the effectiveness of the United Nations system for better LGBTIQ lives everywhere.

The position is based in New York City. Applicants must already be able to work in the United States and be based in New York City or be willing to relocate there. The selected candidate will report to the United Nations Program Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Envision, develop and build the work of Outright at the United Nations in consultation with the UN Program Director and other members of Outright.
• Engage, in collaboration with other UN team members, with relevant national, regional and international stakeholders in New York, including UN Member State missions, UN agencies, and UN mechanisms to support LGBTIQ rights at UN headquarters.
• Support the work of civil society and other stakeholder coalitions that conduct multilateral advocacy at the UN, including by identifying, joining and leading relevant coalition efforts; defining joint advocacy objectives; and organizing meetings and trainings.
• Serve as a contact point for Outright’s role as secretariat of the UN LGBTI Core Group.
• Support and build substantive participation and engagement of LGBTIQ international civil society with the UN headquarters mechanisms, Outright’s annual Advocacy Week and Alumni Program, participation of defenders at the CSW, HLPF, and other major events at UN headquarters in which Outright participates in
• Respond to ad hoc requests from UN Member State and UN agency for input and expert advice.
• Draft written material, including: resolution language proposals for UN negotiations, advocacy materials, civil society submissions to UN mechanisms, curricula for training programs, blog posts, commentaries, press releases, advocacy letters, and material for newsletters.
• Support fundraising efforts for the program and Outright in general. This includes contributing material for proposals and reports and attending Outright fundraising events and meetings.
• Under the direction of Outright management, serve as an organizational spokesperson, including to government officials, international agencies, media and the public.
• Other tasks and responsibilities as assigned by Outright Management.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Ideal candidate has/is:

• extensive knowledge of and familiarity with working in the United Nations, especially in New York, and/or relevant multilateral contexts.
• knowledge of and experience working on international human rights, ideally with a focus on LGBTIQ issues.
• a team player who cares about their colleagues and wants the mission of the organization to be achieved and sees this as a collective effort
• a strong connection with and understanding of perspectives, approaches and priorities of the global south/majority
• believes in the power of civil society and the accountability of international non-profits to the movements they serve
• a strategic thinker who can develop new (and confidently abandon outdated), strategies for engaging parts of the UN system to foster meaningful LGBTIQ human rights advances.
• their finger on the pulse of the global LGBTIQ movement and real-time shifting geopolitical realities across the world
• a thoughtful – and yet quick to respond – “go getter”, able to operate with steadiness in a high-stakes, high pressure, fast-paced New York City UN global diplomacy environment
• strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to interact professionally and diplomatically with diverse groups from different cultures and backgrounds at multiple levels, experience in building coalitions, and comfort leading training sessions and motivating and supporting activists.
• an experienced writer and editor.
• willingness and ability to travel, though note this position does not require frequent travel
• experience in supervising other staff or interns, although note that currently no positions report to this role
• ability to communicate fluently in English. Fluency in another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is strongly desired.
• an advanced degree and/or 15 years minimum experience in a related field such as advocacy, movement building, international law, international relations, development, or other relevant fields in social, political and/or legal sciences.
• already authorised to work in the United States; Outright is unfortunately not able to support a visa application.
• willingness to work physically in New York City on a full-time basis
• commitment to the on-going study of political change, cultural norms and movement building.
• flexible and passionate about achieving change through the use of UN mechanisms.