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Cotton Campaign Coordinator

Organizational Background

Global Labor Justice- International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF) is a new merged organization bringing strategic capacity to cross sectoral work on global value chains and labor migration corridors. GLJ-ILRF holds global corporations accountable for labor rights violations in their supply chains; advances policies and laws that protect decent work and just migration; and strengthens freedom of association, new forms of bargaining, and worker organizations.

Cotton Campaign Background

The Cotton Campaign is a global coalition of human rights, labor, investor and business organizations dedicated to eradicating child labor and forced labor in cotton production. Our goals are to end the state systems of forced labor in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan’s cotton sectors, advocate for workers in those sectors, and propose solutions to promote and protect labor and human rights. We pursue our goals by advocating to the governments of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan; advocating to governments, companies, investors, and international institutions to use their influence with the governments of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan; supporting civil society in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan; and raising public awareness and activism. The Cotton Campaign is internationally recognized for its unique approach using a range of policy tools to end state-imposed forced labor and promote solutions, such as the Responsible Sourcing Agreement for Uzbekistan, an innovative enforceable brand agreement in the post-state run forced labor context. The Coalition unites diverse global stakeholders and supports frontline rights defenders and is a recognized public voice on labor rights in the region. 

Position Summary

The Cotton Campaign Coordinator will be responsible for supporting GLJ-ILRF’s work on corporate and government accountability and human rights in cotton supply chains as the seat of the Coalition. This includes: building consensus among coalition participants; working with frontline partners to develop research and advocacy plans; developing and leading advocacy with the US and Uzbek/Turkmen governments; identifying, developing, and leading on innovative legal, advocacy, and policy tools and strategies; drafting Campaign materials, including reports, press releases, policy briefs, and memos; implementing of the coalition’s strategic plan, and raising the campaign’s profile.

The Cotton Campaign coordinator will be an independent and innovative worker, with strong communication and writing skills, knowledge about human rights and labor rights, human rights research and advocacy, and excellent judgment and the ability to work well with a diverse group of stakeholders.  The Coordinator will report to the Forced Labor Program Director.

Key Responsibilities

The Cotton Campaign Coordinator will bring a labor, human rights, and regional expertise to coordination, advocacy planning and steering, and support for partners of the internationally recognized Cotton Campaign:

Coordinating the Coalition

  • Draft meeting agendas, facilitate regular steering committee meetings, circulate notes and action items, and support ongoing communications between meetings.
  • Ensure effective information sharing among coalition participants and stakeholders, including frontline partners.
  • Arrange logistics and support coalition meetings with key stakeholders, including governments, companies, international institutions and investors, including delegation and fact-finding visits to the region.
  • Work with the Steering Committee to identify and engage new allies for the coalition.
  • Assist with fundraising and outreach for the campaign’s work to continue and grow, including by working with the development team, drafting grant proposals and reports, and supporting the campaign’s frontline partners in their fundraising.
  • Manage the Cotton Campaign’s social media presence and website. Develop content for and work with communications staff to manage, develop, and maintain www.cottoncampaign.org, the Coalition’s website. 
  • Pitch campaign-related stories to traditional media, and support coalition partners to engage traditional media to cover the campaign issues.

Develop And Implement Advocacy Plan

  • Develop and implement the campaign strategy to advance the Responsible Sourcing Agreement for Uzbekistan; work with coalition members to identify advocacy opportunities within their area of expertise and lead/coordinate coalition advocacy efforts in coordination with the Forced Labor Program Director and the Steering Committee.
  • Draft reports, policy memos, briefs for use in advocacy and submissions to government bodies. Support advocacy with the governments of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, including by developing messaging in partnership with the Steering Committee and leading on direct engagement through messaging, letters, meetings, presentations, and delegation trips.
  • Produce specific, high quality work products for the coalition, such as reports, letters and public statements, and support coalition participants to produce campaign-related documents. 
  • Move NGO, labor, business, and government stakeholders towards shared interests.
  • Advocate before multi-stakeholder and international bodies representing the Coalition’s priorities. 
  • Conduct an evaluation and strategic review to inform campaign’s work going forward; annually update strategic plans and lead coalition partners in annual meetings to assess accomplishments and challenges and identify strategic work goals for the coming year.

Represent the Coalition with Stakeholders

  • Communicate regularly with the broader set of civil society and business stakeholders engaged in the campaign, including businesses, business associations, trade unions, investors and NGOs.
  • Support frontline partners in developing research and monitoring strategies, consult on methodology, assist with analysis and reporting of findings to support the Campaign’s advocacy strategy.
  • Lead advocacy on supporting labor rights defenders in the region.

The candidate will also be a member of the GLJ-ILRF staff including participating in organizational strategy development, policy analysis and campaign planning, supporting GLJ-ILRF’s overall mission and contributing to staff collaboration and team building.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have Central Asia regional expertise including relevant language skills.  Strong research, writing, communication, and coalition-building skills with experience and the ability to excel at the following key responsibilities are also important.

Strong Candidates will have:

  • A graduate degree with a focus on labor policy, human rights, corporate accountability, or regional studies or commensurate work experience. 
  • 5 years experience in human rights, labor rights, civil society, or policy work and experience engaging with diverse stakeholders.
  • Specific, measurable wins from coalition-based corporate and/or policy campaigns.
  • Russian and or Uzbek and or Turkmen language skills
  • Experience in moving coalition strategic planning from development through implementation to evaluation.
  • Ability to produce high-quality written work product on fast turn arounds.
  • Experience in human rights research, methodology, and advocacy, including using a range of legal and policy mechanisms to promote corporate and government accountability.
  • Excellent communications skills, including listening, writing, editing, and speaking.
  • Knowledge and experience using multimedia tools, including social media.
  • Strong skills in information management, organization, and attention to detail
  • Ability to work well under pressure, manage work streams, multi-task, and work creatively.
  • Interest and ability to travel to the region as the work requires. 

Job status: Full-time, exempt, member of IFPTE Local 70 Bargaining Unit.

Salary Range: $60,000- $70,000 plus benefits including full medical coverage for employee and family.

Supervisor: Forced Labor Program Director

Location: Washington, D.C.; Remote work also considered.

GLJ- ILRF is an equal opportunity employer and actively recruits women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and persons with diverse gender and sexual identities. This description does not constitute an employment contract, implied or otherwise.

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