Programme Officer for Afghanistan Programme, Lund

About RWI and the Afghanistan Programme

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) has worked for nearly forty years to promote respect for human rights through research, education and capacity development. We believe that by supporting practitioners and bringing people together around human rights, on the basis of new knowledge and tools developed, connecting theory and practice, we contribute to lasting human rights change. If you, like us, are passionate about achieving human rights change and want to work in a dynamic international environment, this position may be for you.

RWI is an independent academic institution established at Lund University in Sweden in 1984. We combine multi-disciplinary human rights research with education, capacity building, and outreach to contribute to a wider understanding of, and respect for, human rights and humanitarian law. We work with four thematic areas within human rights: ‘access to justice’, ‘non-discrimination and inclusion’, ‘human rights and the environment’ and ‘business and human rights’. Since the early 1990s, we have cooperated with a wide range of institutions and organisations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, to advance the practical application of human rights around the world. Our cooperation is characterised by mutual trust, long-term commitment, and achievement of common objectives. Currently, we have offices in Harare, Jakarta, Lund, Nairobi, Phnom Penh, and Yerevan.

RWI’s Afghanistan programme is managed from Lund since 2021, and currently entails three components: The hosting of and support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan; the hosting of/support to Afghan Research Fellows in Lund and online; and roundtables and conferences. For more information, see https://rwi.lu.se/afghanistan-programme/

Starting 2024, the programme will also include trainings for Afghan human rights defenders, among other new components, as well as an overall expansion in scope, which includes activities in Asia. 

Programme Officer in the Afghanistan Programme

As RWI scales up its Afghanistan programme into a large, multiple-donor programme, the programme team in Lund, Sweden, will expand to be able to efficiently support research fellows and experts; implement activities in Sweden and abroad; and to manage budgets, risks, and results.

The aim of the programme officer position is to coordinate the planning, implementation and follow up of activities in the Afghanistan programme. While task may change over time within the team, responsibilities of the programme officer may include the development and implementation of trainings for Afghan human rights defenders using online and blended learning modalities, the development  and coordination of roundtables, the coordination of support to Afghan research fellows, conferences, and other forums of dissemination, including a database, and/or leading the development and implementation of other activities supporting the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur

The position is based in Lund, Sweden, full time and starting 1 Feb 2024. The contract is a fixed-term for one year, can be renewed and includes a probation period of up to six months.

To see the full description of responsibilities and qualifications of the position, please click here.

Your profile

We are looking for a proactive team member, who is willing and able to independently take on tasks as well as perform as a member of a high-functioning team, and who is experienced in programme management, and from all parts of the programme cycle.

Beyond overall responsibilities and qualifications of the programme officer role at RWI, which are outlined in the job description, candidates should be willing and able to learn to use new methodologies, in particular with regards to online leaning, and have a solution focused mind-set, seeking to provide qualitative, impactful results in line with set expected outputs and outcomes.

Knowledge about, and experience from working with, the human rights situation and context in Afghanistan is considered a strong asset, as are language skills in Dari and/or Pashto and an understanding of the Special Rapporteur mandate for Afghanistan.

Permission to work in the EU/Sweden is necessary.

Application process

Apply for this position no later than 22 December 2023, by uploading your CV, motivation letter, and any other supporting documents through the “Apply” function below.

Please note that applications sent by email will not be registered. 

The expected start date is early 2024, subject to the availability of funding.

For any questions about the position, please contact Helena Olsson at Helena.olsson@rwi.lu.se .

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is an equal opportunities employer, and welcomes applications from all qualified persons.

We look forward to receiving your application!