Project Coordinator, The Bridge

About The Bridge

The Bridge is a specialised research service that helps companies close the information gaps that conventional human rights due diligence (HRDD) and risk assessments often overlook.

Led by the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights (GCBHR), it provides human rights assessments informed by the first-hand, site-specific expertise of local human rights defenders (HRDs), enabling robust HRDD and the meaningful stakeholder engagement required by law.

The Bridge delivers contextualised, on-the-ground analysis and enables practical, confidential information sharing between business actors and human rights organisations. The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) acts as a trusted intermediary, identifying HRDs and supporting them to share their insights and expertise with GCBHR in confidence.

In this way, The Bridge connects the public and private sectors, offering a secure platform for solution-oriented risk mitigation and stronger HRDD.

Purpose of the position

ISHR is seeking a competent Project Coordinator to facilitate the implementation of The Bridge and support HRDs working on business and human rights. The Project Coordinator will be the day-to-day link between HRDs, ISHR and GCBHR, ensuring that defenders are identified, informed, protected and supported throughout their participation, and that the project's "do no harm" principle is applied at every stage.

The Project Coordinator will also support some other activities of ISHR’s business, land and environment programme related to capacity strengthening of HRDs working on business and human rights, as well as supporting their advocacy at intergovernmental fora.

Core areas of responsibility

Input on company requests and scope. Contribute to the review of company requests, including whether they fall within the project's scope and criteria, and research and raise any concerns about a company as they relate to HRDs.
HRD outreach and identification. Identify and reach out to HRDs with relevant expertise for each assessment, drawing on ISHR's networks and partner organisations.
Liaison and contact with HRDs. Act as a main point of contact for HRDs throughout their involvement, maintaining trusted, safe and responsive communication, and handling all defender data and any confidential company information in line with ISHR's confidentiality and data-protection obligations.
Due diligence of HRDs. Carry out due diligence on HRDs not already connected to ISHR, including checks with partners, and flag any concerns relevant to safety or suitability.
Consent and safeguarding. Ensure HRDs receive and understand the relevant information and consent materials, and that informed consent is obtained before engagement; advise whether outreach can proceed safely without disclosing the company's identity, and request information where needed to protect defenders; apply the project's "no harm" principle throughout.
Organising and attending interviews. Arrange interviews on safe, HRD-preferred platforms, including interpretation and logistics; attend interviews to introduce defenders at the outset and, where appropriate, remain present.
Risk assessment. Contribute to the assessment of each HRD's risk level and protection needs, considering applicable intersectionalities, and ensure appropriate security measures are in place before, during and after their participation.
Review and quality assurance. Review draft assessments from a defender-protection perspective, including to ensure accuracy and to maintain confidentiality.
Honoraria and payments. Liaise with ISHR's operations team to arrange honoraria and reimbursements for HRDs (operations handles processing).
Coordination and communication. Support day-to-day coordination on the project and contribute to communications in line with ISHR's approach.
Grant reporting. Contribute to project and donor reporting.
Capacity strengthening and advocacy support. Support the programme’s broader capacity-strengthening activities for HRDs working on business and human rights (trainings), and their advocacy at intergovernmental fora.
Any other activity related to the implementation of the Project or programme as directed by the Programme Manager.

Qualifications and experience

Required

University degree in human rights, law, international relations, social sciences or a related field.
2–3 years of relevant professional experience, ideally with a human rights organisation, in HRD protection or support, or in business and human rights.
Experience working directly with human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, or civil society partners, ideally in contexts of risk and ideally in Asia or Africa.
Knowledge of business and human rights, HRDD and the relevant international standards (e.g. UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, CSDDD).
Strict adherence to confidentiality, objectivity, ethical integrity and discretion
Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable

Proficiency in one or more other relevant languages, such as French, Spanish or Arabic.
Familiarity with land and environment issues, including situations of conflict.
Experience supporting grant implementation and donor reporting.
Experience with multi-stakeholder engagement

Core competencies

Defender-centred approach and "do no harm". Genuine commitment to the safety, dignity and agency of HRDs; ability to prioritise protection and informed consent; sound judgement in assessing whether an engagement can proceed safely.
Risk and security awareness. Ability to identify and assess risks to HRDs, contribute to protection planning, and spot identifying details or other vulnerabilities in written material. Working knowledge of digital security tools and practices, or readiness to learn them quickly.
Intercultural and interpersonal skills. Ability to build trust and communicate with sensitivity with HRDs, partners and colleagues from diverse cultural, linguistic and political contexts, often remotely and in difficult circumstances.
Analytical and critical thinking. Capacity to assess company requests against project criteria, carry out due diligence, and review assessments critically for accuracy and fair representation.
Organisation and coordination. Strong planning and logistics skills, including scheduling across time zones, arranging interpretation, and managing several processes in parallel with attention to detail.
Communication and writing. Clear, concise spoken and written English for internal coordination, communications and donor reporting; ability to explain complex processes simply to HRDs.
Collaboration and reliability. Ability to work well with colleagues across ISHR, with GCBHR and with external partners, taking initiative while knowing when to consult the Programme Manager.
Integrity and commitment to ISHR's values. Alignment with ISHR's mission and principles; sound ethical judgment and professionalism, including in situations involving conflicts of interest or reputational sensitivity.
Capacity-building and advocacy support. Engagement in logistics and preparations for trainings and advocacy activities.

How to apply

Interested candidates should apply online by sending a CV with details of two referees (no profile picture) and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) explaining their motivation and how their experience matches the requirements.

Application deadline: 04 December 2026.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. All applications will be handled in accordance with ISHR’s Privacy Policy.

ISHR is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds, in particular from the Global South and from people with lived experience of human rights work.