Digital Rights Watch's logo

Executive Director - Flexible Location

Digital Rights Watch
  • Location: Any metropolitan area within Australia
  • Commitment: Part time (0.8FTE) fixed-term 3-month contract (with possibility of extension to 12-months)
  • Salary: $120,000 per annum FTE (potentially more for the right candidate) (pro-rata to 0.8FTE) inclusive of 9.5% superannuation

We are currently seeking an Executive Director with inclusive leadership skills to inspire, lead and manage performance to achieve Digital Rights Watch’s operational and strategic goals.

This is a unique opportunity to support the growth of a human rights non-profit, shaping its day-to-day operations, and collaborating with an active and engaged board.

You will be responsible for guiding our small but growing team to further the strategic plan of the organisation. You will represent the interests of Digital Rights Watch to government, corporate partners and the technology sector. You will lead our engagement with organisational partners both here in Australia and globally to further the collective impact of the digital rights movement.

You’ll be responsible for securing ongoing funding for Digital Rights Watch’s work from public donations, philanthropic sources and corporate partnerships. You will work with our Board, staff, and volunteers to develop policy positions and engage with partners to advocate for positive change.

Planning:

  • Work proactively with the board on the strategic direction for the organisation
  • Develop operational and programme focus and frameworks, working with existing campaign staff to do so

Business:

  • Ensure and oversee financial planning
  • Manage the performance of two campaigns staff members
  • Secure public, private, and philanthropic sector funding & resources
  • Nurture organisational relationships that support and expand organisational capacity
  • Prepare funding applications, agreements and acquittals

Campaigns and communications:

  • Support the implementation of campaigns, communications strategies and outreach activities
  • Advocate at local/state/national levels to government, business, and community
  • Represent Digital Rights Watch in local, national, and international forums

To be successful in this role, you probably have:

  • Significant previous experience in a similar role in the not-for-profit sector
  • Honest and open leadership and management skills in a complex multi-disciplinary organisation
  • The ability to analyse and conceptualise problems and formulate and execute solutions
  • Demonstrated capacity for teamwork, coaching, and staff development
  • Significant executive managerial experience and a successful track record of managing teams to achieve strategic objectives and operational targets
  • Excellent cross-cultural communication skills as well as a good knowledge and respect of human rights and technology sectors

Digital Rights is an emerging field of human rights work around the world. Whilst experience with this work is preferable, campaign skills and experience from other fields are also applicable. Formal qualifications and experience are less important to us than the right attitude and passion. If you’re interested in this role, please do apply.

Digital Rights Watch is a non-discriminatory employer. Women, gender-diverse people, queer people, people with a disability, people of colour, and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Digital Rights Watch

Founded in 2016, Digital Rights Watch is a national charity whose mission is to ensure that Australians are equipped, empowered and enabled to uphold their digital rights. We believe that digital rights are human rights which see their expression online.

Our vision is for a digital world where all humanity can thrive, and where diversity and creativity flourishes. To ensure this, our digital world must be underpinned by equality, freedom and established human rights principles. Its evolution and future must be guided and driven by the interests of all people and the environments we live in.

DRW exists to defend and promote this vision - to ensure fairness, freedoms and fundamental rights for all Australians in the digital world. We do this by building alliances across civil society, raising public awareness through the media, and participating in policy development within government and industry. We aim to create a world where there is a strong and diverse movement of advocates capable of holding government and industry to account for policy decisions.

Our strategic areas of work:

Privacy and Personal Information

Apps and digital platforms track our behaviour in the digital world, and increasingly in the physical world, through internet connected cameras, facial recognition systems and other internet-enabled devices. We advocate for a world of data sovereignty, where people control how personal information about them is collected, used and stored.

Surveillance and Security

Often in partnership with the private sector, the government is making use of digital technology to manage and monitor its citizens. Surveillance is a serious problem for whistleblowers and journalists, but it’s also a problem for anyone who relies on government services. We need laws that prioritise digital security, rather than allow the surveillance state to weaken and break technology like encryption for its own interest, while we all as a society bear the consequences.

Connectivity and Power

Access to technologies and the digital products and services they offer are often determined by financial interests and market forces that fail to consider marginalised and vulnerable communities. Technology gives immense power and control to corporations and governments that can negatively impact our democracy and our fundamental rights. We aim to keep this power in check.

Artificial Intelligence and Automated Decision Making

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are automating processes that once involved human involvement and accountability. While there will be significant benefits, the potential lack of accountability, bias and discrimination, and the difficulty with reviewing automated decisions can create a host of challenges. We work for accountable, transparent and fair automated decision making.

How to apply

This job ad has now expired, and applications are no longer being accepted.

Email me more jobs like this.

Daily