Senior Researcher, Criminal Justice

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Senior Researcher, Criminal Justice
United States Program
Multiple US Locations Considered
Application Deadline: July 13^th, 2026

The Opportunity
The United States Program (USP) of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a Senior Researcher to play a leadership role within the US Program in identifying, researching, and advocating to change key US human rights issues as they relate to criminal justice.

The US Program works to advance human rights in three priority areas -- criminal justice, immigration, and democracy -- in ways that center racial justice and equity.  In partnership with allied organizations, USP undertakes research and provides expertise to evaluate ongoing human rights violations in the US, identifies goals and targets for remedy, and engages in advocacy for change.   In addition to its own work, USP collaborates with the multiple HRW thematic and regional divisions that work in the United States as well.

The Senior Researcher will lead USP’s criminal justice research and advocacy.

This role reports to the Director of the US Program, based in New York.
The successful candidate will be based within commuting distance of one of HRW’s US offices (New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, or San Francisco) and may be expected to work from office up to 3 days per week.

Candidate Profile:
The Senior Researcher should have demonstrated experience and deep subject matter expertise in criminalization; policing, use of force, and other law enforcement practices; racial justice and systemic discrimination, including racial profiling; due process and other criminal legal system processes; and accountability for police misconduct and other law enforcement harms. The ideal candidate will have strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, including legal analysis, policy review, and data interpretation and will have demonstrated expertise in designing and leading complex research projects from inception through publication.

The ideal candidate should be a recognized expert in the area of criminal justice and related topics with the experience of being consulted by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and others interested in US criminal justice concerns.

Responsibilities:

1. Monitor legal and policy developments, identify and highlight criminal legal system-related human rights trends and emerging issues, and analyze abuses within the broader political, social, and economic context to investigate factors contributing to abuses and avenues for effective change in the US;
2. Lead internal HRW policy discussions on issues relevant to their work;
3. Make recommendations to the US Program regarding the strategic research and advocacy projects it should prioritize regarding criminal justice, and develop and lead on those projects;
4. Research, monitor, analyze policies and practices, and document human rights concerns at multiple levels of the US criminal justice system by interviewing directly affected persons (e.g. communities targeted by relevant policies, prisoners and their families, victims of crimes), as well as professional and experts (e.g. defense attorneys, prosecutors, law enforcement and government officials, academics, and criminal justice policy experts) and undertaking desk research (e.g. reviewing media articles, studies, reports, caselaw, orders, and regulations), as well as filing public records requests and accessing public documents and data;
5. Write accurate, unbiased, comprehensive, and timely reports that include strategic policy reform recommendations, as well as multimedia products, briefing papers, regulatory, policy, or legislative comments, advocacy letters, news releases, op-eds, and submissions to national and international bodies, using a human rights lens, in a concise and accurate manner, on criminal justice human rights issues in the US;
6. Work closely with coalitions led by partners; including working with existing coalitions or through building new alliances, bring the contributions of HRW to those coalitions and bring the needs of those coalitions and alliances to HRW’s strategic planning to ensure HRW’s work complements and enhances their own;
7. Identify issues or reform opportunities in the US criminal justice policy environment by regularly communicating with a wide range of participants in, and observers of, the criminal justice system, including litigators;
8. Work in partnership with the Director to develop and implement advocacy strategies and innovative approaches in light of the obstacles and resources available, including by projecting HRW’s concerns into public debates, to change abusive laws, policies, and practices that directly present human rights concerns to local, state, and federal government officials, opinion leaders, international institutions (governmental and non-governmental), and the media;
9. Anticipate and respond to news events in order to press human rights issues, assess when and where to make public interventions such as op-eds, appear publicly and do media interviews on behalf of Human Rights Watch, speaking with authority and expertise on the topic, the applicable legal context, and the organization’s work on behalf of criminal justice; and take initiative and raise criminal justice human rights concerns in public debate through prompt responses to queries from the media, public, and colleagues in the criminal justice and human rights communities; creatively use the web and social media to generate public support for human rights issues and further advocacy goals;
10. Liaise effectively with HRW staff located in multiple locations throughout the country and internationally when relevant to collaborate on projects, and ensure effective coordination and delivery of research and advocacy activities;
11. Assist with building donor relationships, including with foundations and with individual relationships, sometimes requiring travel;
12. Be able to work flexible hours to accommodate developing and urgent events;
13. Travel domestically and internationally, as required, to conduct research and advocacy, and to participate in organization meetings and events; and
14. Perform other tasks as may be required.

Qualifications:
Education: A US law degree (J.D.) or an advanced degree in US criminal law/policy, journalism, or public policy or a related field is required.

Experience: A minimum of seven years of relevant experience is required. Relevant experience may include among other things, work as a criminal defense attorney or other litigator, investigative journalist, analyst or advocate on criminal justice policies at an NGO, court, academic institution, or in government.

Given the US Program’s substantive work focus and theory of change, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, as well as individuals from families and communities impacted by experiences with the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply. Candidates who are traditionally underrepresented in the human rights sector are enthusiastically encouraged to apply if they feel they can succeed in this role, even if they do not have all the formal skills and qualifications listed.

Required Skills and Knowledge:

1. Extensive knowledge of criminal and racial justice, social justice and civil and human rights issues in the United States and ability to identify, monitor, and evaluate trends and opportunities for research and advocacy;
2. Demonstrated ability to design and conduct complex and innovative research, including effective trauma-informed interviews with a broad range of people, and community-based and other policy advocacy projects with minimal staffing and supervision;
3. Experience working successfully with communities who have suffered civil or human rights violations in the US, particularly communities of color and poor people;
4. Relevant experience and familiarity with human rights research methodologies and local and international advocacy environments;
5. Relevant experience in work to combat structural barriers that entrench racial and criminal injustices in the United States, preferably including work with or alongside organizations led by directly impacted people, in determining advocacy, research, and communications strategies to pursue;
6. Ability to write and edit accurate, persuasive, well-organized, analytical, and timely reports and traditional and social media products in English, including creative use of images, audio, video, data, and online tools in the presentation of findings and in advocacy; edit HRW colleagues’ work for the USP team
7. Dynamic and compelling public speaking skills in English are required – Spanish language skills are desirable;
8. Strong initiative, follow-through, and capacity to think creatively and strategically, often on a short timeline;
9. Strong interpersonal skills to work collaboratively within HRW as well as with local partners, government officials, media, and other external partners; and
10. Ability to multi-task effectively, including having good planning and organizing skills and ability to work under pressure.

Other: Applicants for this position must be willing to travel, sometimes frequently, and be prepared to spend extensive time doing research or advocacy. Applicants should possess valid US work authorization – HRW cannot guarantee the ability to provide work authorization sponsorship for this role.   

Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this position is USD 88,000 – 104,000 Human Rights Watch offers comprehensive employer-paid benefits, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, a retirement savings plan and twenty (20) days of vacation per year.

How to Apply: Please apply by July 13^th, 2026 by visiting our online job portal at careers.hrw.org and attaching a letter of interest and a CV or resume. No calls or email inquiries, please. Only complete applications will be reviewed and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application submission, or if you require accommodations during the application process, please email recruitment@hrw.org. Due to the large response, application submissions via email will not be accepted and inquiries regarding the status of applications will go unanswered.

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and not parents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights research and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of governments and international institutions.