In many countries, people who advocate for their human rights are at risk. Time and again, we see governments and political groups severely restricting human rights. Those who stand up for their rights—such as lawyers, journalists, environmental activists, and other critical voices—are particularly at risk.
Amnesty International is the world’s largest movement advocating for human rights. Amnesty is independent of governments, political parties, ideologies, business interests, and religions. To ensure this independence, we fund our human rights work solely through donations and membership dues. Our campaigns and actions are based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International has more than ten million supporters worldwide and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977.
The secretariat of Amnesty’s German section is led by a team of four executive board members, who are responsible for the areas of Secretary General, Financial Management, Campaigns and Communications, and Movement Building.
Key Areas of Focus
In this position, you will take on a strategic leadership role with
a high degree of creative autonomy. As part of strategic
organizational development, you will share responsibility with the other
members of the Executive Board for the further development
of the work and structure of the German Section of Amnesty International
Germany (transformation process).
The strategic focus of your role is to further develop structures,
forms of participation, and working methods within the secretariat and with volunteers,
with the aim of broad mobilization and activism. The goal
is to continue pursuing Amnesty’s path toward a strong, diverse, inclusive, and
accessible human rights movement and to anchor it as a “People
Powered Movement” with broad societal support. Through
diverse and collective activities, as well as alliance-building within
national and international civil society, the aim is to achieve the greatest possible impact
in promoting understanding, acceptance, and protection of human rights and in opposing
authoritarian systems.
Accordingly, the two main focuses of your role are on
collective change processes (change management) within a complex,
civil society organization that has been established for decades, with
volunteer, full-time, and international structures, as well as on the
further development of association and board work under conditions
of social change.
Transformation into a People-Powered Movement
In a social and political climate increasingly shaped by
authoritarian and inhumane narratives, we
counter this with the idea of a People-Powered Movement:
Human rights stand for dignity, solidarity, and cohesion. They are
not defended in the abstract, but are upheld, lived out, and
fought for by people. We support people in exerting influence—locally,
nationally, and internationally. We build movements that are strong, diverse,
and united in solidarity. This is not just about protest, but about
sustained participation, mutual empowerment, and collective action.
In your role, you will inject new momentum into the organization’s ongoing
transformation process and serve as the central
link between the various levels and stakeholders with a view to
building a people-powered movement. As an experienced leader in
change and transformation processes, you have the ear of all
relevant stakeholders, cultivate relationships, build bridges, and
communicate the goals of
change through clear strategies and messages. You draw on solid practical experience in
stakeholder management within organizations undergoing change and with established
structures. You find it easy to navigate a broad spectrum of
behaviors—from engaging, friendly, and diplomatic to
mobilizing and even
conflict-resolving—and to strike the right tone in every situation.
You provide direction in complex change situations, facilitate
participation, and at the same time ensure that necessary decisions
are made and changes are consistently implemented.
At the intersection of the Campaigns and Communications
division and the Commercial Management team, you also share
responsibility for the sustainability of our fundraising efforts and the growth
of the organization; through community development and engagement pathways,
you help retain our active supporters and inspire new ones
to get involved with the organization.
Together with your assigned teams—Activism (mobilization and participation)
and Connect & Support (member and supporter services)—
you will identify and prioritize specific areas of action on the
path toward achieving the social and organizational goals of our transformation.
In doing so, you strike a balance between hands-on, action-oriented
leadership and fostering personal responsibility. Making decisions under
uncertainty, agile and iterative work, process-oriented thinking, and
adaptive strategy work are second nature to you. You are also
able to translate strategy into operational implementation and bring a
solid understanding of your teams’ work to strategic
discussions within senior management or with the board of directors.
Board and Club Management
Another key focus of your role is collaborating with
the volunteer board of directors. Working closely with the volunteer
board members, you will help identify strategic issues for
the association as a whole at an early stage, structure them, and
prepare decisions that set the direction for the organization. Supported by the
Executive Board’s administrative assistant, you will be responsible for the strategic
facilitation and management of Executive Board meetings as well as the association’s key
assemblies, including the necessary internal
communication.
You have a strong network both nationally and internationally, leverage the
resources of the global movement, and maintain good relationships with
members, officers, and key stakeholders within the
organization’s sphere of influence.
The goal of your activities is to sustainably embed the desired changes through intensive networking and
stakeholder engagement and to
contribute to the organization’s sustainable development. In all
aspects of your work, you promote a transparent, respectful, and
resource-oriented work style and use available resources
strategically and wisely.
Team-Based Executive Leadership
As part of the executive leadership team, you help shape the overall strategy of Amnesty
International Germany. As the Movement Building Executive Director, you will
bring the perspectives of activists, members, supporters, and
organizational change into overarching decisions and,
together with your colleagues, bear responsibility for the sustainability and
effectiveness of the organization.
The Secretary General represents the German section externally on all
substantive and political issues and at the international level. The
area of responsibility of the Commercial Management Team encompasses
management and process quality as well as financial and organizational
stability (including finance, human resources, digital transformation, and
risk management). The area of responsibility of the Campaigns
and Communications Management is in charge of human rights impact management,
which is achieved through global campaigns on human rights issues and
high-visibility communication in politics and society.
Qualifications and Leadership Style
We would be happy to speak with you if you have many years of professional experience
and leadership experience in complex organizations and political
movements undergoing change. A solid understanding of the discourses relevant to human rights policy
is a prerequisite. You are passionate about leading an
activist, effective, and outspoken organization that
drives social change. In addition, you have in-depth
knowledge of stakeholder management within a member-based association and
bring the networks relevant to this role. You combine
strategic acumen with creativity and are able to manage complex projects
and structures while successfully bringing strategic initiatives
to fruition.
You lead your staff based on the principles of feminist
and anti-discriminatory leadership. You are approachable, encouraging, and
results-oriented. When delegating, you strike the right balance between
a strategic perspective and an understanding of operational details; you are
focused on cross-team and cross-departmental collaboration and view it
as your responsibility to promote independent work. You create a
work environment characterized by respect, participation, and mutual trust.
You are aware of the special responsibility that comes with your
leadership role and critically reflect on its impact on
collaboration and decision-making processes from a power dynamics perspective. You
consult with employees, drawing on their expertise, and make clear and
binding decisions. You combine professionalism with approachability
and foster open communication in day-to-day work; you
address challenges with constructive creativity and bring a high degree
of cooperation and self-reflection to your leadership role.
You view collaboration within an internationally structured organization
as an asset. Your strong communication
skills and capacity for empathy enable you to address
stakeholders clearly,
convincingly, in a manner tailored to the audience, and consistently
when communicating change initiatives.
Benefits
A responsible leadership role with decision-making and creative autonomy in shaping and developing a major human rights organization
A varied and wide-ranging scope of responsibilities with strong internal and external networking
Trust-based collaboration with dedicated teams and colleagues
Compensation commensurate with the role and competitive within the civil society sector
30 vacation days per year (based on a 5-day workweek) plus days off on December 24 and December 31