Technical Director, Worker Voice

ICF is hiring Technical Director, Worker Voice to support the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) to create a comprehensive global tool to support worker driven remediation approaches to labor abuses in global supply chains.

On behalf of OCFT ICF conducts research, analysis, and preparation of written communications related to international child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, trade, and supply chain, and forced labor remediation.

Remediation of labor exploitation in global supply chains intends to restore workers that have been harmed by a business's activities to the situation they would have been in had the impact not occurred. Access to Remedy is a critical pillar of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). In particular, Guiding Principle 22, in Pillar II, shares that where "business enterprises identify that they have caused or contributed to adverse impacts, they should provide for or cooperate in their remediation through legitimate processes".

Under the UNGPs, it is also the obligation of States and governments to support Access to Remedy efforts. ILAB is the U.S. government’s (USG) leader on guidance, advisory, and technical assistance projects that support effective worker-driven remediation. ILAB’s Comply Chain tool – an eight-step guide to worker-driven social compliance – takes a remedy-by-design approach, embedding worker voice across all phases of the social compliance process and preventing violations before they arise. It highlights company best practices on effective remediation, and shares examples of the USG legal tools and technical assistance and cooperation programs that promote effective remediation.

The Technical Director, Worker Voice will lead research and literature review on corporate best practices on worker driven remediation including workers’ perspectives by applying knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The technical director will write for the intended audience, formulate strategies to engage with relevant stakeholders based on USDOL priorities and interests, and advise USDOL on worker driven remediation. This position also coordinates between elements of USDOL, U.S. Government agencies, trade unions, civil society organizations, and regional and international organizations. The position will be a full-time, remote or hybrid position (occasional meetings will occur at USDOL in Washington DC or in the ICF office in Rockville, MD). 

 Key Responsibilities: 

• Leading research and requirements gathering, conceptual and stylistic direction and implementation of Worker Driven Remediation (WDR) tool and remediation standards
• Conduct key informant interviews with trade union stakeholders and collate their experiences with worker-driven remediation.
• Establishing sector-specific guidance for how to implement standards in key sectors
• Leading stakeholder engagement workshops with trade unions and civil society organizations for continuous improvement of policies and project outputs
• Serving as a senior technical staff responsible for all phases, activities, staffing, and outcomes involved in a project, including project management, for the entire project.
• Presenting in front of audiences, discussing amongst stakeholders, and writing documents for publication in English
• Manage other staff members may occur

Required Qualifications:  

• Master’s degree in international affairs, international relations, public policy, economics, political science, communications, planning, statistics, technology and policy, or related discipline 
• 7+ years of experience conducting policy research and policy implementation in topics related to workers’ rights, labor relations, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and workforce development
• 7+ years of research and analysis: in conducting literature reviews applying knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods, conducting systematic and objective inquiry and analysis of international labor issues and labor rights
• 5+ years of convening trade union and civil society stakeholders in the area of labor rights and worker voice
• 5+ years of subject-matter expertise on labor remediation implementation
• 7+ years of experience with administrative responsibilities including meeting deadlines, achieving targets, and overseeing the preparation and submission of required reports to the U.S. Government client(s)
• 7+ years of experience building and maintaining working relations with workers through trade union and