Executive Director

It is with great enthusiasm that I invite you to consider joining Protection International (PI) as our next Executive Director. As Chair of the PI International Board, I am deeply inspired by our mission and the profound impact we have on the ground. Since our founding in 2007, we have steadily evolved into a globally connected organization dedicated to empowering Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and their collectives to create enabling environments for the right to defend human rights.

As we enter a critical phase guided by our ambitious 2024-2028 Global Strategy, we are seeking a visionary and values-driven leader who can navigate the complexities of our challenging landscape. This strategy serves not only as a response to the increasingly hostile environment faced by HRDs but also as a blueprint for transformative change. We aim to amplify the agency of HRDs, strengthen collective protection mechanisms, challenge stigmatization and criminalization, and drive policy change—while fostering resilience from within our team.

In leading us through this next chapter, you will not merely occupy a leadership role; you will become a steward of our values and a catalyst for the change we envision. The incoming Executive Director will guide a diverse and highly motivated senior management team, ensuring financial sustainability, efficient governance, and impactful advocacy. You will build consensus, harness the expertise of experienced colleagues, and foster an environment rooted in teamwork, accountability, and excellence.

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a role that demands cultural sensitivity and problem-solving skills in a dynamic environment. As we adapt to current needs—optimizing governance, diversifying funding sources, and transitioning to a more locally focused model—we seek someone who thrives in uncertainty and complexity with clarity, purpose, and heart.

If you are strategic, compassionate, and unafraid to lead with conviction—believing wholeheartedly in collective leadership—then we would be honoured to embark on this journey with you. Together, we will continue to support HRDs as they carry out their courageous work—often at great personal risk while pushing for the structural and political changes needed to protect human rights.

**In brief, we are seeking a visionary leader devoted to operational excellence, with deep alignment on human rights issues, a real understanding of advocacy, who truly enjoys inclusive team work and is resilient and adaptable.**

Warm regards,

Sandra Petersen
Chair of the International Board
Protection International

**About Protection International**:
Protection International stands for the right to defend human rights (RDHR) for everyone.

Since 2007, we have been working with human rights movements across the globe. We provide long term accompaniment and support to human rights defenders (HRDs) and their collectives at risk. Our objective is to support the defenders in ensuring their own safety, holding duty bearers accountable to fulfil their obligation to protect HRDs, and garnering support from key stakeholders to maximise their contribution to HRD protection.

**Our Vision**:
We aspire to a world in which fundamental human rights and freedoms are universally recognised and respected by all. Everyone has the right to defend these rights and freedoms without fear of threats or attack.

**Our Mission**:
Our contribution to that world is to support human rights defenders (HRDs) through comprehensive protection programmes. Our programmes enable HRDs to build capacities for managing their protection effectively. We carry out targeted advocacy so that those who have the duty to protect HRDs fulfil their obligations, and we work to convince other individuals and institutions with a stake in the protection of HRDs to maximise their positive contribution. Protection International always works in partnership with defenders.

**Main Responsibilities**:
The new Executive Director will lead by example, practising the organisation’s values and raising the profile of PI as the leading organisation for Human Rights Defenders globally.

The new ED will:

- Have the ability to craft a vision aligned with organisational goals, and drive its implementation with a diverse senior management team with clear action plans and success measurement tools;
- Seek to ensure adapted structures and processes to bring about organisational goals, building capacity for sustained growth;
- Ensure financial stability, embedding an adapted funding model with agreed actions and establishing a global framework adaptable to local needs that will make for compelling case studies to present to potential donors;
- Raise the profile of Protection International through impactful advocacy activity campaigns and engage meaningfully with coalition and alliance partners to maximise the voice of Human Rights Defenders;
- Foster inclusivity and close collaboration across the global teams and empowering tea