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Are you passionate about strategic IT work and hands-on operations to develop the IT infrastructure and processes of a growing human rights organization? Do you want to work in an international environment with colleagues from all over the world? Then you could be the one we are looking for.

About the role

We are now looking for an IT manager to join our security and innovation department. The department consists of a team of colleagues who focus on providing innovative and security-focused support to human rights defenders.

The overall responsibility of the role is to lead and develop the IT unit to ensure Civil Rights Defenders IT systems and processes are efficient and secure. You will lead and manage a small but growing team of colleagues, working cross-organizationally with all parts of Civil Rights Defenders both at the Stockholm-based head office and regional offices.

The position is an operational position that combines strategic IT work with practical support, all aimed at developing the IT infrastructure and processes of a growing civil society organization.

You will be responsible for purchases and agreements regarding systems, support, maintenance and licensing of IT systems and services; continue to develop and implement a clear IT governance model; own and maintain the IT roadmap; and prioritize projects based on the strategic goals of civil rights advocates. You will be responsible for overseeing internal IT systems, development environments, cloud infrastructure and related processes and routines.

As an IT manager, you are part of the Leadership Forum and report to the director of the Security and Innovation department.

The role offers a wide variety, including tasks such as:

• Ownership and development of the Microsoft 365 platform. Civil Rights Defenders works according to a clearly defined cloud strategy.
• Lead and develop the organization’s Microsoft Modern Workplace platform based on Autopilot, Intune and Azure AD.
• Fully understand the organization’s cybersecurity defenses and monitor cybersecurity reports, both internal and those provided by third-party vendors.
• To assess IT-related risks across the organization, record them in the risk register along with mitigating actions, and escalate risks to the CFO and CIO if necessary.
• Manage contracts with third party vendors, fully understand the service provided and ensure these provide value for money and that any vendor performance issues are identified and successfully resolved or mitigated.
• Be the human replacement for colleagues in the IT unit, but also work closely with the Director of Security and Innovation as well as third-party vendors to ensure that the organization’s IT infrastructure is suited to its purpose.
• Keep abreast of cybersecurity threats and ensure processes, systems and routines meet external and internal requirements.
• Management of colleagues in a dedicated IT unit within the organization’s security and innovation department.

About you

As a person, you prefer to set high goals for yourself as well as for the organization and tend to work hard to achieve them. In the past, you have achieved these goals by collaborating with others in a responsive and fluid manner, but also by leading, motivating, and empowering others to effectively achieve common goals.

As a person, you show interest, willingness and ability to help others and strive to provide solutions. You are open-minded and like to take initiatives and generate activity. You collaborate with others and ensure that you contribute to achieving common goals and you understand that responsibilities as well as rewards must be shared within the team.

It is fundamental for you to resist undue pressure in decision-making and to communicate key points and ideas with clarity. If you also understand how background, culture, and group affiliation affect yourself and others and have the ability to take this into account when making decisions, you will be successful in this role.

We assume that you share our values.

To be suitable for this role, you must

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, equivalent training or other documented experience in computer science
• At least 3 years of relevant operational work experience within IT, in or outside the NGO sector
• A few years of documented experience of being part of and working in a leadership team or in a leadership position with a broader strategic role
• Experience managing Microsoft public cloud infrastructure
• Good understanding of compliance requirements such as GDPR and other privacy laws
• Good understanding of standards in accordance with ISO/IEC 27001.
• Experience and excellence in managing complex projects
• Fluency in English (oral and written) (level C1 required, C2 a merit); additional languages, such as Swedish, Russian or Spanish are an advantage.

It is merit if you have ISO/IEC 27001 certification, work experience in or near the non-profit or civil society sector and/or knowledge or experience of IT management in environments in rapidly changing in different geographical areas.

About the job

This is a permanent job (with a trial period of 6 months). We have a collective agreement (between Fremia and Unionen) and apply goal-oriented working hours. As an organization, we aim for diversity and we consider your background, your experience and your personality as a contribution to the organization. You will be based in Stockholm, Sweden.

For more information about the position, please contact Marcin de Kaminski, Director of Security and Innovation at Civil Rights Defenders: marcin.dekaminski@civilrightsdefenders.org.

Local union representative: joanna.hellstrom@crd.org (Unionen).

Please apply as soon as possible as we are constantly recruiting, but no later than June 22, 2023.

About Us

Civil Rights Defenders is a politically and religiously independent international human rights organization. We defend the civil and political rights of people in some of the most repressive regions of the world. We partner with and support human rights defenders in over 300 organizations in 50 countries on four continents. Together with our partners, we hold those in power accountable when people’s civil or political rights are violated. We also act as a civil rights watchdog in Sweden. Civil Rights Defenders has around 100 staff members working in various functions towards our vision – a world of democratic societies in which we all enjoy our civil and political rights. Our head office is located in Stockholm and we have eight branches around the world. Learn more about our work at crd.org.