Vacancy for Human Rights Trainee (Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy) – ENNHRI

ENNHRI is looking for a Human Rights Trainee (Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy) to join our team for six months, starting from October 2026. 

ENNHRI is the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions. We bring together 51 member National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from across Europe to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in the region. Our network provides a platform for collaboration and solidarity in addressing human rights challenges and a common voice for NHRIs at the European level.   

At ENNHRI, we work to:   

• Support NHRIs with their compliance with the UN Paris Principles during their establishment, accreditation and when they come under threat.   

• Strengthen NHRIs by facilitating the exchange of information and good practices and organising capacity-building activities for NHRIs to address human rights, democracy and rule of law.   

• Connect NHRIs to European institutions by facilitating their engagement with regional mechanisms, raising their visibility and intervening on regional legal and policy developments.   

We are an international not-for-profit association under Belgian law with a Permanent Secretariat based in Brussels.   

We are looking for a Human Rights Trainee (focus on rule of law, human rights, and democracy) to join our team for six months, starting from October 2026. The Human Rights Trainee will play an important role in ENNHRI’s daily work and will be a part of our Human Rights Team. 

To apply, please fill out an application form and attach your CV in PDF format (max. 2 pages, in English). Deadline: 7 August 2026 (23:59 CEST).  

Indicative task include: 

• Conducting background research; drafting of papers, reports and other written materials; collecting, compiling and analysing information; contributing to the ENNHRI’s on-line tools; 

• Monitoring relevant EU and European legal and policy developments and advocacy work in the field of human rights in Europe;  

• Where appropriate, representing ENNHRI and attending (online) meetings with NHRIs and a wide range of European actors;  

• Supporting preparation of online and in-person meetings;  

• Drafting content for newsletters, website, and social media;  

• Support membership activities, including assisting with member engagement; 

• General administrative tasks including contact and database management and responding to information requests.

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in law, political science or another relevant field;  
• Sound knowledge of human rights and the related legal and policy framework in Europe;   
• Demonstrated interest in working with and understanding NHRIs in Europe;   
• Excellent research and drafting skills: initial experience conducting research on human rights and drafting articles, reports, statements, etc;
• Professional working level of English;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organisational skills;
• Ability to work both in a team and on own initiative.

• Experience or sound knowledge of the work of NHRIs in Europe;  
• Experience working for a membership organisation;   
• Experience working in an international environment;   
• Experience organising meetings, events, web-meetings and webinars;   
• Additional language skills. 

The traineeship will be offered for 6 months, starting from October 2026. The traineeship is full-time and will be carried out at the ENNHRI Secretariat office in Brussels, where a teleworking policy applies.   

ENNHRI will provide the candidate with a Belgian traineeship contract (Convention d’immersion professionelle) with a remuneration of € 1550/month, and monthly STIB (public transport) pass. At this point, due to stringent Belgian legislation, only candidates that have right to work in Belgium can be considered for this traineeship.

To apply, please fill out an application form and attach your CV in PDF format (max. 2 pages, in English).  

Deadline: 7 August 2026 (23:59 CEST). Please note that applications after this deadline will not be considered. Interviews and a written assignment will be held online in late August and early September. 

ENNHRI strongly encourages you not to use AI tools to develop responses to the application form. Through the written application, we would like to ascertain candidates’ unique perspectives and voice. Therefore, we intend to only consider candidates who provide their own, original application suited to this specific post at ENNHRI. Equally, ENNHRI does not use AI in reviewing applications.

ENNHRI is an equal opportunity employer. Should you have any additional questions, you may contact Melina Charalampous at Melina.Charalampous@ennhri.org.