Purposeof role:
The S&OR Human Rights Expert will:
  • Assess the consequences to BP of the human rights consultants’ recommendations
  • Develop a plan that will align BP performance with the UN GPs while avoiding undue burden on the BP businesses
  • Lead on the implementation of the plan.

Key Results/ Accountabilities expected from role (not more than 5)
  • Assess the Group risks to BP from both external trends and internal performance and propose solutions to BP senior management
  • Lead the input for the enhancement of corporate processes to manage human rights risks, including the creation of mechanisms to measure human rights performance for continuous improvement and reporting purposes
  • Lead the transfer of human rights capability to relevant practitioners in businesses (including JVs) and the functions to improve performance in the identification and management of potential and actual human rights impacts, including relationships with third parties
  • Provide human rights expertiseforthe drafting of internal and external corporate documents such as sustainability reporting, AGM briefs, papers for senior management (eg annual risk process), advocacy and responses to stakeholders (eg investors)
  • Analyse and report on external trends and debates about human rights, participating and leading where appropriate; and take a leading role in industry work on promoting awareness and good practice on human rights (eg via IPIECA)

Human rights expert - 26972BR

Location: Sunbury/London UK or Houston US

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Key challenges faced on the role (In relation to section 4 above)
Key internal challenges include:
  • the relative lack of awareness in BP of the growing need for human rights impact identification & management, and the Group risk associated with poor human rights performance & reporting,
  • the lack of human rights capability development mechanisms
External challenges:
  • expectations are increasing on human rights performance and reporting. The post-holder will therefore need to focus his/her efforts on a limited number of work areas and client businesses, according to where the best risk & benefit combination lies.

Any Other Relevant Information (Particular reference to planning (nature and impact), scope of impact (Team, BU, Segment, BP globally etc)
Internal relationships: the post-holder will need to lead interactionswith management and non-technical risk specialists across a variety of BP businesses and functions, including other S&OR teams (e.g. Group Security);embedded S&OR social and environmental specialists in Upstream, Refining & Marketing and Alternative Energy; segment environmental (& social, where they exist) practitioners; External Affairs practitioners; Policy & Strategy team in the company head office; Legal; Procurement & Supply Chain Management; Compliance & Ethics.
External relationships: the post-holder will need to interact with peers from other companies in energy industry associations (such as IPIECA and OGP) and with external organizations that specialize in human rights, in consultation with the SJS Policy team. He/she will take a leading role in influencing and assisting the work of external task forces (eg on human rights impact assessment or grievance processes).
The post-holder will have no direct reports.
The post-holder will have influence on spend but no direct approval authority for expenditure.
Experience & Expertise (Typical educational qualification& experience)
Essential Education:
  • Degree level or equivalent qualification in a social, legal, economic or business related discipline.
Essential Experience and job requirements:
  • Experience of working on human rights related issues in BP, other energy sector or extractives (mining) company project or operation, either as a practitioner or as a consultant.
  • Recognised technical expert (ie can both implement and advise others on implementation) in two or more of the following specialized areas: baseline collection & analysis; planning, implementing and/or supervising human rights aspects of impact assessment; stakeholder consultation & community engagement; grievance processes; employee rights; indigenous rights; current and emerging human rights performance metrics for performance management and sustainability reporting.
  • Thorough understanding of the following issues:
  • typical human rights impacts and ensuing company risks commonly associated with oil and gas developments
  • investor and stakeholder views on management of human rights issues
  • Detailed awareness of UN human rights framework and guiding principles.
  • Knowledge of external sources of information about key business and human rights issues, relevant implementation and monitoring methodologies, grievance mechanisms and research relevant to the energy industry.
  • Ability to communicate to non-technical staff and managers the business relevance of human rights impact identification & management.
  • Ability to share technical knowledge and increase the capability of colleagues in the wider BP (eg via internal networks, training materials and creation of guidance documents) including target businesses that request guidance and capability development.
Optional expertise and experience:
  • Participation in trade associations, Joint Industry Groups or cross industry and NGO groups on human rights issues
  • Understanding of energy sector social and economic policies, strategies and standards/practices
  • Understanding of international finance institution requirements on social and economic impact identification, management and reporting.

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