Investigator, Arms and Armed Conflict

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. They investigate and expose abuses, educate and mobilize the public, and campaign for justice, freedom, truth and dignity.

The Investigator will be part of Amnesty International's Evidence Lab, working collaboratively with research teams, including regional and thematic specialists, to proactively lead and support investigations. The role focuses on lethal and less-lethal weapons, operations by military, police, and other security forces, arms transfers, and the changing dynamics of armed conflict, specifically examining their human rights and international humanitarian law impacts. Combining advanced expertise in weapons and conflict with strong investigative, open-source research, and writing skills, the postholder will design and conduct multidisciplinary investigations and produce rigorous, accessible, and visually compelling research outputs. A key aspect of the role involves developing Amnesty International’s work on new warfare, investigating the human rights impacts of evolving technologies and systems in armed conflict and crises, such as hybrid warfare, remote and autonomous weapons, and AI-enabled military technologies. The investigator will contribute to identifying responsibility for grave violations, including individuals, military/security units, corporate actors, and suppliers, based on thorough research and strong evidence. Additionally, the role provides specialist analysis and advice to Amnesty International research teams responding to conflicts, protests, and other crises, covering topics like weapons identification, remote battle damage assessments, post-blast analysis, attribution, conduct of hostilities, and weapons transfers and supply chains.

1. Work with regional offices, thematic programs, and researchers to proactively identify research opportunities and lead or support multidisciplinary investigations related to weapons, military, security-force, and law enforcement operations, arms transfers, and changing forms of warfare, drawing on monitoring of conflicts, technological developments, digital evidence, and emerging human rights concerns.
2. Lead or substantially contribute to reports, briefings, press releases, and multimedia outputs, translating complex findings into clear and accessible language for non-technical audiences.
3. Collaborate with researchers, legal, and policy advisers to ensure findings are well-supported and grounded in relevant international human rights and humanitarian law standards.
4. Bring a strong editorial and communications vision to investigations, combining rigorous research, compelling writing, and powerful visual evidence.
5. Work with communications, campaigns, and design colleagues to translate findings into media, multimedia, and social media content that reaches and resonates with diverse audiences.

1. Substantial professional experience conducting complex investigations relating to weapons, armed conflict, military, security-force, or law enforcement operations, or arms transfers, ideally within human rights documentation, investigative journalism, or a closely related public-interest field.
2. A strong portfolio of advanced digital investigations/research projects demonstrating the ability to carry out complex research and produce high-quality outputs, showcasing advanced expertise in a digital investigations field.
3. Demonstrable advanced expertise in firearms, explosive ordnance, and less-lethal weapons, including practical experience identifying weapons and ordnance from visual and documentary evidence, and a strong understanding of weapons employment, explosive effects, and relevant military and law-enforcement doctrine.
4. Experience investigating weapons use and attack reconstruction, attribution and responsibility, military operations, arms transfers and supply chains, or emerging military technologies.
5. Experience investigating the trade in and misuse of law enforcement equipment, including identifying common types of lethal and less-lethal weapons and their use in human rights violations.
6. Bachelor's Degree.