Jobs & Internships

China Labor Watch
Current Opportunities

China Labor Watch (CLW) is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. In the past twenty years, CLW has dedicated its work to monitoring and advocating Chinese workers’ labor rights conditions. CLW has collaborated with various media platforms and human rights and labor organizations, and have conducted over a hundred on-the-ground, in-depth assessments of labor conditions in Chinese-owned factories. Products produced in these factories include toys, bikes, shoes, furniture, clothing, and electronics for some of the largest international brand corporations. CLW’s New York office creates reports from these investigations, educates the international community on supply chain labor issues, pressures corporations to improve conditions for workers, and advocates for policy changes among stakeholders involved. CLW also trains workers and operates a worker hotline in China that has handled nearly 6,000 cases since 2010.

Available Positions

Operations Manager

Chinese Labor Law Specialist

Social Media Coordinator

China Researcher

Entry-Level Project Support Assistant

Operations Manager

Full-time Job Vacancy

Job Type: Full-time

Job Location: New Jersey (in-person only) required

Application Deadline: Rolling basis until position is filled

Exemption Status/Reason: Exempt 

Description: China Labor Watch is a labor rights organization founded in 2000. Our mission is the defense of workers affected by companies’ abuse and misconduct, with a focus on China and Chinese companies. We are cited by the media, government, and NGOs as the foremost authority on Chinese labor rights issues. Since our founding, CLW has collaborated with the media, human right and labor organizations to monitor workers’ conditions in and outside of China. CLW is now seeking to maintain a sustainable level of growth at our organization. For more details, please visit China Labor Watch’s website at chinalaborwatch.org.

China Labor Watch is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee daily operations, make mid-level management decisions, and help the organization grow. The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of managing people and programs at a NGO. They should be skilled in human resources, finances, and IT management, and be able to foster an environment of diversity, safety, and inclusion. Additionally, they should be passionate about labor rights and human rights in China, and be willing to use their passion towards managing and sustainably growing a small team.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee daily operational and management decisions for a small NGO of approximately 5 people, plus additional contractors
  • Track all of China Labor Watch’s active programs to ensure that they are meeting standards in regards to timelines, deliverables, and budget requirements, and assist with the implementation of programs needing support
  • Work closely with program officers, researchers, and legal teams and consultants to ensure programs comply with delivery standards 
  • Review, manage, and monitor organizational and program finances, recordkeeping paper and digital receipts to make sure that budgets are accurate, in order, and up-to-date
  • Oversee the ordering of office supplies, inventory, internet and phone services, etc. 
  • Maintain, review, and operationalize organizational and operational security standards, including setting up secure laptops and phones for new employees 
  • Train staff, contractors, and volunteers in program delivery and operational security
  • Help with onboarding new employees, including setting up health insurance, payroll, and other HR-related tasks
  • Additional duties as required. Employees at China Labor Watch must be flexible with balancing existing work duties and taking on additional responsibilities. We are a small organization that aims to ensure an equitable workload; all employees are expected to perform other duties as needed. 

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s degree is a plus but not required
  • 3+ years of experience managing programs, people, and operations, preferably at a small to mid-sized NGO
  • Fluency (native-speaking or bilingual, or working proficiency) in English and Chinese
  • Ability to manipulate and manage data on Excel and Google Sheets
  • Ability to work in-office 5 days a week in New Jersey
  • Understanding of security risks associated with working at human rights organizations, and willingness to respect and implement security protocols

Additional skills and knowledge

  • Ability to be a team player and motivator for a small office and team of approximately 5 people
  • Familiarity with accounting software such as Quickbooks 
  • Passion for helping with the growth and development of a small NGO
  • An understanding of human rights and labor rights in China, as well as a dedication to the mission of improving working standards of Chinese workers
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in Chinese and English
  • Ability to multitask effectively, including strong planning and organizational skills and ability to work under pressure
  • Cultural understanding, awareness, and openness to working with employees of all backgrounds

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $60,000-$75,000. CLW provides health insurance coverage options, including dental and vision. 

China Labor Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Citizens of all nationalities and candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

How to Apply

Please submit applications via email to (amelia@chinalaborwatch.org). Please include a Chinese cover letter, an English cover letter, and a resume and title the email “Operations Manager”. Please refrain from making phone calls as we will follow-up with qualified applicants. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Chinese Labor Law Specialist

Full-time Job Vacancy

Job Type: Full time or part-time negotiable

Job Location: In-person in New Jersey or hybrid/remote negotiable

Application Deadline: Rolling basis until position is filled

Exemption Status/Reason: Exempt 

Description: China Labor Watch is a labor rights organization founded in 2000. Our mission is the defense of workers affected by companies’ abuse and misconduct, with a focus on China and Chinese companies. We are cited by the media, government, and NGOs as the foremost authority on Chinese labor rights issues. Since our founding, CLW has collaborated with the media, human right and labor organizations to monitor workers’ conditions in and outside of China. CLW is now seeking to maintain a sustainable level of growth at our organization. For more details, please visit China Labor Watch’s website at chinalaborwatch.org.

China Labor Watch is seeking a Chinese Labor Law Specialist to help craft legal petitions for Chinese workers. The ideal candidate will have 2+ years of experience practicing law in China. They should have a certificate demonstrating their ability to practice law in China and a knowledge of human rights and labor rights in China. Additionally, they should be passionate about carrying out an exciting number of legal initiatives at a small human rights NGO.

Responsibilities

  • Draft legal petitions for Chinese workers, ensuring that they are up to standard with Chinese legal requirements
  • Liaise with Chinese workers to obtaining the information needed to craft legal petitions 
  • Provide informed opinions on legal trends, primarily regarding labor rights in China and the East Coast of America
  • Conduct legal research and analysis of internal operations
  • Draft legal opinions, memoranda, and briefing documents based on interpretations of Chinese law
  • Review additional legal documents and materials as they arise
  • Additional duties as required. Employees at China Labor Watch must be flexible with balancing existing work duties and taking on additional responsibilities. We are a small organization that aims to ensure an equitable workload; all employees are expected to perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s Degree required with a degree in law preferred
  • 2+ years of experience practicing law in China
  • Fluency in Mandarin Chinese
  • Familiarity with Chinese social media platforms and trends
  • Knowledge of Chinese labor rights and the Chinese legal system in regards to workers’ rights
  • Understanding of security risks associated with working at human rights organizations, and willingness to respect and implement security protocols
  • Ability to travel 1-2 times a year, if required

Additional skills and knowledge

  • English working proficiency preferred but not required
  • An understanding of human rights and labor rights in China, as well as a dedication to the mission of improving working standards of Chinese workers
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in Mandarin Chinese 
  • Ability to multitask effectively, including strong planning and organizational skills and ability to work under pressure
  • Cultural understanding, awareness, and openness to working with employees of all backgrounds

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $50,000-$60,000. CLW provides health insurance coverage options, including dental and vision. 

China Labor Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. CLW also assists employees in obtaining necessary work permits when needed. As such, citizens of all nationalities and candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

How to Apply

Please submit applications via email to (amelia@chinalaborwatch.org). Please include a Chinese cover letter, an English cover letter, and a resume and title the email “Chinese Labor Law Specialist”. Please refrain from making phone calls as we will follow-up with qualified applicants. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Social Media Coordinator

Full-time Job Vacancy

Job Type: Part-time (negotiable hours)

Job Location: In-person in New Jersey or hybrid/remote negotiable

Application Deadline: Rolling basis until position is filled

Exemption Status/Reason: Exempt 

Description: China Labor Watch is a labor rights organization founded in 2000. Our mission is the defense of workers affected by companies’ abuse and misconduct, with a focus on China and Chinese companies. We are cited by the media, government, and NGOs as the foremost authority on Chinese labor rights issues. Since our founding, CLW has collaborated with the media, human right and labor organizations to monitor workers’ conditions in and outside of China. CLW is now seeking to maintain a sustainable level of growth at our organization. For more details, please visit China Labor Watch’s website at chinalaborwatch.org.

China Labor Watch is seeking a communications-savvy Social Media Coordinator to manage its social media accounts. The ideal candidate will have about 3 years of experience managing social media accounts. They should be able to fluently navigate Chinese social media spaces in order to quickly capture Chinese labor rights trends. Additionally, they should possess strong understanding of Chinese cultural, social, and political backgrounds, be passionate about labor rights and human rights in China, be excited about working at small and growing NGO, and be willing to use their passion towards growing social media presence.

Responsibilities

  • Manage all social media accounts of China Labor Watch, primarily including but not limited to Twitter, Douyin, and Facebook
  • Quickly and adeptly navigate Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Baidu Tieba, and Douyin in order to capture the latest trends in the Chinese labor rights space
  • Be prolific and consistent in posting the latest news to China Labor Watch’s various Twitter accounts, making approximately 2-5 posts per day
  • Have a good sense of style, brand awareness, and professionalism on social media
  • Additional duties as required. Employees at China Labor Watch must be flexible with balancing existing work duties and taking on additional responsibilities. We are a small organization that aims to ensure an equitable workload; all employees are expected to perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s Degree required 
  • Approximately 3 years (negotiable if knowledge can be sufficiently demonstrated) of social media management experience
  • Fluency in Mandarin Chinese
  • Familiarity with Chinese social media platforms (Weibo, Baidu Tieba, Duoyin, and other commonly used platforms) and comfort navigating platforms to find the latest trends
  • Basic tech-savvy and open-research capabilities (downloading videos, scrubbing personal data from posts, verifying posts made on one platform on another, etc.)
  • An understanding of human rights and labor rights in China, as well as a dedication to the mission of improving working standards of Chinese workers
  • Understanding of security risks associated with working at human rights organizations, and willingness to respect and implement security protocols

Additional skills and knowledge

  • English working proficiency preferred but not required
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in Mandarin Chinese
  • Ability to multitask effectively, including strong planning and organizational skills and ability to work under pressure
  • Ability to check all social media posts for consistency, style, grammar, and brand
  • Cultural understanding, awareness, and openness to working with employees of all backgrounds

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $25-$30 an hour.

China Labor Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Citizens of all nationalities and candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

How to Apply

Please submit applications via email to (amelia@chinalaborwatch.org). Please include a Chinese cover letter, an English cover letter, and a resume and title the email “Social Media Coordinator”. Please refrain from making phone calls as we will follow-up with qualified applicants. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

China Researcher

Full-time Job Vacancy

Job Location: New Jersey (in-person), but remote and hybrid are also can be negotiated.

Application Deadline: Recruitment is automatically suspended if there are suitable applicants.

Exemption Status/Reason: Exempt 

Description: China Labor Watch is looking for a researcher to conduct research on labor rights in China, including workers in China and overseas. Employees at China Labor Watch must have flexibility at work and often are required to take up multiple tasks, but we aim to ensure equitable workload across the organization. Therefore, the China Researcher is sometimes expected to provide assistance in other projects.

Responsibilities

  • Develop strategic research and publicity project plans, and work closely with other colleagues and external partners to promote labor rights monitoring and advocacy.
  • Look for opportunities to speak at conferences and media on labor rights and human rights in China. Occasionally, researcher will be required to speak at media conferences, present research results at stakeholder meetings, etc.
  • Research, monitor and investigate the labor situation in China, including Chinese overseas workers and domestic workers (including, ethnic minorities, the elderly, LGBT people, human rights defenders), and people living in poverty.
  •  Direct interviews with Chinese workers and stakeholders.
  • Write accurate, fair, comprehensive and timely product and propaganda documents based on your research results.
  • Collaborate with CLW colleagues to develop and implement an advocacy strategy to advocate for labor rights.
  • Provide advice and cooperation with CLW colleagues, and review and edit the works produced by them.
  • Place violations in the wider political, social and economic context and raise human rights issues with government officials, opinion leaders, intergovernmental bodies and the media.
  • Work closely with relevant departments of CLW, including legal and project colleagues.
  • Work closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local human rights organizations to ensure that CLW’s work complements and reinforces their own work.
  • Participate in domestic and international business trips for research and publicity as needed.
  • Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications 

  • Master’s of Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Law, Journalism and other disciplines; graduate level or above.
  • At least one year of experience working in relevant fields. Internship experiences can also be considered if it is directly related to human rights or China related issues.
  • Fluent in English. Working proficiency in Chinese, preferably fluent in Chinese.
  • Familiar with Chinese social media.
  • At least one year of research experience.

The ideal candidate will have experience building and coordinating global networks and alliances on immigration, human trafficking, forced labor and global supply chains, as well as some Asian language skills.

Relevant skills and knowledge

  • Need to understand Chinese labor and human rights issues.
  • A strong commitment to human and labor rights is required, as well as an understanding of Chinese workers and related interest groups. The ideal candidate will have established and coordinated skills in immigration, human trafficking, forced labor, and global supply chains.
  • Timely, high-quality written research and investigative records, as well as editorial experience, are required.
  • Feel comfortable with the generation and execution of research projects that require curiosity and creativity to follow up and follow through
  •  Requires exceptionally strong research, analytical, writing and editing skills.
  • Experience in conducting challenging investigative research on a global scale is required, along with the ability to dig deep and tenaciously find hard-to-reach information, sources, and records.
  • Familiarity with data and spreadsheets is highly desirable.
  • Good oral and written communication skills in Chinese and English, and strong public speaking skill
  • Experience in television, radio, print and social media is a plus.
  • Ability to work independently as well as successfully with a team is required.
  • Ability to multitask effectively, including strong planning and organizational skills, able to work under pressure.

Salary and Benefits

CLW seeks excellent applicants and offers competitive salaries and employer-paid benefits and assists employees in obtaining necessary work permits when needed; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. If the position is based in the US, the salary range is $50,000 – $70,000. CLW supports health insurance, including dental and vision.

Other: Applicants for this position must be willing to travel and be prepared to spend extensive time outside the office doing research or advocacy.

China Labor Watch encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. China Labor Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.

How to Apply

Please submit applications via email (amelia@chinalaborwatch.org ) and attach a cover letter–one must be in Chinese, and another must be in English–and a resume, with the subject heading of the email as “China Researcher”. We will follow-up with applicants. Please refrain from making phone calls. Application is now open, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Entry-level Project Support Assistant

Job description

Job Location: New Jersey (in-person only)

Application Deadline: On rolling basis until filled

Description: China Labor Watch (CLW) is looking for applicants to assist with project research, legal support, and general administrative duties. This position will work closely with CLW staff members to assist with ongoing project development, conduct interviews, connect with workers, assist workers in pursuing advocacy in China, and fulfill office duties as needed.

This is a temporary support position. All applicants are subject to evaluation based on performance following a three month period; eligible candidates will have the opportunity to transition into a full-time position.

Responsibilities:

  • Assist in contacting, coordinating, and conducting interviews with workers.
  • Conduct labor- and human rights-related research based on open source information. 
  • Collect, translate, and analyze interview records, and provide relevant information to CLW staff.
  • Research, collect, and analyze labor rights lawsuits and trade violations case records. Provide general legal assistance and informed opinions to Chinese workers who are victims of labor exploitation and pursuing litigation.
  • Collect transactions, maintain records, and assist in maintenance of financial bookkeeping for ongoing projects.
  • Collect, analyze, verify and synthesize information on social media and news outlets on labor conditions.
  • Generate, edit, publish, and share engaging content daily (e.g. original text, photos, videos and news) on CLW’s social media platforms. Assist in creating ongoing newsletters, journals and reports.
  • Provide general office and administrative support, including assistance in translation, maintenance, and interpretation of office and project related materials.
  • Support staff in connecting with other nonprofit organizations and conducting general outreach as needed.

The above work responsibilities are assigned based on the applicant’s background and capacities. Applicants are not expected to fulfill all above responsibilities. 

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree is required.
  • Eligibility to work in the US for the duration of the position is required.
  • Ability to commit to a full time in-person position is required.
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills in English and in Mandarin Chinese required.
  • Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Word and Excel is required.

Experience:

  • 1-2 years of previous administrative, project, research, or legal experience is strongly preferred but not required.

Compensation

  • An hourly rate of $15-25, based on background and experience. 

Disclaimer:

China Labor Watch is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, religious creed, medical/physical/mental condition, veteran status, age, or any other characteristics protected by law. People of color, people with disabilities, women, veterans, people from working-class communities, and people who identify as LGTBQ+, are strongly encouraged to apply.

CLW supports visa sponsorship for its employees if such needs arise, in compliance with federal laws.

How to Apply:

Please submit applications via email, and attach two cover letters–one must be in Mandarin Chinese and another must be in English–and a resume, with the subject heading of the email as “Project Support Assistant Application,” to amelia@chinalaborwatch.org. We will follow-up with applicants. Please refrain from making phone calls.

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