Researcher, North Africa

Job Title: Researcher, North Africa

Department: Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

Job Band: Researchers & Associates Level I

Salary Range: Commeasurate with skills and experience and in line with typical local market pay. See below for more information.

Location: North Africa, Middle East regions or a similar time-zone

Workspace Designation: Remote

Reports to Title: Regional Director, MENA

Union Represented: No

Closing Date: October 23, 2026

Organization Overview:

Founded in 1981, the Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) is an independent, non-profit organization defending journalists worldwide without regard to their political ideology. Through its work to safeguard journalists, CPJ protects the rights of all people to have access to diverse and independent sources of information. For over four decades, CPJ has helped win the early release of imprisoned journalists, secure convictions in journalist murders, and enable legal reform in countries where free expression has deteriorated. CPJ’s widely cited database and reports have raised global awareness of attacks on press freedom. Learn more about CPJ’s fight to defend freedom of the press here http://cpj.org 

At CPJ, we are dedicated to upholding values of equity and free expression in both our internal operations and external endeavors. As a global organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace and foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. We strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.

Job Summary:

The North Africa Researcher will document, investigate, and report on press freedom violations and threats to journalists in North Africa. The role includes research and writing for CPJ’s editorial and advocacy output, maintaining up-to-date data on press freedom violations, and translating reports between Arabic and English.

Monitoring & Documentation

• Track and document press freedom violations, including arrests, censorship, attacks, legal harassment, and other threats to journalists and media outlets across the MENA region, with focus on North Africa.
• Maintain accurate, timely updates to CPJ’s databases of imprisoned, missing, or killed journalists.
• Build/maintain databases for local and regional media, government & civil society contacts. 

Research & Writing

• Draft letters of appeal, statements, and news alerts on tight deadlines
• Review relevant news websites and publications 
• Research and write reports on press freedom issues in the region 
• Produce timely news alerts, statements, and features on press freedom issues in the assigned region.
• Prepare research notes, background materials, and verification summaries in accordance with CPJ standards.
• Contribute to advocacy materials and other editorial outputs as requested.

Engagement & Coordination

• Communicate regularly with journalists & human rights activists across North Africa and with human rights groups 
• Liaise with journalists, media workers, civil society partners, and human rights organizations for interviews, case updates, and verification.
• Participate in regular check‑ins and team meetings with CPJ program staff.
• Maintain and expand a network of regional contacts relevant to CPJ’s work.
• Collaborate with the Advocacy and Communications department as needed.
• Conduct direct advocacy with relevant actors to advance CPJ’s mission.

Journalist Assistance (JA) Support

• Conduct research, assessment, and verification for Journalist Assistance (JA) requests in the MENA region.
• Submit JA documentation in line with CPJ’s framework and internal systems.
• Assist journalists, vet cases, and coordinate with the Emergencies team and journalists receiving support.

Additional Support

• Create and share engaging content for social media.
• Perform all other duties as assigned
• Devise and generate engaging content for social media 

Physical Demands: 

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this classification and are reflective of work in a typical office setting. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job, absent undue hardship. 

Work Location:

This position is located in the Middle East / North Africa region or a country within a similar time-zone (such as those in Europe), and is classified as fully remote. Availability to work and attend meetings on the US Eastern time zone as needed is required. 

Compensation and Hiring Mechanism:

As CPJ is a US-based organization, the hiring for this position will ultimately be managed by an Employer of Record (EOR) firm that is engaged by CPJ for the purpose of employing international staff. Benefits will be consistent with those typically offered by the EOR firm in the country of hire.

Salary will be determined based on skills and experience and adjusted for local market rates depending upon the country of hire. Employment agreements through the EOR are written in equivalent local currency. As examples, the annual USD pay range for this position if hired in Morocco would be $24,135 - $31,237; Tunisia $22,548 - $30,643; Spain $46,890 - $53,570.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

CPJ provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors.