Senior Advocacy Officer

Senior Advocacy Officer

ILGA-Europe – European Region of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association

Brussels, Belgium

We’re looking for a team member who will actively contribute to our advocacy work aimed at bringing legal, political and social change for LGBTI people across Europe and Central Asia.

Deadline to send applications: Thursday, January 18^th, 2024 (23:59 CET).

About ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe is a driving force for political, legal and social change at European and Central Asian level. Our vision is of a world where dignity, freedoms and full enjoyment of human rights are protected and ensured to everyone regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. ILGA-Europe are comprised of over 700 member organisations throughout the European and Central Asian Regions. From Iceland to Turkey and Kyrgyzstan to Malta, we work together with extraordinary activists to bring about real change for LGBTI people across Europe.

Our staff team based in Brussels supports activists in different countries, connects key change actors at European and national levels, creates space to bring knowledge and expertise together and to identify effective change strategies with the European and Central Asian LGBTI movement. Therefore, at ILGA-Europe, we value and encourage our employees. We understand that the movement is only as strong at its people. And we do our best to ensure our people remain our greatest asset. We offer a strong remuneration package, including pension payments, insurance plans, luncheon vouchers, trainings and more. We look forward to you joining our team!

Our commitment to being an equal opportunity employer

As an organisation working for the benefit of the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia in all its diversity, we value the knowledge and expertise that come with lived experiences of injustice and systemic oppression. We particularly welcome applications from trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals, and those targeted by racism, classism and disablism.

We are also keenly aware of the barriers faced by many people when applying for jobs, especially those experienced by members of under-represented groups and related to disability, ethnicity or national origin, colour, race, language, creed, gender, marital status, domestic circumstances, age, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, among others.

We do all within our power to remove as many of these barriers in our day-to-day operations and in our employment practices. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments and providing various kinds of support. Please see the information about our employment package and benefits at the end of this advertisement for specific measures we’ve put in place to fill some of the gaps caused by oppressions. Beyond these, we daily strive to maintain an organisational culture that is aware and sensitive to marginalisation and exclusions and their impact on staff.

What are the main job functions of the Senior Advocacy Officer?

The Senior Advocacy Officer will be actively contributing to ILGA-Europe’s advocacy work aimed at bringing legal, political and social change for LGBTI people across Europe, by working with European institutions to leverage their mechanisms for change, by setting benchmarks for national governments on LGBTI equality, by engaging with governments and civil society at national level to strengthen capacity to translate political commitments into concrete measures, and by acting as a thought-leader on strategic issues for the European LGBTI movement.

At ILGA-Europe we value creative and inclusive approaches to work and management, working across teams and staff participation at all levels in the organisation. While you will report to the Advocacy Director, you will also work collaboratively with your colleagues and external partners, and you will be accountable for the achievement of agreed work plans and priorities.

Your main responsibilities will be spread between four main areas of work:

• Developing and implementing effective policy and advocacy strategies with regional institutions, government or other relevant actors to respond to priorities identified by the European LGBTI movement;
• Monitoring of developments and assessing opportunities for advocacy of human rights of LGBT people at European level, as well as set out strategies on how to seize these opportunities;
• Developing and implementing capacity building and peer learning for policy-makers, civil society and practitioners at European and national levels on implementation of political commitments into concrete measures;
• Building strategic partnerships and coalitions with other NGOs and relevant actors.

In addition to thematic focus across our region, this position will have a focus on supporting advocacy in Eastern Partnership countries and Central Asia.

Please see the Job Description for a more detailed overview of the role.

What skills, knowledge and abilities are we looking for?

At ILGA-Europe we understand that not all individuals have the same opportunities to engage in paid work within the LGBTI movement, and value the experience brought in from other areas of work and life. To fit this role well, you should be strongly committed to working for human rights and equality, and have competencies and demonstrated experience in:

• Proven expertise in human rights international standards and equality issues, including as they relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people;
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically;
• Excellent political judgment and understanding of political dynamics and international institutional frameworks;
• Experience and knowledge of the functioning and decision-making processes (in particular in inter-governmental organisations);
• Experience in developing and conducting advocacy initiatives aimed at the adoption of strong legislation and policies which effectively respond to needs of a group or a community.

Due to the regional focus of the work, a working knowledge of written and spoken Russian will be a strong advantage.

Important competences, experience and other requirements are:

• Demonstrated experience of facilitating the participation of NGOs in policy-making processes;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, in particular ability to build meaningful relationships with institutional and other partners;
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to develop evidence-based policy proposals;
• Excellent communication skills (writing and presentation), including a high standard of written and spoken English; capacity to explain complex issues simply, concise and clear for diverse audiences;
• Demonstrated capacity to adapt to rapidly changing environments and to find innovative ways to respond to emerging organisational needs;
• Capability to take initiative, to plan and work independently, while being a strong and dependable team player; ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines;
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team, to maintain excellent working relationships in a high-paced environment, and to implement respect of equality and diversity into your everyday work.

Desirable additional experience/knowledge includes:

• Experience of working with grassroots organisations, preferably in the field of LGBTI human rights and equality;
• A working knowledge of the European institutions (EU and/or Council of Europe), as well as knowledge of the international human rights framework;
• Experience in facilitating peer learning with civil society organisations and/or policy-makers.

The employment package

Open ended full-time position subject to continued funding for the post. Salary scale: from 61 610€ to 65 111€, starting at the beginning of the scale. This annual salary is comprised of 12 months remuneration plus additional holiday pay paid out as of the second year of employment – the expected net monthly starting salary is approx. 2 800 € and increases annually. The working week is 37.5 hours (5 days of 7.5h). Every staff member is expected to work from the office in Brussels at least 3 days a week.

ILGA-Europe’s employment package includes:

• 20 days of annual leave (+ 10 public holidays) and an additional 5 days in December;
• fair measures to ensure recovery of extra hours worked during busy periods;
• hospitalisation and ambulatory health insurance (which cover the majority of LGBTI-specific care);
• a policy supporting employees who transition during employment;
• an employee pension scheme;
• ‘family friendly’ policies;
• annual public transport subscription for Brussels or indemnification of bicycle costs;
• additional 50 € per month contribution to costs of home-working;
• luncheon vouchers worth approx. 160 € for a full month worked;
• financial support for relocation to Brussels, where applicable;
• financial support for professional development (trainings, coaching and other learning opportunities enabling staff to grow in their positions).

Non-EU citizens and individuals who do not have an EU work permit can apply. We cover all the costs related to obtaining a work permit and visa, and manage the process. ILGA-Europe colleagues can provide advice in finding accommodation, registering your residence and many other day-to-day issues related to moving to Belgium.

As a workplace, ILGA-Europe strives to be flexible and responsive to employee needs, balancing that with the needs of the wider team and those of the LGBTI movement. We offer flexible working hours and possibility to partially work from home, though the office in Brussels will be your main location of work. We understand that relocation may be difficult and will try to adjust as much as possible to your capacities in this regard. Given the nature of the work, you will not however be able to start your employment with ILGA-Europe entirely remotely (from another country of residence).

Applications

Deadline to send applications: Thursday, January 18^th, 2024 (23:59 CET).

Please submit an electronic version of the application form by e-mail to: [email protected]. Please do not submit any other documents as these will not be reviewed.