EU Senior Advocacy & Policy Officer

The CCSA is seeking a highly motivated EU Senior Advocacy & Policy Officer to join our Brussels office.

Who we are

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and the ability to capture, transport and store or utilise carbon dioxide will be crucial to ensure a sustainable, competitive and equitable transition to a climate neutral Europe.

The CCSA is the trade association accelerating the commercial deployment Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (or CCUS) through advocacy and collaboration.  Our ambition is to see CCUS developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations. We represent a wide variety of organisations with an interest in the development and deployment of CCUS across many applications to decarbonise heavy industries, power, and hydrogen production, and remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. The CCSA team works across two offices, with staff based in Brussels and London.

The role

The role will involve ongoing development of industry positions on the necessary policy and regulatory developments to accelerate deployment of CCUS, as well as evaluation of legislative and incentive frameworks emerging at EU and Member State level. This includes consideration of where industry can drive progress, through development of industry standards and advising regulators on technical aspects that relate to the capture, transport, utilisation, and storage of CO2 in a multi-source/multi-modal environment.

You will contribute to the development of sound recommendations through the analysis of key policy documents, working with association members through convening expert working groups and driving development of consensus across the membership. You will also facilitate and oversee the development of technical papers and reports, from conception to drafting and dissemination, including synthesising information for non-technical audiences.

This will be a fascinating year in politics due to European elections, as well as elections in the US and around the world. The CCUS industry is global and many of our members are actively developing projects in the power, industrial, hydrogen, fuels and carbon removals sectors all around the world.  The CCSA EU will need to both challenge and support Commission and national government officials as well as build public support to move the industry forwards.  

The role will give you an opportunity to work in a collaborative environment together with experts from a variety of fields. You will work together with the policy team, members, and stakeholders to contribute to the delivery of the work programme. The ability to collect, interpret and analyse technical information, while building consensus among stakeholders, is key.

Responsibilities

• Monitoring and analysing policy developments at EU and national level.
• Developing technical briefings, position papers, advocacy plans and reports.
• Organising member and expert working group meetings and workshops.
• Developing and convening key stakeholder networks.
• Liaising and interacting with policymakers and other stakeholders.
• Producing internal and external communications materials.

The Senior Advocacy & Policy Officer will report to the EU External Relations Manager. The position is full-time and permanent, and you will be working from the CCSA EU office in Brussels.

Required skills

• University education or equivalent with a engineering, environmental, international law or political science background.
• 3/5 years of work experience on the topics of EU climate and energy policies; thorough knowledge of European economic policy is an advantage.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the EU institutions and their political decision-making processes.
• A good understanding of CCS/CCU technologies and their importance in tackling climate change is desirable.
• Strong analytical and technical skills in a policy context.
• Native English speaker or equivalent level. Other languages are an asset.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Exceptional organisational skills, including the ability to manage own workload, deliver at pace and balance both immediate-term priorities and longer-term goals.
• Pro-active, results driven and comfortable in a fast-paced and dynamic team environment with autonomy.

Closing Date: 23 February 2024

To apply, please send a CV, a short cover letter and 1 writing sample to [email protected] by 23 February 2024, with “EU Senior Advocacy & Policy Officer” in the subject field. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying earlier can be beneficial!

We want to create a diverse and inclusive team, so we particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector.  Please let us know if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible.

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