Finance and Operations Trainee

Finance and Operations Trainee

April 2024 – October 2024

Equinet – European Network of Equality Bodies

Brussels, Belgium

Application Deadline: 19 April EoD

Equinet, the European Network of Equality Bodies, brings together specialized equality bodies from European countries set up to promote equality and combat discrimination on the grounds covered by the EU Equal Treatment legislation (gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation) and beyond.

The Equinet Secretariat is opening a 6 month-long traineeship position for the period April 2024 to October 2024 (with a possibility for an extension of up to 6 additional months), in order to assist the team. The trainee will join the Finances and Operations Department under the supervision of its Manager to carry out the supporting activities and tasks related to the delivery of the activities planned in 2024.

This is a fulltime (38 hours/week) paid traineeship to be performed remotely and at the Equinet secretariat, located in Brussels, Belgium (at least two days a week). The traineeship fits into the framework of a Convention d’Immersion Professionnelle under Belgian law with a monthly compensation of EUR 1,300 per month and includes the reimbursement of commuting costs along with EUR 8 face-value meal vouchers (one per day worked, only valid in Belgium), 13 days of holiday and paid sick leave.

This legal scheme helps recent graduates (students are not accepted) in getting a first professional experience in a field related to the main focus of their studies.  The internship will only start once the authorization has been received from Brussels professional education authorities (Bruxelles Formation). This process can take up to 10 working days following submission of the request. 

The Equinet Secretariat is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to equal opportunities for all irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race or ethnicity, age or disability. With a view to contributing to full equality in practice and compensating for disadvantages, it applies positive action measures. Taking into account the Equinet Secretariat team composition and previous traineeships, in case of equally qualified and suitable candidates, it will choose the person with a minority ethnic background and/or a disability unless there are other factors that should tilt the balance in favour of the other candidate(s). Therefore, we warmly encourage and invite persons with a minority ethnic background and/or a disability to apply to this position.

TRAINEESHIP DESCRIPTION

Administration and Finances

• Contribute effectively to finance-related tasks (bookkeeping, invoices processing, reporting, payments, budget management, EC grant management…), administrations (dealings with Belgian authorities and Belgian service providers);
• Assist with HR-related matters, governance and internal team support;
• Provide support to work of the other teams (Legal/Policy and Communication) as required.

Events

• Contribute to the successful development and delivery of the Equinet events planned for the period covered, with a particular focus on the administration & logistical aspects;
• Provide support for events logistics (flights, hotels, transportation for in-person events, and/or technical meeting solutions, databases…);
• Take minutes and support the production of event summaries and evaluation reports.

Network Administration

• Make sure that the Equinet’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework is updated, analyse the data and identify trends, ideas, areas for improvement and avenue for further network efficiency and growth.

Other tasks

• Any additional tasks in consultation and discussion with the Line Manager and team as appropriate.

PROFILE SPECIFICATION

Essential skills and profile features

• Education background/experience and taste for administration, finance and operations tasks;
• Limited traineeship experience – maximum two previous traineeships;
• Excellent command of (written and spoken) English plus proficiency (oral and written) in French or Dutch in order to deal with administrative requirements for the organization;
• Possesses digital literacy with online tools used for online event organization and digital communication – knowledge of statistical tools and/or data analysis tools a strong “plus”;
• Excellent organisational skills with an eye for detail, and a sense of initiative;
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to work in a team and with professionals in an international/multicultural environment;
• Personal commitment to non-discrimination, equality and human rights;
• Already living or authorized to work in the Belgium (Equinet cannot assist you in applying for a work visa for Belgium).

Desirable/assets (useful additional experience/knowledge)

• Understanding of pan-European membership organisations;
• Familiarity with the work of national equality bodies.

An Equinet traineeship offers

• A working experience in a pan-European membership Network;
• Using your skills to promote equality and non-discrimination across Europe;
• Applying digital skills to help the smooth running of Equinet capacity building events;
• Developing knowledge of the work of the EU institutions and the national equality bodies in Europe in a context of anti-discrimination and equal treatment legislation;
• Opportunity to participate in European-level Equinet events designed for experts from Equality Bodies and external stakeholders;
• A supportive and safe work environment that celebrates your individual talents and welcomes you as part of the team.

APPLICATION

Under the legal internship scheme used, candidates should be less than 30 years old, recent graduates (do not apply if you have not finished your studies, thesis included) in a field related to the responsibilities required for the position and already have the legal right to work in Belgium (non-EU citizen already legally registered in Belgium or EU citizen).  

If you fit within these criteria, we welcome your application and invite you to please fill out the online application form and submit, together with your latest CV (both in English), by 19 April 2024 EOD.

Candidates will be shortlisted for an online interview based on the relevance of their background for this position, their expressed motivation for the tasks and responsibilities at hand, and their earliest availability.  

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview, which will take place as soon as possible after submission deadline. Contemplated starting date for the traineeship: end of April/Beginning of May 2024.

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