Policy Officer for Biodiversity

Policy Officer for Biodiversity

EEB – European Environmental Bureau

Brussels, Belgium

The European Environmental Bureau
a network of more than 180 environmental citizens’ organisations
is recruiting for a new
Policy Officer for Biodiversity

The European Environmental Bureau is the largest and most inclusive European network of environmental citizens’ groups – and the only one that works on a very large range of environmental, health, climate and social justice issues. We advocate for progressive policies to create a better environment in the European Union and beyond.

We are looking for a Policy Officer for Biodiversity who is keen to advocate for transformative and science-based EU policies that are fit to protect threatened species and habitats and drive large scale nature restoration across the EU in order to achieve our vision of a better future where people and nature thrive together.

We are looking for a proactive and highly motivated individual with demonstrable skills in engaging with a broad range of groups, including policymakers, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders. The Policy Officer for Biodiversity will play a key role in influencing the design, ambition and implementation of the EU nature and biodiversity polices. The Policy Officer will report directly to EEB’s Policy Manager for Biodiversity and Water and will work in close relation with the Biodiversity, Water and Soil Team. We want to interview candidates who care about the environment and understand how to influence policy through advocacy and campaigning. The position is full-time.

Responsibilities include:

• Preparing and delivering strategies for impactful advocacy on priority policy initiative(s), such as resisting the initiative to lower the protection status of the wolf or push for ambitious implementation of the Nature Restoration Law;
• Building and coordinating coalitions where the EEB is a partner, engaging with current and potential civil society and private sector partners to deliver on EEB policy priorities;
• Advocating for EEB priorities vis-a-vis key players from the EU institutions and other stakeholders;
• Representing the EEB in public events, in multi-stakeholders platforms and with the media; preparing public presentation, defending EEB’s positions and co-designing events;
• Contributing to relevant internal and external (e.g. European Commission, OECD) expert groups and develop related EEB positions in collaboration with EEB members and partners;
• Contributing to the design and development of campaigns and communication materials supporting advocacy and campaigns, in close collaboration with the EEB communication team;
• Liaising with EEB members and coordinating the EEB’s Biodiversity Working Group; helping to organize EEB working groups and events in Brussels and in member countries;
• Contributing to the implementation and management of projects, including coordination with external partners, preparation of project deliverables and reporting;
• Providing input to general EEB documents and processes (e.g. memoranda to Presidencies, reports to EEB Board, relevant web pages, articles in EEB publications etc.);
• Helping to seize funding opportunities related to biodiversity and nature;
• Keeping abreast of policy and political developments and of scientific knowledge in the relevant area.

Qualities and experience required for the post:

• Have a university degree or qualification in relevant subject(s);
• Have two to three years of relevant work experience with advocacy and campaigning on biodiversity and nature or related environmental area, working for a civil society, membership or other purpose-driven organisation;
• Good knowledge of EU environmental law and sound grasp of the operation of EU institutions, EU policymaking and be capable of understanding and presenting, in written and oral form, key scientific, economic and legal dimensions of nature protection and restoration;
• Have good communications and networking skills, feel confident to take the floor at public events and with media;
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills, proven ability to build relationships and foster collaboration;
• Proven research and analytical skills, ability to process and summarise complex information;
• High level of written and spoken English with fluency in other EU languages being considered an asset;
• Be well organised and a team player, while able to work independently;
• Subscribe to the EEB’s values.

The EEB offers:

• A competitive salary (gross monthly salary starting from € 2923¹ depending on level of experience) coupled with various legal and extra-legal benefits: holiday bonus, 13^th month, pension scheme, luncheon vouchers, teleworking indemnity, travel insurance;
• A 2-year full-time work contract with an intention to extend, subject to funding;
• A worthy cause, working for a better future where people and nature thrive together;
• An organisation committed to values of democracy, fairness, integrity and sustainability;
• A friendly and respectful work environment.

Location: We offer Belgian contracts under Belgian law. The candidate must commit to being officially registered in Belgium and working partially from our office in Brussels. This currently entails structural teleworking scheme (with at least 1 day in the office per week depending on the position) and will work as part of the EEB’s Policy Division, under the supervision of the EEB Policy Manager for Biodiversity and Water.

Application process:

Please email your application in English to personnel@eeb.org including a CV, a letter of motivation and your response to the annexed questionnaire. Please clearly mark: “Policy Officer for Biodiversity” in the subject of your email. We expect there will be two interview rounds.

Questionnaire for the post of Policy Officer for Biodiversity:

Please answer the following questions (in not more than 300 words per question):

1. If you were to design an advocacy strategy to persuade the Council to reject the proposal by the European Commission to downgrade the protection status of the wolf, what would be the key elements of such strategy?
2. What would you consider the main shortcomings in the provisional agreement on the Nature Restoration Law and how would you suggest those shortcomings could be addressed in the implementation of the regulation?
3. Can you share an example where you did something that had a big impact?

Deadline for Application: 11 February 2024
Interviews first round: mid-February
Starting date: as soon as feasible

Please note that we will ask shortlisted candidates to provide two references.

Due to limited staff resources and numbers of CVs anticipated, only candidates selected for interviews will receive a reply.

The EEB is an equal-opportunities employer. We respect our employees’ private life, including where they are taking up care roles. We strive to be an inclusive organisation and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. Please have a look at our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy.

Please read our recruitment privacy statement before applying.

European Environmental Bureau AISBL
Rue des Deux Eglises 14-16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 289 10 90
E-mail: personnel@eeb.org – Website: http://www.eeb.org
International non-profit association – Association internationale sans but lucratif (AISBL)
EC register for interest representatives: Identification number: 06798511314-27
BCE identification number: 0415.814.848
RPM Tribunal de l’entreprise francophone de Bruxelles

¹ A higher salary could be considered for candidates with higher levels of experience. Please check our salary scale.