Public Affairs & Sustainability Officer

Position description

APEAL is the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging based in Brussels. The association represents the 5 major producers of steel for packaging with facilities in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Slovakia.

In total, the companies that are part of APEAL employ 200,000 people in Europe, of which approximately 15,000 work directly in the packaging activities. The steel is used for the manufacture of cans in the food and beverage sector but also for aerosols and steel closures on glass packaging. From all packaging placed on the European market, steel is the most recycled primary packaging with a European average of 78.5%.

We are looking for a Public Affairs & Sustainability Officer, to support the association’s advocacy and technical work on packaging legislation. The position is based at our offices in Brussels, and involves external meetings, and occasionally some travel abroad.

Main responsibilities:

• Support the association with advocacy around EU policies as part of the EU Green Deal, focusing on i.a., packaging and packaging waste, green claims, circular economy and food waste;
• Support the association with regular monitoring and analysis of relevant policy developments, management of political engagement programmes, supporting advocacy campaigns such as on Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) with stakeholder mapping, drafting, advocacy activities…;
• Support the association with drafting position papers and developing other advocacy materials;
• Support in outreaching to Commission officials, Members of the European Parliament and attachés from the Working Party on the Environment (Council), incl. organising and participating in meetings;
• Contribute to APEAL’s dossiers on life cycle analysis’ activities and other packaging related activities, such as recycling and circularity;
• Write reports on technical sustainable topics, such as steel packaging recycling rates, the recyclability of steel packaging and other topics related to the PPWR;
• Ensure secretariat support of relevant internal APEAL working groups (e.g., PA WG and Sust WG) and contribute to the daily operation of the office;
• Represent the association at events and conferences on relevant legislation and on technical topics related to sustainability and circularity.

Requirements:

• University degree in economics, law, political science, engineering, scientific degree or related fields;
• Master in European Studies is a plus;
• 1 – 3 years experience in European Affairs, in a consultant firm, a company and/or a business association;
• Experience in sustainability, with insights into packaging related topics being a plus;
• Experience in the EU institutions is a plus;
• Sound understanding of the functioning of the EU Institutions;
• Strong project management skills;
• Excellent written and spoken English, other EU language an asset (German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Slovak or others);
• Excellent communication (both oral and written), diplomatic and organisational skills;
• Resilient personality and ability to work independently with tight deadlines and in a multi-cultural team;
• A high level of self-motivation;
• Excellent practice of MS Office;
• Willingness to travel in the EU on a short-term basis;
• Short-term availability.

Specification:

The selected candidate will join an international diverse team of 5 highly motivated colleagues in a pleasant work environment. The job offers a good opportunity to grow professionally and develop expertise as the role will work closely with the Secretary General and the Head EU affairs. APEAL offers a full-time contract in Brussels under Belgian law (at university level), and a competitive salary plus benefits (meal vouchers, phone subscription, health insurance etc.) according to qualifications. Working week of 40 hours including 1 day of home office (an allowance is foreseen to cover costs).

Application instructions

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