Senior Programmes Officer

Senior Programmes Officer

(Temporary Cover)

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

Remote

€ 4,748.78 per month gross

Deadline for applications: Tuesday, 23 June 2026 at 10:00 am CEST

About this position

We are looking for a Senior Programmes Officer to join ILGA-Europe on a temporary cover contract and help drive some of our movement-support work through the end of 2026.

This role is for someone who is both a thinker and a doer: someone who can quickly orient themselves in a new portfolio, make sense of complex information, identify priorities, build strong relationships with activists and partners, and translate strategy into practical action.

Over the coming months, the successful candidate will support the work of the ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice, accompany our grantee partners, and help design and deliver learning, coordination and movement-support activities focused on mobilisation and base-building.

The position is linked to long-term staff absence and is guaranteed until 31 December 2026, with potential for continuation beyond this date depending on the evolution of organisational needs and funding.

During this period, the role will focus in particular on:

• Implementation of the planned grantee support and knowledge-building activities under the 2026-2027 cycle of the ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice;
• A short series of online and in-person learning and convening activities supporting base-building, mobilisation and civic engagement.

Please note that due to the temporary nature of this role, the successful candidate may be based outside Belgium, provided they have the right to work in Belgium (i.e. may legally be employed by ILGA-Europe) and are available to travel as required.

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 Europe and Central Asian. From Iceland to Turkey and Kyrgyzstan to Malta, we work together with extraordinary organisations and activists to bring about real change for LGBTI people.

A core part of our work is supporting the development of strong, skilled and connected movements. This includes grantmaking, learning, convening, coordination and strategic support to LGBTI organisations and activists, as well as meaningful connections between them.

The Senior Programmes Officer (Temporary Cover) will contribute directly to this work, with a particular focus on the implementation of the 2026-2027 Racial Justice Fund and on activities supporting movement capacity-building, including base-building, mobilisation and civic engagement.

ILGA-Europe staff are based in Brussels and work closely with activists and organisations across the region. We value collaboration, shared learning, and creative approaches to supporting social change.

The movement and our work are only as strong as our people. We support our staff and we value the knowledge, experience and commitment they bring to the organisation and the movement.ILGA-Europe offers a competitive employment package, including insurance, pension contributions, training opportunities and other benefits. Details are provided at the end of this advertisement.

Our commitment to being an equal opportunity employer:

As an organisation working for LGBTI equality in all its diversity, we value the knowledge and experience that come with lived experience of injustice and systemic oppression.

We particularly welcome applications from trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary people, as well as people affected by racism, classism, ableism and other forms of structural inequality.

We are committed to reducing barriers in our day-to-day work and employment practices and are committed to making reasonable adjustments and providing support.  

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

This is a temporary cover position for the role of Senior Programmes Officer (SPO). As SPO, you will contribute to ILGA-Europe’s work supporting LGBTI and allied movements in Europe and Central Asia, with a focus on strengthening movement capacity and supporting organisations working at the intersection of racial justice and LGBTI human rights, as well as facilitating learning on base-building, mobilisation and civic engagement.

You will:

• develop and implement programme activities in line with movement needs and organisational strategy;
• support grantmaking, with a focus on monitoring and accompaniment of grantee partners’ work;
• design and facilitate learning, coordination or convening activities for organisations and activists;
• monitor political and social developments relevant to assigned portfolio and respond with appropriate programme interventions;
• contribute to reporting, monitoring and evaluation processes;
• work closely with colleagues, funders and partner organisations to ensure coherence and impact.

The SPO role requires close engagement with organisations and activists across the region, as well as strong internal collaboration across the ILGA-Europe team.

The core responsibilities for the temporary cover period are:

• Ensuring continuity of the work of the ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice through accompaniment of current grantee partners, including ongoing support where needed;
• Conducting a structured consultation and needs assessment process with grantee partner organisations;
• Designing and facilitating one online and one in-person learning or coordination activity with grantee partners based on the consultation;
• Contributing to the design and implementation of a short series of online and in-person movement-support activities focused on mobilisation, base-building, and civic engagement, in close collaboration with other colleagues; 
• Contributing to organisational learning and early planning for the 2027 programme cycle based on the assigned portfolio;
• Monitoring political, social and movement developments in assigned countries and thematic areas, and coordinate internally to ensure appropriate responses or adjustments;
• Supporting the preparation of reports, briefs, and other internal or external documents as required Contribute to resource mobilisation efforts where relevant, in collaboration with colleagues;
• Liaising with colleagues across the staff team to ensure alignment between different areas of work (programmes, advocacy, communications and finance) as needed in support of the responsibilities in the portfolio, as well as wider organisational priorities.

What skills, knowledge and abilities are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with practical programme delivery and who can quickly orient themselves in new areas of work, synthesise information, identify priorities, and translate analysis into action in a complex context – with care, ambition, and thoughtfulness.

To be successful in this role, you should have demonstrated experience in:

• developing, implementing or managing grantmaking or funding programmes, including accompaniment of partners;
• working directly with LGBTI organisations and/or other marginalised groups, ideally in movement-based or grassroots contexts;
• contributing to or supporting racial justice, anti-racism or other intersectional justice work;
• facilitating or supporting learning, coordination or strategy processes with organisations, networks or movements;
• working in politically sensitive, rapidly changing or high-pressure environments, including adapting plans in response to emerging developments;
• synthesising information from multiple sources and turning it into clear priorities, strategies or programme responses;
• managing projects and budgets and ensuring delivery in a structured and accountable way;
• collaborating and communicating effectively across teams and with external partners, including activists, consultants and funders.

Fluency in English is required.

Please note that the successful candidate may be based outside Belgium, provided they have the right to work in Belgium (i.e. may legally be employed by ILGA-Europe) and are available to travel as required.

Useful additional experience:

• Experience with base-building or mobilisation work;
• Experience contributing to organisational or funder-level strategy development;
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches in social movement or NGO contexts.

Employment conditions

Employment type: Replacement contract (temporary cover)

This temporary cover position is linked to a long-term staff absence and is offered under a replacement contract in accordance with Belgian employment legislation, to cover a temporary staffing gap within the Programmes team.

While the exact duration of the contract cannot be determined in advance, we expect the position to continue until at least 31 December 2026 and can guarantee employment until that date.

Continuation beyond this date or future possibilities of permanent employment will depend on the evolution of organisational needs and funding.

Working time: Full-time (37.5 hours across 5 week days)
Reporting to: Deputy Director & Director of Programmes
Start date: As soon as possible and not later than 3 September.

Work authorisation: Candidates must already have the legal right to work in Belgium at the time of application.

Location: This position is based remotely.

Due to the temporary nature of the role, the successful candidate will not be required to relocate to Brussels. However, travel to Brussels (and other locations within Europe) may be required approximately 2-3 times until the end of the year in connection with the portfolio.

Please note, however, that all permanent positions at ILGA-Europe are based in Brussels and require staff to work from the office at least 3 days per week.

Salary and benefits

Salary: EUR 61,354.17 gross per year (proportional), in line with the starting point for Senior Programmes Officer in ILGA-Europe’s remuneration policy.

The quoted annual salary is comprised of 12 months remuneration plus additional holiday pay paid out as of the second year of employment. The gross monthly salary is 4,748.78 €.

In addition to salary, the successful candidate will have access to the employment package ILGA-Europe offers to permanent staff. The following benefits are provided in line with Belgian employment law and organisational policy and may vary depending on the employee’s place of work:

• 20 days of annual leave (+10 public holidays) and an additional 5 days in December, which will apply on a pro rata basis depending on the duration of employment;
• additional 50 € per month contribution to costs of home-working;
• fair measures to ensure recovery of extra hours worked during busy periods;
• a policy supporting employees who transition during employment;
• ‘family friendly’ policies;
• an employee pension scheme;
• luncheon vouchers (in line with Belgian employment conditions and applicable employment arrangements);
• contribution to public transport costs for staff commuting to the office;
• hospitalisation and ambulatory health insurance for staff based in Belgium (which cover the majority of LGBTI-specific care);
• support for professional development (trainings, coaching and other learning opportunities enabling staff to grow in their positions).

Due date to send applications: Tuesday, 23 June 2026 (10:00 CEST). Please submit a signed electronic version by e-mail to: [email protected]. The application form is available here.

Please note that only applications on the application form are accepted (in PDF or Word format). We don’t assess CVs or cover letters.