European Environmental Bureau is looking for a Senior Communications & Press Officer for Chemicals

Are you passionate about making a difference during a transformative time for protecting people and the environment from hazardous chemicals? Do you subscribe to our values?

The European Environmental Bureau might have just the right job for you.

Toxic pollution, alongside of climate change and biodiversity loss, is one of the main planetary threats we are facing. Yet, in today’s political agenda-setting, toxic chemicals remain largely understated.

The European Commission’s publication of the ‘Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability’, signals its zero-pollution ambition and commitment to the European Green Deal. The momentum and political will is there for us to design the transformative agenda we need to mainstream chemical pollution – and you can help.

As part of the EEB’s Communications Team, you will use your communications expertise to support the policy officers working on chemical pollution in reaching their policy and project objectives. You will do so by translating scientific and policy language into impactful narratives and ensuring that the intended audiences are reached. The EEB has created a new chemicals communications network that gather communications officers from a broad number of NGOs and tries to boost the communications impact of our NGOs network. Our communications work on chemical pollution places a special emphasis on media relations, reactive communications approaches, and the building of partners and allies.

We are therefore seeking a talented and committed senior communications officer who will be based at the EEB office in Brussels and be part of a dynamic and expanding communications team.

The EEB is the largest and most inclusive network of environmental citizens’ groups in Europe. We are also the only one that works on such a broad range of issues. We campaign for progressive policies to create a better environment in the European Union and beyond.

Key Responsibilities:

Press

• Draft, edit and disseminate press releases and other relevant materials for national and international media (with chemicals being your primary focus)

• Coordinate chemicals communications network and perform capacity building sessions and joint coms actions to support the policy colleagues, including the development of key messages and narratives

• Respond to/ coordinate media inquiries by journalists and other stakeholders about the EEB’s work

• Keep media database up-to-date and develop segmentation options by interest area

• Design and implement new products to engage with journalists

• Identify, develop and pitch stories to media outlets

• Build a lasting relationship with the media, monitor and maintain reporting tools on press coverage

• Define, monitor and report on relevant KPIs

Content development (thematic focus on chemicals)

• Write attention-grabbing articles and punchy opinion pieces for media outlets, the EEB news channel META

• Edit documents (e.g., policy papers, letters, reports) written by non-professional writers and improve their readability

• Develop chemicals communication/dissemination plans, core messages and narrative for the projects you are assigned to, as well as the overall policy area

Digital communications

Following the framework provided by the Communications Team, support our work on chemicals by:

• Effectively using social media to push campaign messages and promote events

• Preparing social media toolkits to broaden reach, engage audiences and achieve advocacy goals

• Updating, maintaining and developing EEB’s web presence, online tools and social media

Other

To help the policy team on chemicals achieve their objectives, you will:

• Develop and implement communications concepts and plans for projects

• Deliver on campaign and advocacy objectives, in collaboration with member organisations and other project partners

• Channel strategic communications thinking into the project development stage to ensure that organisational and work area objectives can be reached

• Contribute to strategic discussions within the chemicals policy and communications teams

• Coordinate work of external communications service providers

• Provide communications support for events, e.g., develop key messages, plan promotion and dissemination, elaborate post-event report etc.

Skills and experience:

• A degree in a relevant field

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in communications and/or journalism, preferably with a focus on pollution and environmental health issues

• Ability to communicate persuasively, both orally and in writing

• Openness to learn, digest detailed and technical information, and explain complex ideas clearly and succinctly

• Accuracy and attention to detail

• Competency in CMS (WordPress), Mailchimp, social media platforms and other relevant communications tool

• Knowledge of EU and international environmental and sustainability policies

• Familiarity with the Brussels-focused EU media landscape

• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a team

• Strong organisational and project management skills

• Native-level command of English, other EU language(s) an asset

The EEB offers:

• A monthly pre-tax salary starting at €3,300 depending on the level of experience, coupled with various benefits (holiday bonus, 13th month, pension scheme, luncheon vouchers, working from home indemnity)

• A one-year contract, with the intention to extend, subject to performance

• A pleasant working atmosphere in an international working environment

• A worthy cause to work for

How to apply:

Please send your CV, a cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for this position and the response to the task below to [email protected]. The subject line of your email must clearly state: ‘Senior Communications Officer (Chemicals)’. The deadline for applications is 2 April 2023.

Task

What do you think is needed to achieve this goal and that political parties prioritise chemical pollution as a major issue and include in their political agenda an ambitious chemicals law reform that reduces the proliferation of hazardous chemicals in our environment? (max. 300 words)

Location: As our contracts fall under Belgian law, the candidate must commit to being officially registered in Belgium and working most of the time from our office in Brussels. This currently entails structural teleworking (with at least 1 day in the office per week depending on the position)

Deadline for Application: 2 April 2023

Proposed starting date: As soon as possible

Note: Incomplete applications will not be considered. Due to limited staff resources and numbers of CVs anticipated, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

The EEB is an equal-opportunities and family-friendly employer. We encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.