European Partnership for Democracy is looking for a Policy and Programme Assistant (Trainee; French-speaking)

Background

We are looking for a Policy and Programme Assistant to join our team in January 2025, for a traineeship with a prospective period of 6 months. The Policy and Programme Assistant will support the advocacy activities and the management of the Youth Democracy Cohort (YDC), a multi-stakeholder platform of more than 300 members that works to advance youth political participation globally. The Policy and Programme Assistant will support the general coordination of the YDC, as well as advocacy efforts on digital rights in the Sahel and neighbouring countries, in the context of the Digitalise Youth project. There will be opportunities to become involved in other areas of the YDC and the Digitalise Youth project.

This traineeship will take place within the framework of a Convention d’Immersion Professionnelle.

Accountabilities and key relationships

The Policy and Programme Assistant will be based in Brussels and report to the Policy Coordinator. The Policy and Programme Assistant will work closely with the other EPD staff in Brussels, particularly with the colleagues working on the YDC and on the Digitalise Youth project, who will contribute to the supervision of the Policy and Programme Assistant.

Duties and responsibilities

Policy

• Support the overall management of the Youth Democracy Cohort (YDC), a global network of 300+ civil society organisation, public authorities and international organisations;

• Support the development of advocacy campaigns, positions and strategies for the YDC on digital rights, youth inclusion and freedom of assembly among other issues;

• Contribute and collect material for advocacy and communication campaigns;

• Support the organisation of events, such as policy dialogues and workshops around the world;

• Monitor the development and/or restriction of youth policies across the world and mainly in the Sahel, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia to identify advocacy opportunities;

• Participate in outreach and visibility efforts of the YDC by finding prospective members and partners.

Project management

• Providing assistance on project management and administrative tasks (narrative and financial reporting, implementation of activities, procurement processes etc.);

• Support monitoring and evaluation tasks (identification and verification of outcomes, drafting summary reports);

• Supporting the review of financial reports;

• Liaising with project partners in target countries and other stakeholders;

• Assisting with background research (e.g. on (country) contexts as well as thematic areas of democracy support).

Crosscutting

• Assisting in the daily functioning of the organisation, including administrative and logistical tasks;

• Providing other kinds of assistance as requested.

Benefits and learning opportunities

• Valuable experience for future career opportunities in advocacy and project management jobs within non-profit organisations;

• Trainees are fully involved in all aspects of our work and given considerable responsibility and independence; they are part of an international team that supports them in acquiring skills to work in an international organisation and hands-on knowledge of how major international actors inter-relate, at EU and global levels;

• Possibility to attend workshops, lectures, training sessions and other (online) events within and outside of EPD.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, international development, social sciences, or a relevant field is required;

• Strong interest and sound knowledge of EU policies and/or programming, ideally in the field of democracy support is required;

• Excellent written and spoken English and French is required;

• Spanish language skills are an asset;

• Previous experience in the non-profit sector is an asset;

• Knowledge of democracy literature is an asset;

• Candidates must be entitled to work in Belgium.

For more information on the conditions and benefits, take a look at the full job description here.

Application procedure

Interested applicants should send a CV and the completed application form below, together in one document to jobs2@epd.eu by Wednesday, 17 November 2024 (23:59 CET).

Please submit your application with the following email title: “LAST NAME – FIRST NAME – Policy and Programme Assistant Application”.

Interviews will take place in late November 2024. Candidates selected for an interview may be asked to complete an exercise of approximately 30 minutes (online or in presence).

The expected start date is January 2025.