Fern is looking for a Strategic Communications Adviser

Fern has an exciting full-time opportunity for an experienced communications professional to help our campaigners devise and deliver strong communications strategies and products. Working from our Brussels office you will help deliver Fern’s long-term strategies, support campaigners to consider how to communicate strategically and improve Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning around our communications products. You will be at the heart of campaigns to benefit forest dependent peoples and help reduce climate change.

Fern was created in 1995 to achieve greater environmental and social justice, focusing on forests and forest peoples’ rights in the policies and practices of the European Union. We believe that to be effective it is essential to understand and address the social dimension of environmental conflicts; that strong coalitions are more likely to achieve lasting change; and that presenting ways forward is often more effective than highlighting problems. We have no director and strive to make decisions by consensus. Details of our current campaign areas can be found here.

Purpose of the role

To help all campaigners define and deliver strategies to deliver impactful communications.

Key areas of responsibility

Fern’s reach: Ensure Fern’s profile reflects its values and create an enabling environment for campaign success

• Monitoring and analysing Fern’s qualitative and quantitative communications impacts and proposing follow up actions to campaigners and the communications team with the aim of ensuring our recommendations are achieving traction;

• Working with Fern’s communications project manager to input into Fern’s website, social media and other relevant strategies;

• Jointly managing the communications team including revolving chairing and minuting of meetings;

• Providing cover for other members of the Fern’s communications teams during absences;

• Ensuring Fern’s monthly newsletter ForestWatch is strategic and impactful;

• Keeping abreast of the media landscape evolutions as well as emerging communications tools and channels, and introducing these to Fern when appropriate.

Campaign communication strategies: Ensuring Fern campaigns have strategic, clear and effective communication strategies, which are well implemented

• Supporting campaigners to consider who they want to target, what they want to achieve and how best to achieve that through strong policy-focussed communications;

• Inputting into and improving all of Fern’s products terms of reference to ensure their aim, audience and outline are strategic;

• Finding and working with key partners and organisations to coordinate common actions/campaigns and to give strategic comms support;

• Helping build the campaigners’ awareness of comms tools that can help them achieve their aims;

• Supporting campaigners and the communications team to create, deliver and disseminate impactful communications (such as by suggesting framing, messaging and narratives);

• Identifying communications opportunities and working with campaigners to capitalise on these.

Training

• Working with the communications team to develop a system for identifying and improving campaigners’ strategic communications skills.

General tasks

• Contributing to the development of Fern as an organisation;

• Staying informed at a general level on the various campaigns Fern is involved in and identifying key opportunities for Fern’s communications;

• Fulfilling Fern’s policies on reporting on meetings, producing work plans etc;

• After induction: playing a full role in Fern’s organisational development teams and mentoring system.

Other requirements

• Travel. As Fern is an international organisation with offices in two countries and activities in numerous countries, travel will be necessary to attend meetings.

• Flexibility. Fern is a small campaigning organisation, and some flexibility will be required in working hours, for example in the case of preparing urgent funding proposals, budgets etc.

Person specification

We are looking for a good team worker who is able to understand different culturally appropriate ways of communicating; who can motivate, show initiative and work quickly and accurately without close supervision.

Essential

• At least five years’ experience in developing, implementing and evaluating campaign strategies;

• Fluent in English;

• Proven experience of delivering impactful communications;

• Excellent computer skills (Microsoft office package, design and websites);

• Ability to work individually and within a team;

• Ability to prioritise and manage a high workload;

• Willingness to travel frequently within the EU and abroad;

• Experience with media;

• Able to work from Fern’s Brussels office.

Desirable

• Experience in working with NGOs and NGO networks in Europe;

• Experience of developing joint (NGO) positions and facilitating meetings involving a broad range of views, interest groups and cultural approaches;

• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationship with both partner organisations at grassroots level as well as with Commission officials and MEPs;

• Working skills in at least one other EU language (especially French or Portuguese);

• A good understanding of the functioning of EU institutions.

Indicative starting salary & working conditions

A gross monthly salary ranging between €4,148 and €5,454 (full time equivalent), depending on experience, plus lunch vouchers (€8 per working day), health insurance and a contribution to travel costs from home to office.

Fern offers full time staff five extra days holiday in addition to legal holidays, and up to four additional holidays between Christmas and the New Year. Staff also earn an additional day for every two years worked at Fern, up to a maximum of five days.

The position is based in Brussels. Staff are expected to be in the office at least one day a week but this role is likely to require regular office presence as you will be working closely with staff and partners. It is a full-time role, but we will also consider candidates who wish to work four days per week.

How to apply

Applications should consist of your CV; a cover letter explaining your interest in the job; and a short note describing how you think the current political climate will impact the communications arena and how Fern should respond. 

Send your application to giorgia@fern.org by 23:59 CEST on Monday 3 February 2025.

Unfortunately due the volume of applications received we are not able to respond to all applications.

Interviews will take place on Thursday 20 February 2025. 

Note to candidates: We know that long lists of criteria can be daunting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you are excited about this role, but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. All applications will be accepted, reviewed, and evaluated equally. Interviews will be conducted from 20 February onwards on a rolling basis until the position is filled.