Health Care Without Harm Europe is looking for a Green Perinatal Care Officer

Job title: Interim Green Perinatal Care Officer

Location: Brussels

Eligibility: All candidates must hold the right to work in Belgium or the EU.

Hours: Full-time. HCWH Europe operates a four-day week (8h/day) to aid productivity and support a better work-life balance.

Salary & benefits: Gross salary up to 3,260€, depending on qualifications and experience. HCWH Europe offers a competitive salary with additional benefits, including meal vouchers, monthly travel support, hospitalisation insurance, holiday payment, and a 13-month salary.

Application closing date: Applications will close on 8th of July. First round of interviews will be held on 11th of July. HCWH Europe reserves the right to close the application process upon selection of a suitable candidate; early applications are therefore encouraged.

Starting date: As soon as possible

About Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe

HCWH Europe is a non-profit organisation that works to transform healthcare worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice. HCWH has offices in Europe, US, and Asia as well as a global team that works across all regions. HCWH works closely with health professionals, hospitals, healthcare systems, NGOs, local government, ministries of health and international organisations. HCWH Europe is active in 26 countries of the WHO Euro region and has a growing number of members. The HCWH Europe office is located in Brussels, Belgium. www.noharm-europe.org

Position overview

HCWH Europe is seeking a healthcare professional with practical experience in a health facility who can help deliver the Born Green Generation Project and contribute to the organisation’s strategic goals.

Reporting to the Born Green Generation Project Manager, you will form a key part of a dynamic and growing team and contribute to environmental sustainability in Europe’s healthcare sector. You will support key activities within HCWH Europe’s Circular Healthcare programme, which aims to accelerate the transition of healthcare towards a circular economy. Supported by the whole Circular Healthcare team, your main responsibility will be to change the practices and culture in neonatal, maternal, and paediatric care units as part of the Born Green Generation project. Together with four European hospitals and two universities, we will develop the world's safest maternity, neonatal, and paediatric wards as a proof-of-concept for healthcare without toxic chemicals and materials. A major part of your responsibilities will be to develop and implement a model of neonatal, maternal, and paediatric care so that a first generation of children can experience their first 1,000 days of life in an environment that is healthy for both children and the planet.

The ideal candidate will already have practical work experience in healthcare and will enthusiastically set to work with our partners to translate ideas into action. You will look for already existing success stories, determine the potential impact, identify possible obstacles, support pilot projects and write general recommendations based on evaluation. Above all, you are an engaging change manager, able to motivate healthcare professionals to pilot and implement new procedures, materials and operations, resulting in sustainable and toxic-free healthcare.

Key responsibilities

• Develop a model for eco-maternities and Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU).

• Collaborate with leading healthcare providers to pilot and review these models.

• Advise pilot hospitals in their actions towards a toxic-free environment.

• Train paediatricians, midwives, nurses, family physicians and other professionals on paediatric environmental health.

• Give input to a cost-benefit analysis outlining the financial benefits of the eco-maternity/paediatric model.

• Create resources (e.g. questionnaires) so that robust environmental health records can be produced. Develop related protocols, recommendations and clinical practice guidelines in collaboration with clinical experts.

• Support the development of content for online training modules aimed at medical students, midwives, and other healthcare staff.

• Support content development for in-person circular healthcare training sessions for healthcare staff.

• Engage hospitals to become part of our mentoring programme, with a focus on eco-maternities and eco-paediatric units.

• Train and support circular healthcare ambassadors.

• Inform and motivate parents in relation to sustainable child care.

• Provide input for the events and webinars on the Born Green Generation Project.

• Coordinate effective communication and collaboration with healthcare experts, working groups and members of HCWH Europe’s networks of healthcare professionals (e.g. Nurses Climate Challenge and Doctors for Greener Care).

• Contribute to fundraising proposals.

• Represent HCWH Europe on a regional, national and international level.

• Promote sustainable and toxic-free childcare.

Required qualifications and experience

• Minimum two years of experience in a health facility. Work experience in a neonatal, maternal, or paediatric unit is an advantage.

• Bachelor’s degree in nursery and/or midwifery or another degree in healthcare would be an advantage.

• Experience or interest in environmental health policy and circular healthcare.

Desired knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Good understanding of the typical processes, procedures, and behaviours in a professional care unit.

• Excellent skills in informing, questioning and motivating healthcare providers so that they collaborate in creating a more sustainable environment.

• The ability to take initiative and follow through to achieve precise results.

• The ability to think strategically and creatively while organising time efficiently.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work within a team and autonomously.

• Enthusiastic and flexible in undertaking a broad range of work with tight deadlines.

• Proactive, highly organised and results-focused, able to manage different demands independently.

• Excellent communication, advocacy, and networking skills.

• Working knowledge of standard office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

• Strong communicator with excellent proficiency in written and spoken English. Working knowledge of another European language would be an advantage.

How to apply

All candidates must hold the existing right to work in Belgium or the EU. To apply for this position, please send an email to jobseurope@hcwh.org

• Include your last name and the job title in the subject line, i.e., LAST NAME Interim Green Perinatal Healthcare Officer.

• Attach your CV and a cover letter (Word or pdf format) explaining your motivation for the position.

• Please let us know where you found the position advertised and when you would be able to start.

Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.