Wetlands International Europe is looking for a Technical Officer for Peatlands

Join our peatland team and help us reach our goal to “scale up restoration and the application of sustainable peatland management practices”!

• Location: Brussels, Belgium

• Contract duration: 1-year, with possibility to renew based on funding.

• Start date: 1st January 2025.

• Full-time contract (36 hours/ 5 days per week), 32 hours/4 days per week is negotiable.

• Salary: Between €2,718 and €3,084 gross per month, depending on experience.

Overall purpose of the job

This role will in particular contribute to scaling up the restoration of European peatlands. A key driver of peatland loss and degradation in Europe is drainage and conversion for agriculture. Working with our member organisations and partners we pioneer, promote and advocate for sustainable climate-friendly alternatives to drainage-based agriculture including paludiculture. Increasingly carbon finance is playing an important role in enabling restoration and paludiculture and we are working to influence the development and implementation of relevant EU policy such as the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Certification Framework and Nature Restoration Law.

This position will primarily contribute with technical expertise to our policy work on peatland restoration and carbon financing, focusing on EU policy through advocacy activities and steering project implementation. The successful candidate will have a strong technical understanding and knowledge of European peatlands, their restoration and the importance of paludiculture. They will have a strong understanding of peatland relevant European policy and advocacy. Project management experience in EU funded projects is essential.

A priority for this position in the coming years will be to provide work package leadership, technical guidance, coordinate tasks under the PaluWise project and support similar work under other projects. PaluWise is an innovative and exciting project funded by Horizon Europe starting in early 2025, that focuses on paludiculture demonstrations and recommendations for large-scale adoption in the EU. The candidate will lead one of the project work packages on behalf of Wetlands International Europe. Working closely with our policy team, the candidate will contribute to EU level advocacy to advance paludiculture and wet farming activities in peatlands in related policies (e.g. Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Certification Regulation).

The candidate will be a committed and active person who thrives in a proactive, energetic and creative team. They will be organised and comfortable working with sometimes ambitious deadlines. They will also be curious and creative, with a good sense of humour and possess an understanding of and empathy with the aims and objectives of Wetlands International Europe.

About Wetlands International Europe

Established in September 2013, Wetlands International Europe is the only network organisation in Europe bringing together NGOs whose shared mission is to inspire and mobilise society to safeguard and restore wetlands, their resources and biodiversity. We are part of the global Wetlands International network, the only global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands.

All our member organisations focus on certain wetland ecosystems and their biodiversity, giving attention to particular threats, developing and trialing practical solutions and informing policies. Our access to cutting-edge science, combined with our understanding of EU policies and on-the-ground experience makes us a credible and effective advocate for improving European policies and practices, and accelerating policy implementation to the benefit of wetlands in Europe and beyond. For more information, please consult https://europe.wetlands.org/

Responsibilities and tasks

Policy advocacy and communications

• Provide technical input and support policy and advocacy work towards EU institutions and member states;

• Provide technical input to policy analyses and advocacy materials such as policy briefs and reports;

• Share peatland restoration and management best practices by organising site visits, stakeholder events, webinars and targeted publications to build political support;

• Mobilise a community of paludiculture practitioners comprising key stakeholders (farmers, landowners, companies, decision-makers);

• Support the development of outreach and communication materials to raise awareness of peatlands restoration and paludiculture;

• Support the organisation and coordination of meetings, task forces, and events with Wetlands International Europe members to ensure alignment of internal positions and project objectives;

• Represent Wetlands International Europe at key conferences, events, and meetings with European institutions and EU-member states.

Project management

• Steer the implementation of project activities according to workplans;

• Monitor the work progress and ensure on-time delivery of project deliverables of Wetlands International Europe and partners;

• Prepare timely and effective periodic and final reports;

• Support the preparation, consolidation and submission of financial reports, working closely with the Financial Controller and partners, within the deadlines defined by the European Commission;

• The ideal candidate will work closely with the Peatlands team to review and further develop the peatland programme and strategy and support the scoping and development of new opportunities.

Job offer

A full-time contract (36 hours/ 5 days per week) 32 hours/ 4 days per week is negotiable.

Contract duration: 1-year, with possibility to renew based on funding

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Salary: the indicative starting base salary range for this role is approximately €2,718 to €3,084 gross per month, with the final figure depending on the skills, competencies and experience of the successful candidate

Additional benefits:

• Allowances for lunch

• Public transport

• Flexible and hybrid working conditions

• Health insurance

• Pension plan

• Paid holiday in accordance with Belgian law

Start date: January 2025

Applications should include a cover letter summarising the applicant’s suitability for the position and a detailed CV. Applications should be emailed to hr@wetlands.org marking your application with “Technical Officer, Peatlands” in the subject line.

Interviews: Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, and early submissions are encouraged. Deadline for submission of applications 5 January 2025.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.