Requisition ID: req37159

Job Title: Assistant: EU Advocacy and Project Coordination

Employment Category: Six-month, limited-term contract 

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Additional Details
Interview Dates:      Mid-January
Start Date:              Immediately/as soon as possible in early 2023

BACKGROUND 

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. We deliver lasting impact by providing health care, helping children learn, and empowering individuals and communities to become self-reliant, always with a focus on the unique needs of women and girls. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, we now work in over 40 crisis-affected countries as well as communities throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

THE POLICY & ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT 

The Global Advocacy & Influence Department is a dynamic team that uses the power of IRC’s ideas to solve the biggest challenges facing IRC’s clients. We take pride in being solutions-oriented and creative. From the drivers of conflict to the needs of displaced people, the team partners with politicians, policy makers and civil society to bring these solutions to life. We are precise in our tactics, and messages. We lead change year over year, knowing that system change takes dedicated focus while maintaining the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Finally, we are collaborative, working not only with programs, strategy, research and innovation, and communications teams across the IRC, but also externally, constantly seeking out new ideas and perspectives from others in the humanitarian sector and beyond. 

ROLE

The IRC is looking for an Assistant for its EU Advocacy team in the Brussels office, tasked with Project and Advocacy Coordination and starting as soon as possible. The Advocacy Team in Brussels collaborates closely with advocates in other European offices, including staff based across the UK, Germany, Sweden, France and Geneva as well as colleagues in Washington DC, New York, and regional and country programmes teams across the world. In collaboration with the Global Policy and Solutions Department, EU Advocacy works to drive transformational policy change within EU institutions and Member States, through astute political advocacy on humanitarian, migration and development issues. 

This position will be a core part of the IRC’s EU team, delivering humanitarian and development advocacy efforts toward the European Institutions and Member States, supporting both headquarters, regional and country programme offices in influencing policies and practice that can improve the lives of the people the IRC serves. This Assistant position reports to and works closely with the Director of EU Advocacy and Influencing as well as with relevant Advocacy Advisors and global Policy Analysts to increase the quality, precision, targeting and reach of IRC’s advocacy towards the EU. At times the role may also assist with additional areas of work covered by other colleagues in the Brussels office, including the Strategic Partnerships Team and the Communications and Digital Team. 

This position will support the coordination, implementation and evaluation of targeted advocacy strategies focused on Europe’s response to humanitarian conflicts and crises, displacement and forced migration, and women and girls. The role will support the EU Director of Advocacy and the EU Advocacy Advisor’s work to advance European Union policies that protect, welcome and empower people both within and beyond its territory, notably through principled, effective and sufficient humanitarian and development assistance, expanded pathways to safety, and by firmly upholding international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, including access to asylum and dignified reception for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants on the move within and at Europe’s borders, and in partnerships with third countries. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS

• Support the Director of EU Advocacy and Influencing as well as EU Advocacy Advisors in the development and coordination of an overall EU Advocacy Strategy as well as individual advocacy strategies towards EU institutions and Member States, notably on Europe’s Response to Forced Migration and Conflict and Crises. 
• Build and maintain effective systems for IRC’s external stakeholder mapping and management, including monitoring and evaluation of Parliamentary, Council and Commission activity.
• Establish or support internal communications channels where needed to ensure coordination, consistency and alignment of the EU Advocacy team’s efforts with the global organisation’s positioning and objectives. This includes organising and helping facilitate internal working group meetings, the development of agendas and minute taking.
• Assist in the implementation of advocacy initiatives geared to influence the policies and practices of the European Union and the Member States as part of IRC advocacy strategies. This includes project managing events and other activities to advance IRCs advocacy and representation objectives in the EU. 
• Coordinate systematic monitoring and analysis of developments in EU foreign and domestic policies to inform advocacy strategies and identify influencing opportunities based on sound political judgement. 
• Support the development and dissemination of high quality advocacy products, highlighting IRC’s operational expertise and recommendations. including briefing notes, talking points, speeches, letters, reports, position papers, blogs and other materials for internal and external use as agreed. 
• Conduct secondary research and data analysis to contribute to the development of IRC’s global policy and/or EU- or country-specific advocacy messaging and efforts, including drawing on evidence and assessments from IRC programmes as needed and in collaboration with the EU Director of Advocacy, EU Advocacy Advisors, and Global Policy. 
• Organise or coordinate visits from field colleagues to Brussels to support IRC’s advocacy objectives. 
• Represent the EU Advocacy team in internal meetings and external fora with civil society as necessary.
• Perform such other tasks and responsibilities as may be required from time to time in order to ensure the smooth running of the team, the department, and cross departmental project groups

 PROFILE: EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS

• Graduate degree or equivalent qualification in international relations, law, political or social sciences, humanitarian studies or a relevant field.
• Experience of project management and of working as part of a cross-organisational team to deliver on strategies, including ability to facilitate discussions among subject matter/technical experts, ensure prioritisation, and lead a project through to the evaluation stage. 
• Experience of working with/in the UN or European Institutions – European Parliament,  European External Action Service, Commission (DG HOME/INTPA/NEAR/ECHO) – or in the Humanitarian and Development and/or Refugee and Migration NGO sector is considered an asset.
• Experience of working in a public affairs role on complex policy issues, ideally on migration, home affairs, humanitarian issues and/ or foreign affairs, is also considered an asset. 
• Experience of quickly forming effective working relationships to deliver results, with ability to work in a multinational team. 
• Excellent organisational skills, with an eye for detail and a demonstrated ability to multi-task, manage your own time and competing deadlines, be proactive, and plan ahead, is required. 
• Strong research, analysis and reporting skills, with the ability to undertake research quickly, write well under pressure, and convey complex information simply (e.g. into clear goal and objective statements as well as action policy recommendations tailored to their interlocutor)
• Strong understanding of and interest in the functioning of EU institutions and policy processes within the EU, particularly the EU’s External Action and the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). 
• Knowledge of issues relating to humanitarian and development assistance and refugee protection considered a strong asset. So too is familiarity with EU migration and asylum policies, including the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, other asylum reform proposals as well as migration partnerships with key countries of origin and transit. 
• Strong communication skills, including excellent (spoken and written) English; an ability to present arguments in structured, compelling and articulated manner; experience in drafting speeches, talking points, and position papers; and strong representation and interpersonal skills, friendly manner. 

The application deadline is 15th Jan 2023.

Conditions: We offer a contract under Belgian law (“Contrat d’immersion professionnelle”) and transportation benefits. The applicant must be legally entitled to work in Belgium.

IRC Belgium strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC Belgium is deeply committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of the organisation and for it to become more representative of all sections in society. We therefore particularly welcome applications from communities that are underrepresented across the humanitarian sector.

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https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/37159?c=rescue