We are looking for a Policy Advisor to join our team in January 2024 to lead EPD’s policy work on civic space worldwide. The position is available for an initial period of two years.
Application Deadline: 19 November 2023
About the Position
The Policy Advisor will primarily work for the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE), a project that will monitor and respond to situations of deteriorating or improving enabling environments for civil society around the world. The project is financed by the European Union.
The civil society-led monitoring system, designed to continuously assess the state of the enabling environment in more than 80 countries, will be complemented by a comprehensive early warning mechanism to support the anticipation and rapid response to emerging threats and opportunities. In addition, the project will develop civil society partners’ capacity to promote an enabling environment and amplify their voices in national, regional and global fora.
EU SEE is implemented by a global consortium of organisations and networks promoting civic space and democracy, led by Hivos and including CIVICUS, Transparency International, Forus, and Democracy Reporting International, in addition to EPD. Within the consortium, EPD is responsible for outreach and knowledge exchange with EU actors, as well as in embedding the concept of democratic space in the Consortium’s work on enabling environment and to analyse, develop and/or evaluate different approaches and methods for EU sponsored operations, seeking to revert the phenomenon of closing civic space.
Accountabilities and key relationships
The Policy Advisor will be based in Brussels and will report to the EPD Policy Coordinator. The Policy Advisor will work in cooperation with an EPD Evidence and Research Officer, who will also primarily work on the EU SEE project. The Policy Advisor will also have regular working relationships with other EPD staff.
The Policy Advisor will form part of the EU SEE Secretariat, consisting of staff seconded by the different members of the Consortium. Within the EU SEE Secretariat, the Policy Advisor will work under the leadership of the Hivos Global Program Manager.
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Duties and responsibilities
Policy advocacy
- Coordinating EPD’s positioning and advocacy strategy on civic space globally;
- Liaising with relevant policymakers in the European Commission, European Parliament, EU Delegations and the Council of the European Union;
- Overseeing global advocacy processes (e.g. in OECD-GovNet, UN processes etc.);
- Representing EPD and the EU SEE project vis-a-vis the relevant OECD bodies: Development Assistance Committee (DAC), OECD Public Governance Committee, etc.;
- Building coalitions, facilitating joint advocacy initiatives, and drafting statements in close cooperation with other civil society organisations;
- Representing EPD at relevant events and policy discussions and disseminating EPD’s work on enabling environment among policy makers;
- Bringing operational insights from the project to different EU policy fora, and institutions, including Team Europe Democracy (TED) and the Policy Forum on Development (PFD);
- Maintaining regular contact with relevant representatives of EPD member organisations and EPD’s partner network;
- Informing and shaping EPD’s advocacy work on other external EU policies linked to civic space and democracy, as required.
Project management
- Managing and coordinating EPD’s activities and responsibilities in the EU SEE project;
- Liaising with the lead partner of EU SEE (Hivos) and other partners;
- Managing the EU SEE project budget assigned to EPD;
- Contracting experts and coordinating their inputs;
- Preparing required deliverables, narrative reports, and financial statements;
- Providing other kinds of assistance as requested.
Requirements
- At least 5 years of experience in advocacy on democracy support, civic space and/or participation;
- Strong interest and sound knowledge of EU external policies ideally in the fields of democracy, civic space, transparency, participation, and/or citizenship;
- Excellent written and spoken English;
- Working level of French and/or Spanish is considered an asset;
- Previous experience in EU project management is considered an asset;
- Previous experience in working with the EU institutions is considered an asset;
- Previous experience in the non-profit sector is also considered an asset.
For more information on the contract and benefits, read the job full description here.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should send a CV and the application form together in one document to [email protected] by 19 November 2023 (23:59 CET).
Please return your application in one PDF document with the following name: “LAST NAME – FIRST NAME – Policy-Advisor- Application”.
Interviews will take place in early December 2023, with an expected start date at the beginning of January 2024.
