Job opening – Communications and Policy Officer to join the EUSTAFOR team

EUSTAFOR’s Communications & Policy Officer will be responsible for mixed scope of tasks in the field of Communications and forest-related policy. He/she will closely cooperate with EUSTAFOR’s Executive Director and Policy Advisor.

The successful candidate must have a good understanding of the forest-based sector and be able to understand and communicate efficiently with the European
institutions, relevant forestry and forest-sector stakeholders, industry associations and confederations in Brussels, as well as with EUSTAFOR’s member organizations. This will provide an excellent opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge on EU policy topics, gathering valuable experience and knowledge about EU and international forest-related stakeholders and collaborations.

The main responsibilities of the position are:

Communications
• Drafting and publishing content (in English) for the EUSTAFOR’s website and social media
• Developing and implementing EUSTAFOR Communications Plan
• Publishing newsletters and press releases, contributing to the elaboration of
statements, position papers, presentations, fact sheets and other promotional
materials (in English)
• Serving as a Brussels-based focal point for EUSTAFOR’s Communicators Network
• Outreach activities:
o Liaising with members, stakeholders, project partners, national experts, scientific
and academic experts
o Establishing contacts with journalists
o Developing communication activities together with other partner organizations
o Analyzing target groups (such as, but not limited to, the European institutions
and European member states, other stakeholders, industry) and the
effectiveness of the communications activities undertaken

Policy
• Analyzing of policy documents and preparing briefs
• Elaboration of draft information documents for EUSTAFOR members
• Cooperation with the Executive Director and other staff members in the
execution of decisions by the Executive Committee (ExCom) and the General
Assembly (GA)
• Supporting EUSTAFOR Team in working on EUSTAFOR position papers,
statements and presentations
• Participation in meetings organized by the EU institutions in Brussels and
preparing briefings and post-processing of those meetings

General
• Organizing and/or supporting other team members with internal (Executive
Committee, General Assembly, Working Group meetings and other thematic
workshops and seminars )and external events and meetings (both content &
practical tasks) and post-meeting processing (e.g. summary of events, website
updates, etc.)
• Supporting the office management in certain administrative and operational
tasks

Job Requirements

Personal Qualifications
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English (proficiency in French or Dutch, or any other European language is an asset)
• Critical thinking and a proven ability to condense the main message out of various contexts and complex situations
• Excellent knowledge Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PPT) and website content
management systems (e.g. WordPress)
• Ability to integrate and perform in international team work
• Flexibility regarding travel
• Ability to be self-driven and work independently

Experience
• A background in forestry or simial is essential
• Understanding of the forest-based sector
• A good understanding of the functioning of the European institutions
• Proven ability to plan and organize events
• Familiarity with communication techniques using social media and/or journalism is an asset

Education & Training
• At least a 3-year university degree relevant to the position (Forestry or similar)

Starting Date: As soon as possible

We offer a position in a friendly team of a dynamic European association which
operates in the Brussels-based forest-based sector. A selected candidate will receive a competitive salary and related benefits foreseen by Belgian legislation.

The place of work will mainly be the EUSTAFOR Executive Office located in the
European Forestry House in Brussels. The association provides all necessary office facilities and equipment and will assist in finding a suitable accommodation.

Application
Applicants are asked to submit a CV (maximum 2 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 1 page) that also indicates salary expectations. Please send applications to office@eustafor.eu and piotr.borkowski@eustafor.eu. The email subject should read: “Application EUSTAFOR Communications & Policy Officer”

Closing date for applications is 28 February 2023.