Belgium: Policy Officer, Climate & Natural Resources

Jul 27, 2023 | Search for Common Ground
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Search for Common Ground is an international non-profit organisation with operations in 30 conflict-affected countries across the globe, and headquarters in the USA and in Belgium. Its Belgian entity is an international AISBL with 30 staff based in its Brussels office and 1,000 colleagues across the globe, 95% of whom are locals from the places where it implements its peacebuilding work. As per its 2018-2028 strategy, Search for Common Ground is entering its expansion phase and is looking at increasingly influencing policy-makers in Belgium, Europe and across the world to make peacebuilding a credible option. This position is funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development cooperation and humanitarian aid (DGD).

The Role

The Policy Officer will engage policymakers, the private sector, and development actors to support sustainable business practices, peacebuilding, and conflict-sensitive approaches through evidence-based policy and advocacy work. The Policy Officer will focus their work on the links between climate, the natural resource sector, and conflict, looking for example at voluntary and mandatory due diligence frameworks, conflict minerals and climate funding (COP). In this effort, the Policy Officer will work at the Belgian, EU, and global levels, with civil society allies, policymakers and representatives from the private sector (such as mining and oil companies). 

The Policy Officer will be an integral part of the Global Policy and Outreach team, with staff based in Brussels, Washington and regional offices. The team focuses on building the policy case for the peacebuilding field. It does so by working collaboratively with Search's teams and partners around the world and leveraging their analysis, data, and expertise to inform the policies of emerging and established actors relevant to Search’s work. It provides operational and locally-rooted policy analysis and recommendations that encourage policymakers to support and use peacebuilding more actively by advocating for more supportive institutional norms and structures, more and healthier funding to implementers, and more policies that encourage peacebuilding. 

Key internal relationships for the Policy Officer will include the Global Programmes Team, relevant country and regional teams (with a particular focus on Great Lakes and Sahel), the Institutional Learning Team, and Communications Team. The Policy Officer will work in close partnership with its DGD- partner International Peace Information Service (IPIS).

The position reports to the Policy and Outreach Manager based in Brussels.

Minimum Qualifications

    • Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, International Relations, Conflict Studies, Social Sciences, European studies, climate studies, development studies or related area 
    • 6 years of relevant work experience (or Master’s Degree with 4 years of relevant experience) in climate, environment, natural resources, peacebuilding.
    • Strong knowledge of EU institutions and legislative processes
    • Demonstrated advocacy expertise, influencing policies on sustainable business practices, climate change, natural resource management, or peacebuilding. 
    • Research proficiency, including the ability to gather, analyze, and present data.
    • Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communications skills in English and French.  

Preferred Qualifications

    • Experience working in the nexus of climate, natural resources, and conflict. 
    • Experience working on influencing sustainable business practices or on the extractive industry.
    • Strong knowledge of Belgian institutions and legislative processes
    • Existing contacts and network in the climate, natural resources, and conflict policy space in Belgium or at EU-level.
    • Experience working in conflict-affected countries
    • Experience working in the development cooperation or peacebuilding sector. 
    • Experience in organising events and workshops.
    • Writing, editing, and verbal communications skills in Dutch (asset, not requirement).

Responsibilities

    • Proposes advocacy strategies for specific policy engagements.
    • Represents Search at external meetings and events in line with policy strategies
    • Ensures networking to build up a topical contacts network at Belgian, EU and global level
    • Writes policy documents, messages and presentations, both for  internal use, for policy makers, private sector actors, development actors and for a wider audience
    • Contribute to knowledge sharing on the topics of climate change, natural resource management and conflict
    • Contributes to planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of policy projects and of the work of the global advocacy team
    • Collaborates closely with relevant field-based colleagues and technical experts across and outside the organisation.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

    • Initiates brainstorming or problem-solving meetings. With time in the job, develops skills for analyzing and communicating program successes and failures; reports lessons learned to the team and other members.
    • Represents Search at local and international events and meetings. 
    • Can  independently initiate and maintain relations with policy makers, partners, funders, and companies. 
    • Demonstrates appreciation for diversity of thought. Builds cross-functional relationships with other functional departments.
    • Demonstrates ability to be adaptable and willing to confront and change own ideas and preconceptions with the resiliency and flexibility to make changes based on hearing a diversity of thoughts.
    • Drafts team documents, briefing materials, and presentations. 
    • Coordinates across functions from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
    • Recognizes the options available for solving problems, conducts analyses, and uses technical tools to support informed decision making.
    • Conducts quality control of team documents, briefing materials, presentations, and systems data. Carefully reviews and checks the accuracy of information in work reports, management information systems. Proactively informs management of potential risks and concerns; suggests resolutions.
    • Independently prioritizes time to reach deadlines and reaches end results of assignments with ability to accomplish multiple steps with limited to no supervision.

Type and Nature of Contacts

    • Routinely coordinates with colleagues and consultants in Brussels and in other Search for Common Ground countries of operations and handles challenging situations diplomatically.
    • Represents Search and meets other organizations, including donors, vendors, peers and partners.
    • Interacts with country offices and regional staff.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Usual office environment conditions in Brussels; ability to travel to Search countries of operations or for advocacy opportunities. The Brussels office operates in a hybrid work mode with a mix of in-office and at-home work.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility

The position currently won’t supervise any staff. The person may, over time,  supervise one or more staff members, including interns, fellows or associates. The position will have authority over some policy activity budgets.

Salary Range and Contract Duration 

The salary range for this position would be between 3700-4300 EUR gross per month, based on relevant experience, with following benefits: 22 days of annual leave, end-of-year office closure, double vacation pay, meal vouchers (Eur 7,- per worked day), life insurance, hospitalisation and ambulatory health insurances, contribution to mobile phone use, transport allocation, home office allowance.

This position is for an indefinite contract (“contrat à durée indéterminée”, CDI).

Foreseen Start Date

As soon as possible.

Application process

The deadline for applications is 25 August 2023. Submit application through the Search for Common Ground Application System Lever. 

Please note that Search for Common Ground is unfortunately only able to consider applicants who hold the right to live and work in Belgium.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see the website www.sfcg.org for full details of Search for Common Ground's work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View the code of conduct here and the privacy policy here.