Advocacy and Engagement Officer

The CETAF General Secretariat is currently looking for a new Advocacy and Engagement Officer to join its team in Brussels!

The CETAF (Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities) General Secretariat is currently looking for a new Advocacy and Engagement Officer to join its team in Brussels!

As the Advocacy and Engagement Officer (m/f/x), you will be joining our team at the General Secretariat, in Brussels and will be in charge of monitoring European and/or international initiatives and policies, coordinating CETAF’s role in European initiatives and implementing strategic actions, including EU projects. You will be involved in advocating for CETAF community needs in relevant fora and raising awareness of the importance of natural science research within the EU landscape. This includes European institutions and related agencies, and other organizations within the biodiversity realm and in relation to CETAF objectives. Moreover CETAF is currently contributing to and leading work packages in EU projects (SYNTHESYS+, BiCIKL and DiSSCo Prepare), which are working towards the building  of a new EU Research Infrastructure (RI) called DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections). Within these projects you will lead the engagement and outreach tasks which will include: creating and maintaining engagement mechanisms that facilitate the promotion of project activities towards EU national governments,  stakeholders and users of the RI services, including new potential end-users (e.g. industry) in order to gain support and foster collaboration and new partnerships. You will be supervised by and working closely with the Executive Director, as well as in collaboration with the other General Secretariat Staff.

Who are we?

The CETAF community unites major natural history and natural science museums, botanic gardens and research centres in Europe to create a unique research network made up by 40 Members including 70 research organizations across 22 countries.

The collections at the heart of CETAF Members facilitate fundamental geodiversity and biodiversity research, particularly in taxonomy and systematics, that enables ground-breaking discoveries across broad fields of science. The CETAF community jointly holds 1.5 billion specimens that represent about 80% of the world’s described species. These institutions and their researchers are custodians of this irreplaceable natural heritage that serves scientific and social progress.

What will you be in charge of?

• Monitoring, analysing, and reporting on the activities and policies of relevant EU and international organisations and entities.
• Contributing to define and implement an advocacy strategy for the organization.
• Building alliances and defining frameworks for partnerships with relevant organizations in the CETAF scientific-related field.
• Coordinating  CETAF’s engagement activities in collaborative EU funded projects (responsible for the preparation of deliverables, strategies and research) and initiatives, from implementation and project management.
• Representing CETAF at external events and in project meetings.
• As a team member, helping in the adequate running of the General Secretariat Office, including supporting the organisation of CETAF meetings, events, General Assemblies, etc.

MAIN REQUIREMENTS:

• University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent Bachelor with working experience), preferably in science or biodiversity-related fields
• Thorough knowledge of EU institutions and decision-making processes
• Experience in engagement and advocacy

Essential competencies and experiences

a. Good knowledge of the EU structure and funding programmes (Horizon Europe/Missions/Partnerships in particular).

b. Excellent proven organisational and project management skills .

c. Computer skills, including the use of Microsoft Office tools,  and the ability to solve small IT problems. Knowledge of the WordPress CMS may be an asset.

d. Able to work well in an international, physical and virtual environment.

e. Able to work and coordinate/communicate with distributed teams across countries and disciplines.

f. Well-organised, with an eye for detail.

g. Excellent writing and communication skills in English.

h. Ability to work independently and within a team.

i. Ability to take the initiative, prioritise tasks and work under set deadlines.

j. Proficiency in learning new skills.

k. Objective orientation and problem-solving skills.

Interested in this new challenge?

Please send your CV and motivation letter in English and as a single file to the CETAF Executive Director, Ana Casino ([email protected]), with the subject line “Advocacy and Engagement Officer ” by the 4th July 2021 , at noon. Interviews will be held in early/mid July. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.