NRC’s representation in Brussels was established in 2005 in order to strengthen the existing relationship between NRC, the European Union as well as the Member States. NRC Europe’s main role is to support NRC’s country programmes in their collaboration with the EU institutions and Member States by improving communication with EU donors, and by influencing EU policies through the provision of evidence-based policy analysis on issues affecting refugees and displaced persons as well as humanitarian space.
The purpose of the EU Advocacy Assistant is to support the EU Advocacy and Policy Advisers by conducting research into relevant EU foreign, humanitarian, and development policies, monitoring relevant media and policy outlets, analysing opportunities for policy change in the EU, and assisting with advocacy and communication tasks.
- Support the advisers by monitoring and preparing notes, briefings and updates on EU institutions and Member States’ humanitarian and development policies and activities.
- Conduct background research on relevant EU and Member States policies and activities, and analyse official EU documents;
- Attend relevant meetings organised by the EU, Member States and NGOs, represent NRC position in accordance to agreed messaging and write meeting notes and reportt and; Attend NRC’s internal advocacy coordination calls and meeting with field operations to keep abreast of context and operational developments.
- Support the organisation of events and meetings, including contacting EU and Member States’ officials;
- Assist in preparing (in person or online) meetings and briefings in Brussels for field-based colleagues, including organising programmes, conducting research on EU policies towards those countries and drafting briefing notes.
- Assist in the distribution of reports, updates and briefs from the field to EU interlocutors;
- Manage and update NRC Europe’s contact database.
- Monitor EU/MS official agenda’s and priorities, including through periodic media monitoring.
Professional competencies
Generic professional competencies:
- University degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field such as international relations, international law, European affairs, humanitarian assistance, international development, political science or advocacy.
- Fluency in English, knowledge of other EU languages (French in particular) is an asset
- Fully computer literate
Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:
- Good knowledge and interest of EU institutions and EU policy
- Demonstrable interest in humanitarian and displacement issues
- Eligible to work in Belgium
- Previous humanitarian or advocacy experience desirable
- Previous experience overseas in humanitarian or development settings desirable
Behavioural competencies
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in EN
- Organizational skills including the ability to multitask, prioritize and work efficiently with limited supervision
- Comfortable in a multicultural professional and/or NGO environment
- Commitment to humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence
Miscellaneous info
- Contract: Belgian “Social immersion professional contract” (Bruxelles formation), Paid internship, meal vouchers, and transport allowance included.
- Contract period: January 2023 – June 2023 (6 months renewable upon the approval of Bruxelles Formation)
- Deadline for applications: 11 December 2022 ((We will be assessing candidates on an ongoing basis; therefore, early applications are recommended)
- Please note that only applications received through NRC Recruitment site will be considered (NRC NORCAP Careers Careers (oraclecloud.com))
- NRC may be required to verify the identity of its partners and to check that its partners have not been involved in illegal activities.
- NRC reserves the right to use electronic screening tools for this purpose. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. We work in crises across more than 31 countries, providing emergencies and long-term assistance to millions of people every year. We stand up for people forced to flee, advocating their rights. NORCAP, our global provider of expertise, helps improve international and local ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises. NRC also runs the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva, a global leader in reporting on and advocating for people displaced within their own country. Employment with NRC may lead to employment in or deployment to Regions, Countries, Areas or Offices that may be host to considerable health, safety and security risks. NRC takes this very seriously and we have procedures in place to reduce known risks, but will never be able to take away all risks. NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.