Policy and Advocacy Officer

JOB APPLICATION PACK

VACANCY

Date of publication: 15 December 2016

Deadline for applications: 17.30 CET on 15 January 2017

Position Summary

The Policy and Advocacy Officer develops and implements an effective advocacy strategy for JRS Europe that covers all issues of regional importance and puts forward the voices and concerns of refugees and other forcibly displaced people.

S/he has sound analytical skills and a creative mind-set and is in tune with JRS mission and way of working. The Officer will engage with fellow team members in the Regional Office as well as JRS National Office teams in order to work towards a common vision and provide training on policy and advocacy issues. S/he has good networking skills and engages with all relevant stakeholders in the fields of civil society, politics and media, and represents JRS Europe in relevant fora. S/he is a compelling public speaker and succinct writer who can draw the attention to the plight of refugees. S/he regularly visits JRS National Offices to assist them with the design of advocacy strategies as well as strategic planning. The position requires at least 3 years of experience in policy and advocacy work.

Please note: the applicant must have permission to work in Belgium. JRS Europe is not able to obtain a work permit for any applicant.

About JRS Europe

The Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organisation. Its mission is to accompany, to serve and to advocate for refugees and forcibly displaced people. The JRS Europe team in Brussels shares this mission by engaging in policy and advocacy work, project management, fundraising, communications and coordination. The policy work focuses on forcibly displaced people who suffer from immigration detention, destitution and the externalisation of European border management and asylum. Definitive solutions and integration is part of our engagement and analysis. Advocacy work must interact cohesively with our communication efforts. The JRS Europe Regional Office coordinates the activities of 18 National Offices across Europe, mostly providing support on project development, advocacy and communications. The JRS Europe Regional Office has on-going working relationships with relevant EU institutions, UNHCR, and NGOs from a variety of backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities

The Policy and Advocacy Officer reports to the Regional Director and belongs to the advocacy team. The following key responsibilities are foreseen:

Policy and Advocacy Work

To advocate on determined issues of regional importance
To provide in-depth legal and policy analyses on determined issues
To maintain issue-based contacts with JRS national offices and stakeholders
To maintain and actively participate in NGO partnerships of strategic importance
To represent JRS Europe in relevant fora
To write policy papers, information briefs and policy statements in order to contribute to media and communications activities
To participate at public events
To design, implement and report field research for advocacy purposes
To actively develop and maintain a broad network of relevant political and civil society stakeholders

Regional Coordination

To collaborate with JRS International on issues of global concern
To design and accomplish advocacy strategies for regional issues, together with the JRS National Offices through the Advocacy Strategy Group
To develop strong collaboration with the communications work by defining a common strategy
To collaborate with the project development officers towards project design, implementation, reporting and evaluation
To participate actively in internal, regional and international meetings
To contribute to diverse JRS regional meetings
To collaborate with JRS International on a coherent approach towards advocacy

Person Specification

The post-holder will have the following essential experiences, skills, knowledge and abilities:

Sympathy with or experience of the JRS vision and a good understanding of the way of working and of the JRS values expressed in the JRS International Strategic Framework
Experience in the field of advocacy for refugees and forcibly displaced persons and experience of networking
In-depth knowledge on refugee and migration policies in Europe and a critical understanding of social policies in Europe
Advanced understanding of the functioning of the European Union institutions and regional bodies in Europe
Ability to speak and write fluently and compellingly in English
Ability to develop creative solutions and inspire others
Good networking capacities
Analytic and research experience
Capacities for organisational development and strategic planning
Ability to manage several tasks simultaneously in a busy office environment while adhering to deadlines
Ability to work in an intercultural environment
Availability to travel

The following desirable experiences, skills, knowledge and abilities are an advantage:

University studies in social or political science, social work or law
Field experience in working with refugees, migrants or vulnerable social groups
Working knowledge of additional European languages, especially French

Terms of appointment:

This is a full-time position (38 hours per week)
JRS offers an 18-month contract, with the possibility to be converted into a permanent contract
The applicant must demonstrate that s/he has the permission to work in Belgium
The desired starting date is early February 2017
The salary offered for this position, based on the JRS Europe salary scale, is in the range of €2,800 and €3,000 gross per month, according to experience and skills. All conditions and additional benefits are established according to Belgian legislation

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline for the receipt of applications is 17:30 CET, January 15th, 2017.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. Dates for interviews will be accordingly communicated.

To apply, please complete this application form and send it by email to

The application should be saved as an attachment in Microsoft Word.
Please write: “Application: [Your name]” in the subject line of your email.

We only shortlist candidates based on the information supplied in this application form. Please do not send a separate CV or cover letter.

JOB APPLICATION FORM
VACANCY: Policy and Advocacy Officer
Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
1.Personal details
Surname
Name
Date of birth
Address
Telephone - Home
Work
Mobile
Email
Do you have the right to work in Belgium? / Yes / No
2.Present or most recent employment
Name and address of employer / Key responsibilities of post
Job title
Dates employed
From:
To:
Notice required / date available:
Reason for leaving
3.Previous employment (most recent first)
Name and address of employer / Key responsibilities of post
Job title
Dates employed
From:
To:
Reason for leaving
Name and address of employer / Key responsibilities of post
Job title
Dates employed
From:
To:
Reason for leaving
Name and address of employer / Key responsibilities of post
Job title
Dates employed
From:
To:
Reason for leaving
4.Education and qualifications

Please list the details of your educational qualifications including further education and professional qualifications, giving dates and grades where known.

University, College or Examining Authority / Degrees obtained / Grade obtained
(if known) / Date obtained
5.Other training

Please list any other courses you have undertaken that you feel are relevant to the post for which you are applying.

6.Language skills

Please list your language abilities and designate your level of proficiency for each of them.

Language / Native / Fluent / Very good / Good / Basic
English
French
Spanish
7.References

Please provide details of three people, unrelated to you, who we may approach for a reference to assess your suitability for this post. The first should be your present or most recent employer; the second and third should be references who are able to perform the role for which you are applying.

FIRST REFERENCE
Name:
Organisation:
Position:
Telephone number:
Email:
Relationship to the applicant:
May we contact this reference,
After shortlisting?
After an offer?
SECOND REFERENCE
Name:
Organisation:
Position:
Telephone number:
Email:
Relationship to the applicant:
May we contact this reference,
After shortlisting?
After an offer?
THIRD REFERENCE
Name:
Organisation:
Position:
Telephone number:
Email:
Relationship to the applicant:
May we contact this reference,
After shortlisting?
After an offer?
8.Supporting statement

With reference to the job description for the post for which you are applying, please provide a statement of up to one A4 sheet in length in support of your suitability for the post and why you are applying. Please cite specific examples of your experience that demonstrate that you have particular skills and qualities required for the job.

9.Declaration
I certify that the information given in this form is true and correction to the best of my knowledge. I permit JRS Europe to check any information provided in this application.
Name
Date

[By: JRS Europe]

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