Fern is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) created in 1995. Our mission is to achieve greater environmental and social justice, focusing on forests and forest peoples’ rights in the policies and practices of the European Union. We do this by co-ordinating NGO networks and by working with partners to achieve change.

We believe that to be effective it is essential to understand and address the social dimension of environmental conflicts; that strong coalitions are more likely to achieve lasting change; and that presenting ways forward is more effective than highlighting problems. We are committed to tackling gender injustice and supporting women’s rights.

We have no director and make decisions by consensus.

We currently have 18 staff working from two offices, in Brussels (Belgium) and Moreton in Marsh (UK).

Forests and climate is one of Fern’s four campaign areas (the others are, forests and development aid, forests and trade and forests and consumption). 2019 will be a particularly important year for the forests and climate work area as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release a Special Report on Land, and the EU will draw up its mid-century decarbonisation strategy and review its Common Agricultural Policy. Fern will also continue to work at the Brussels and Member State level to restrict use of forest biomass for large scale energy production.

Details of our campaigns can be found at www.fern.org.

A.      Key areas of responsibility:

1. Campaign tasks:

• Researching, developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating campaign strategies
• Monitoring developments on Forest and climate issues at the Member State, EU, and international level
• Joining important public events and stakeholder meetings on related (policy) issues
• Facilitating and/or participating in Brussels, European and international NGO networks active on bioenergy and climate issues
• Building and maintaining relationships with NGOs, relevant scientists and key policy makers
• Conducting and/or commissioning research
• Writing publications or managing consultancy contracts to ensure publications are delivered
• Ensuring Fern’s climate work reflects Fern’s values including a commitment to gender justice. 

1. Communication tasks

• Seeking and maintaining useful press contacts
• Analysing complex policy debates and developing communication materials to explain them in an accessible way
• Working with Fern’s communications team to develop and deliver communication and press strategies
• Writing regular campaign updates and articles for, among others, Fern’s newsletter EU Forest Watch (10 issues per year).

1. Other:

• Reporting on meetings and producing work plans
• Managing the campaign budget in close co-operation with Fern’s financial officer, campaigns coordinator and Fern’s other forest and climate campaigners
• Reporting to donors
• Helping fundraise for the successful continuation of Fern campaigns, as well as managing high-level donor contacts
• Internal management tasks. These may involve mentoring, fundraising, internal communications, gender, external communications, or finance.

B. Requirements:

The ideal candidate will have a campaigning background and the ability to turn complex policy jargon into clear narratives. He/she will be an excellent team worker with a strong degree of autonomy, able to work with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, show initiative, and deliver accurate communications under pressure.

Essential

• Affinity with Fern’s mission
• Interest in issues related to the climate and environment
• A good understanding of the EU, its institutions and decision-making processes
• Knowledge of (EU) climate and energy policies
• Experience in NGO advocacy and campaigning
• Ability to establish networks
• Understanding and experience of gender justice and social inclusion in the context of forest campaigns and policy
• Able to write and edit clear, creative, publishable material
• Fluency in English and ideally, another European language (especially French, German, Finnish, Swedish)
• Good organisational skills - able to prioritise and manage workload 
• Able to work in a team, but also with a strong degree of autonomy
• Travel: As Fern is an international organisation with offices in two countries and activities in numerous countries, some travel will be necessary to attend meetings.
• Flexibility: Fern is a small campaigning organisation, and some flexibility will be required in working hours, for example in the case of preparing urgent funding proposals, budgets etc.

About the position

This is a full-time position on a fixed contract. It will be based in Brussels, and the ideal candidate will start in October at the latest.

Indicative starting salary & working conditions

From €42,114 to €52,095 gross salary, plus lunch vouchers (6€ per working day) and a contribution to travel costs from home to office.

D. How to apply

Applications should be made in English and comprise:

          I.            a CV

        II.            a covering letter explaining why you are interested in this job, including what attracts you to Fern and what you could bring to Fern.

      III.            a short written opinion piece (less than a page), including a headline, explaining what the EU’s vision should be for forests and climate in the context of the EU’s decarbonisation strategy.

Applications without a properly prepared covering letter will not be considered. Only selected candidates will be contacted in the w/c 16^th July.

Deadline for applications: 12:00 13^th July 2018

Send applications to: julie@fern.org

If you'd like to discuss the job, contact Hannah Mowat, hannah@fern.org  (+32 2 894 4690)

Fern values a diverse work force and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.