(Senior) Climate Policy Manager

Achieving net-zero emissions before mid-century requires every aspect of our lives to become climate neutral. Located in Europe’s primary industrial cluster, the Netherlands and Belgium have an important exemplary role when it comes to industrial decarbonisation and transformation. Together with the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, this industrial conglomeration must be tackled in a coherent manner to seize the unique chance to build a competitive climate neutral industry.

As an organization, Bellona Europa has always been at the forefront of environmental innovation and industrial decarbonisation. Being a group of evidence-based environmentalists, our goal is to implement new, more sustainable actions effectively reducing CO2 emissions today. We advocate for pragmatic approaches that deliver the greatest impact, today and tomorrow. As a watchdog against greenwashing, unafraid to address contentious issues, we also endeavour to cooperate with all stakeholders interested in immediate climate action.

From our Oslo and Brussels offices, we have been advocating for transformative climate action in industry for decades.

We are looking for a motivated, experienced and communicative professional in climate policy and sustainability to expand Bellona’s operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and North Rhine-Westphalia (the so-called ARRRA cluster – Antwerp, Rotterdam, Rhine, Ruhr Area) with a strong focus on the Netherlands and Flanders. Given the centrality of the Belgian-Dutch industrial cluster for Europe’s industrial transformation, we have expanded our work in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a focus on stakeholder engagement and advocacy at a national and regional level.

The ideal candidate will have:

• At least 4-5 years relevant experience in (national, regional or EU) policy, advocacy, climate technologies, industrial decarbonisation. (More junior candidates are nevertheless encouraged to apply)
• Good knowledge of public affairs and the political landscape in Belgium and/or the Netherlands. Knowledge about Germany and NRW in particular is a plus.
• Experience in analysing national-level climate and environmental policy, ideally regulations related to industry.
• Project management and budget management experience, with strong networking and communication skills, and an interest to work in an inter-cultural environment.
• Fluency (native or C level) in Dutch and English. Knowledge of French and/or German is a plus. (Native or C level French and English, with knowledge of Dutch and/or German as a plus are also encouraged to apply, provided they are junior level)
• Eligibility to work and reside in Belgium as the position is based in Brussels.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally.

There is no specific degree requirement. As the work is highly interdisciplinary, the best candidate could hold a degree in political science, business, engineering, natural sciences, or law. The candidate could have a proven record of deep diving in relevant technical issues, while effectively dealing with regulatory, political and business issues.

Key responsibilities:

• Further shape and implement Bellona’s objective to promote and accelerate industrial decarbonisation with a strong focus on CCS in the ARRRA-cluster, in particular in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• Manage day-to-day policy and stakeholder engagement on industrial decarbonisation and CCS with a strong focus on  the Netherlands and Belgium.
• Contribute to growing support for CCS within the industrial decarbonisation debate within civil society organisations with a strong focus on the Netherlands and Belgium.
• Manage the day-to-day of Bellona’s engagements in the Netherlands, Belgium and North Rhine-Westphalia, while coordinating with both the EU policy team and the Bellona Deutschland team.
• Support the Bellona Deutschland team in developing and executing action plans to have an impact on the upcoming climate policy processes from the perspective of cross-border issues.
• Support the EU policy team in developing positions to have an impact on climate policy processes at EU level from the perspective of the Dutch-Belgian-North Rhine-Westphalian industrial region.

• Track, analyse and evaluate relevant climate and industrial policy developments with a strong focus on the Netherlands and Belgium, and shape Bellona’s position accordingly.
• Help expand Bellona’s network and profile in the Netherlands and Belgium in particular, by building strong relationships with press, politicians, government officials, company representatives and other relevant stakeholders.

We offer a full-time position based in Brussels with a competitive NGO salary on an initial one-year contract with the expectation of extension, starting as soon as possible. Bellona promotes a multicultural, flexible, inclusive and collaborative work environment.

How to apply? Please send us your application in one PDF document including both your cover letter (1 page max) and your CV (2 pages max). Your PDF file should be named as follows: familyname_name.pdf. Please send your application by email to our HR mailbox hr@bellona.org for the attention of Mr Jonas Helseth, Bellona Europa Director, indicating ‘Bellona NL-BE-NRW application’ in the subject line, by 18 October 2022 at 18h00 CET at the latest. Kindly indicate where you found our vacancy.

Who we are: Bellona Europa is an independent, non-profit organisation that meets environmental and climate challenges head on. We are solutions-oriented and have a comprehensive and cross-sectoral approach to assess the economics, climate impacts and technical feasibility of necessary climate actions. To do this, we work with civil society, academia, governments, institutions, and industries.