IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

 

BirdLife Europe, in Brussels, is looking for:

EU Nature Policy Officer

1           INTRODUCTION

BirdLife Europe is the European Division of BirdLife International, and is one of the six BirdLife regional offices around the world. It is composed of an international team of permanent staff working on conservation, capacity building, policy, management, finance, fundraising, advocacy, science, communication, marketing and administration. Stichting BirdLife Europe supports the European and Central Asia Partnership of BirdLife International, which consists of 45 independent, grassroots Civil Society Organisations, governed by a democratic programme.

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of autonomous, national non-governmental conservation organisations, with a large grassroots membership, in 117 countries and territories. BirdLife works together as a Partnership to conserve wild birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, by working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. BirdLife is the global authority on the status of bird species, has unparalleled technical expertise in bird and biodiversity assessment, and provides a global outreach through its national Partners and decentralised Secretariat. 

2           OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB

The EU Nature Policy Officer, as part of BirdLife Europe’s policy team will help ensure that EU policies are designed and implemented in a way that promotes biodiversity conservation. He/she will support and coordinate BirdLife Partnership’s work on EU Nature Policy, notably the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Natura 2000 network, help formulate positions and represent and promote BirdLife’s views to the EU Institutions. He/she will also help design and deliver successful campaigns, projects and publications aiming to achieve BirdLife’s policy priorities.

3           DUTIES

1. To keep abreast of EU legislative and policy developments primarily related to the Birds and Habitats Directives/Natura 2000 and other fields as appropriate. To promote the correct implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives across EU and Candidate Countries in particular through
   1. Being the main Brussels based BirdLife advocate on EU nature and biodiversity policy;
   2. Providing policy support to BirdLife (national) Partners, including by being the main reference for and by providing support to the Birds and Habitats Directive Task Force in close collaboration with the Task Force Coordinator, and in line with the agreed work priorities of the Task Force;
   3. Providing technical support to the Birds and Habitats Directives Task Force (organisation of meetings, taking minutes, maintaining Task Force archive, relevant web-pages etc.)
   4. Providing general and specific support to BirdLife Partners regarding the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, in particular Natura 2000 and provisions on species conservation/hunting (e.g. through briefs and papers, and through phone and e-mail communication as well as visits).
   5. Identify the key political and legislative risks and opportunities to advance the EU’s nature and biodiversity policy and support BL Europe's prioritisation of advocacy action in relation to EU Nature legislation.
   6. Providing general and specific case work support to BirdLife Partners regarding infringements of the Birds and Habitats Directives;
2. To help generating, formulating, adopting and advocating to EU level decision makers BirdLife positions related to the EU 2020 biodiversity strategy, mainly on policy issues regarding subtargets 1 (species and habitats) and 2 (ecosystems) of the Strategy.
3. To assist in developing constructive working relationships with key influential bodies, especially the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as relevant NGOs and stakeholders, and to win their support for our priorities, positions and programmes individually and collectively.
4. To represent BirdLife Europe at technical EU committees, working groups, and at the European Habitats Forum etc. in relation with areas described in Overall Purpose of Job.
5. To co-operate with all BirdLife Europe staff, in particular with the Head of EU Policy, the other members of the EU Policy Team and the Regional Director, as well as with the Coordinator and the members of the Birds and Habitats Directives Task Force and to fully involve them in relevant discussions to facilitate and promote BirdLife’s positions;
6. To help provide detailed briefs and papers for decision-makers, along with the other staff in the office. To provide detailed briefs and updates on relevant policy areas for the Partners (particularly for the Birds and Habitats Directives Task Force).
7. To help identify opportunities for funding, in collaboration with specialist fundraisers, (other) European Division staff and Partners. Contribute to reporting to donors as necessary.
8. To contribute to the publications of BirdLife Europe.
9. To represent the BirdLife Europe at external meetings and conferences as necessary.
10. To contribute as appropriate to the work and general policy of BirdLife Europe and the European BirdLife Partnership.
11. To respond to inquiries as necessary from within and outside the Partnership.

4           QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

PLEASE, READ THIS CAREFULLY: Before submitting your application take time to score your qualifications for this job. Remember to be honest, this is the best way to increase your chances to get the job. You need to score each required qualification from 0 to 3: 0 = I do not have this qualification, 1 = basic, 2 = good, 3 = very good).  Then sum up the scores to obtain the total.

Before submitting your application, please answer to the following questions and you will know whether you are qualified enough to apply to this job:

 

Question	Answer
Do you score only 2 or 3 in qualifications from 1 to 16 (one 1 score is acceptable)?	NO: you are not qualified enough to apply to this job YES: please pass to the following question
Is your total score more than 70?	NO: you are not qualified enough to apply to this job YES: you can apply for this job

If you are qualified to submit your application, please attach the next table with your scores to the cover letter. Please consider that any application sent without individual and total scores or with any 0 or 1 in qualifications from 1 to 16 or with a total score of less than 70 will be automatically discarded.

 

Essential Qualifications  (Score: 0 = I do not have this qualification, 1 = basic, 2 = good, 3 = very good)		Score
1	Good general education – University Degree and/or relevant experience in relevant subject: Biological Sciences, nature conservation, international relations, political science, environmental law
Experience & Knowledge
2	Good general knowledge and authoritative manner about biodiversity conservation.
3	Good knowledge of conservation and policy issues related to the implementation of the Natura 2000 network (designation, protection, management, financing), the EU legal framework around hunting of birds, the legal framework for the protection and recovery of bird species, compliance with and enforcement of the Birds and Habitats Directives
4	Good knowledge of EU Birds and Habitats Directives and of EU biodiversity policy
5	Good understanding of the working of the EU institutions
6	At least 2 years work experience in relevant areas
7
8	Knowledge about BirdLife work on implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and of the work of BirdLife Partners in the EU
Skills & Abilities
9	Excellent written skills with the ability to produce policy briefs and reports
10	Excellent communication and presentation skills required to build relationships with decision makers and stakeholders
11	Good interpersonal, networking and team working skills
12	High standard of computer literacy (Excel, Word, Power Point and Outlook and the Internet)
13	Ability to plan ahead and work within agreed timeframes
14	Ability to work in a multicultural environment and grasp problems related to different situations across Europe
15	Fluent in English
16	Additional languages are an asset
Approach to work
17	Accuracy and precision
18	Demonstrable ability to create and follow work plans and priorities with a high degree of autonomy
19	Flexibility and adaptability (multiple assignments, working under pressure, responsiveness to requests, follow-up of decisions)
20	Openness: capacity to integrate new ideas and approaches
21	Ability and willingness to travel for work
22	Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends as required
Personal disposition
23	Commitment to nature conservation
24	Strong self-motivation and curiosity
25	Problem solving attitude and capacity to resolve potential conflicts.
26	Assertiveness and confidence
27	Creativity both in thinking and in executing tasks
	TOTAL

 

5           SALARY

The gross salary is between 3000 and 3300 EUR per month (over 13 months), under a Belgian employment contract.

 

6           TEST TO BE JOINED TO ME MOTIVATION LETTER

In your own words, please provide brief responses to the following two questions. You should not exceed 2 sides of A4 in responding to all the questions.

The purpose of these questions is to help gauge the candidates’ knowledge of the policy issues and to get a sense of a candidates communications skills

 

1)     Describe briefly the main problems with regard to the enforcement of protection of Natura 2000 sites?

 

2)     What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the Birds and Habitats Directives as the EU’s main biodiversity conservation tools?

 

7           HOW TO APPLY

Please submit the qualification scorecard, a full CV, a comprehensive cover letter and the written test (all in English) setting out your reasons for applying for the post and outlining the qualifications experience knowledge and skills that you feel you can bring to the role to: europe@birdlife.org

Closing date: 23^rd June 2013 at midnight CET. Please consider that applications received after the closing date will be automatically discarded.

 

8           SHORT LISTING AND INTERVIEWS

Short listing is based on CV and cover letter. Successful candidates will be asked to attend face to face interviews and perform an additional test. Travel support or possibility of remote interview may be offered to candidates from abroad.

Please note that due to the large number of expected applications, only successful candidates will be contacted.

Interview days: 9^th of July 2013 (9am – 5pm), in Brussels