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 Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer, as part of BirdLife Europe’s policy team will help ensure that EU marine and fisheries policies are designed and implemented in a way that promote biodiversity conservation. 

He/she will support and coordinate BirdLife Partnership’s work on these policy areas and represent and promote BirdLife’s views to the EU Institutions, and also help design and deliver successful campaigns aiming to achieve the policy priorities of the BirdLife Europe’s marine strategy

        3  TASKS

1.     Follow legislative and policy developments in the field of EU Fisheries Policy, and ensure it is in line with biodiversity conservation objectives; in particular Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, European Marine and Fisheries Fund, Technical Measures Framework, and Data Collection Regulation, by

a)     Being the main Brussels based BirdLife advocate on fisheries policy and marine policy
b)    Assisting, in collaboration with the European Marine Coordinator, the BirdLife’s Marine Task Force, which    brings together experts from throughout the European Partnership, including by providing technical support (organisation of meeting, taking minutes, maintaining Task Force archive, relevant web-pages etc)
c)     Providing policy support to BirdLife Partners, in close collaboration with the European Marine Coordinator to implement successfully the BirdLife European Marine Strategy and Action Plan
d)    Providing general and specific support to BirdLife Partners regarding fisheries management in Natura 2000 sites and on policies related to bycatch.

2.  Ensure sound implementation of the EU seabird action plan on reducing incidental catches of seabirds in fishing gears, by monitoring its implementation and interacting with the European Commission to promote its own action and enforcement. 

3. Provide a watching brief in developments in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive apotential Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and support policy leads from the BirdLife network in these areas.

4.    Help provide detailed briefs and papers for decision-makers. Provide detailed briefs and updates on relevant policy areas for the Partners (particularly for the Marine Task Force).

        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, 2 = 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 or download the entire form here.

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.

        5     How to apply

Please submit the qualification scorecard, a full CV and a comprehensive cover letter (both 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: 18 March 2012 at midnight. Please consider that applications received after the closing date will be automatically discarded.

6     Short lising 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. 

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

Interview day: 30 March 2012, in Brussels