European Forest Campaigner

Position description

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 (EU). We do this by coordinating 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 strive to make decisions by consensus. Details of our work areas and campaigns can be found at www.fern.org. We currently have 18 staff working from three offices, in Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France) and Moreton-in-Marsh (United Kingdom). We work with partner organisations across Europe, South-East Asia, Central and West Africa and South America.

We are looking for a European forest campaigner to be part of an exciting new long-term strategy to increase the transparency and governance of forests at the Member State and EU level and to help ensure EU climate and environment policies stimulate alternative economic models to increase social justice and the resilience of forests. The chosen candidate will work in a tight knit team working on interconnected strategies to improve the governance of European forests and reduce the pressures on them and the people that depend on them.

A. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

This role will help challenge carbon offsetting but also propose new policies to protect and restore European Forests. It will mainly focus on campaigning and movement building, working closely with partners in several forested European countries as well as Indigenous territories, exposing the power imbalances and unequal access to forest policy making. The chosen candidate will need to build alliances between alternative foresters and forest workers, and the forest movement and other social movements.

B. KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSOCIATED TASKS

Accountabilities

• Delivering, as part of a team, the long-term campaign strategy on carbon offsetting and European Forests;
• Proposing communications products and working with the communications team to design, deliver and disseminate them;
• Speaking at public events when requested by external organisations or organised by Fern;
• Building relationships with funders to ensure the campaign is fully funded (circa €150,000 per year). Also accountable for managing the campaign budget, as part of a team;
• Conducting and/or project managing research for publications;
• Proposing and writing stories for Fern’s monthly newsletter ForestWatch;
• Building and maintaining relationships with NGOs and facilitating civil society networks;
• Building and maintaining relationships with alternative foresters, academics and relevant professional bodies;
• Organising visits to relevant partner organisations;
• Working with internal and external contacts to organise events;
• Keeping abreast of political issues related to the campaign;
• Communicating complex policy issues in an accessible way;
• Following agreed internal policies.

Responsibilities

• Inputting into Fern’s long-term strategies and developing annual workplans together with other team members;
• Working with team members to ensure there is inter-campaign agreement;
• Facilitating common NGO understanding and positions;
• Inputting into quarterly workplans and chairing/facilitating meetings when relevant;
• After 6 months – joining an organisational development team and mentoring other staff;
• After 6 months – joining and inputting into management team meetings;
• Attending and inputting into organisational meetings.

Indicative starting salary & working conditions

From €3,832 to €5,039 (full time equivalent) per month – gross salary (depending on experience), plus lunch vouchers (€8 per working day), health insurance and a contribution to travel costs from home to office.

Fern offers full time staff five extra days holiday in addition to legal holiday, and up to four additional holidays between Christmas and the New Year. Staff also earn an additional day for every two years worked at Fern, up to a maximum of five days.

The position is based in Brussels, Belgium. This is a full-time role, but we will consider candidates who wish to work four days per week.

Fern is committed to advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that diverse voices and perspectives are essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age or disability.

Application instructions

Applications should be made in English and comprise:

1. A Curriculum Vitae;
2. A covering letter explaining why you are interested in this job, including what attracts you to Fern and what you could bring to Fern;
3. An assignment: Write a strategy to build a strong movement in support of a new EU forest policy that delivers environmental, social and climate benefits (no more than one page);
4. Two references that may be contacted after your first interview.

Deadline for applications: 5th of February 2023.

Send applications to: [email protected].

Applications without a properly prepared CV, assignment and covering letter will not be considered. Only selected candidates will be contacted.

Interview date will be 16 February 2023 in Brussels.

If you'd like to discuss the job, please contact: Kelsey Perlman, [email protected].