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
Responsibilities
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.
Applications should be made in English and comprise:
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].