Position description
Job Description:
- Location: Brussels, Belgium (staff are required to come to the office at least once per week);
- Working hours: Full-time, but part-time (3 or 4 days per week) is also possible if desired by the candidate. Fern offers a flexible working environment where possible;
- Salary and benefits: €4,231 to €5,563 (full-time equivalent) per month gross salary (depending on experience), plus lunch vouchers (€8 per working day), health insurance (after the initial 6-month contract), and a contribution to travel costs from home to office.
Fern offers full time staff five extra days holiday in addition to legal holidays, 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;
- Contract type: 6-month contract at first, going into a permanent contract if the first phase is successful.
About Fern
Fern is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working to ensure European policies protect forests and the rights of forest-dependent peoples. We do this by coordinating networks and working with partners across Europe, South-East Asia, Central and West Africa and South America.
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 it is necessary to both highlight problems and present ways forward. We are committed to tackling power injustices and supporting people to improve the wording and implementation of policies that affect them.
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 21 staff working from three offices, in Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France) and Moreton-in-Marsh (United Kingdom).
Purpose of the Role
We are recruiting a Sustainable Diets campaigner to lead our work on ensuring European diets do not drive the destruction of forests and forest peoples’ rights. Your aim will be for the EU to develop policies that ensure interested consumers can access more nutritionally-balanced plant-based foods. This will involve some direct policy advocacy towards EU institutions; even more important is the work to build policy-oriented alliances with other actors such as health experts and institutions, Indigenous Peoples’ associations, companies and agricultural associations. You will facilitate existing coalitions with health, consumer and environmental NGOs, guiding them to reach common positions and prioritisations. You will work with Fern’s communications team to design and implement strategic products. Thanks to Fern’s flat structure, you will have a lot of freedom over the long term to develop the campaign in the direction you think is most strategic for achieving the campaign aim, whilst staying in line with Fern’s mission, values, and commitment to social & economic justice. You will be working on this campaign together with one other part-time campaigner.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop & implement campaign strategy for Fern’s work on sustainable diets;
- Ensure Fern’s sustainable diets work reflects Fern’s values including a commitment to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. Collaborate with partners, stakeholders, and community members to ensure diverse perspectives are included in the campaign strategy;
- Build and maintain relationships with a broad network of policy-makers, NGOs and think-tanks, public health institutions, Indigenous Peoples’ associations, companies and agricultural associations;
- Facilitate two NGO coalitions with health, environmental and consumer groups, supporting them to reach common positions and strategy, and to conduct advocacy towards the EU together;
- Represent Fern at public events and stakeholder meetings, including public speakinh;
- Produce impactful publications, either via research done oneself or commissioned from external experts. Project managing any work done by external consultants;
- Organise events;
- Conduct advocacy towards European policy-makers;
- Maintain relationships with journalists in the sector & ensure media coverage that supports our campaign aims;
- Monitor developments on food and agriculture policy at the EU and national level;
- Contribute to fundraising and building relationships with funders to ensure the campaign is fully funded (circa €150,000 per year), and raise further funds for health groups;
- Actively contribute to the co-management of Fern, as we are a non-hierarchical organization;
- Work closely with colleagues across different teams, sharing knowledge and expertise to promote an inclusive work environment;
- Input to Fern’s other long-term strategies and developing annual workplans together with other team members;
- Manage the campaign budget, with Fern’s finance team;
- Travel within Europe (mostly to neighbouring countries to Belgium) will be necessary around 3-4 times per year, to attend crucial meetings.
Person Specification
We do not expect candidates to fulfil all of these requirements, but it would be preferable that a majority of these skills are fulfilled.
Required Skills: (equivalent experiences will be considered)
- At least 3 years of experience working in a relevant field (not counting studies);
- Ability to think strategically, choosing carefully out of many possible avenues which is most likely to have impact;
- Networking and maintaining relationships with a very wide range of different stakeholders;
- Experience in advocacy;
- Originality and creativity – ability to think outside the box to propose new tactics that can cut through;
- Communication: writing, public speaking, listening, resolving conflicts, expressing needs constructively, building consensus -- both with external coalitions of actors and also internally with colleagues;
- Facilitating meetings involving a broad range of views, interest groups and cultural approaches;
- Working independently and proactively, without supervision;
- Excellent organisational (especially the ability to prioritise activities) skills;
- A good understanding of or a willingness to learn about the functioning of EU institutions;
- Enthusiasm and energy to take on a new challenge;
- Fluency in English;
- Eligibility to work in Belgium (Please note that Fern is only able to employ those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in Belgium).
Desirable Skills: (equivalent experiences will be considered)
- Knowledge of European agriculture, public health policy, EU policy-making, forests, forest peoples’ rights;
- Working proficiency in Portuguese and/or Spanish;
- Fundraising;
- Experience working in tropical forest countries.
What Fern Offers
- A supportive work environment;
- Opportunities for professional development and training;
- Flexible working arrangements;
- Freedom to develop the campaign in the direction you think is strategic, staying in line with Fern’s mission and values.
Application instructions
To apply, please submit the following:
- Your CV;
- A cover letter that includes:
- your motivation for applying;
- how you meet the person specifications;
- examples of previous impact of strategies you have implemented;
- your vision for Fern’s work on sustainable diets.
Applications should be sent by email to [email protected] with the subject line “Sustainable Diets Campaigner”.
Selection process
- Deadline for applications: 15 February 2026 at 23:59 CET;
- First Round Interviews will be 11 March in Brussels;
- Second Round Interviews will be 18 March in Brussels.
Travel costs to both interviews will be reimbursed.
Please note that the interviewing process takes an entire day- accommodation could be provided where possible.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Fern values a diverse work force and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. If you have any reasonable adjustments you need Fern to take into consideration for either the application or the interview process, please get in touch with Aislin Ryan, [email protected].
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