Head of Communications

Position description

Zero Waste Europe is looking for a highly motivated and experienced Head of Communications to lead the organisation’s communications vision and strategy, and contribute to our fundraising efforts. The role also includes leading and supporting a creative and enthusiastic Communications Team (currently 3 Communication Officers), guiding day-to-day communications activities, and ensuring strategic coherence across all internal and external communications.

You will work closely with other senior staff as part of the Coordination and Management Team (CMT), and will report to the Executive Director.

ABOUT YOU

You are a strategic and collaborative communications leader with a strong sense of purpose and impact. You are able to translate complex topics into compelling narratives and communication approaches that resonate with diverse audiences.

You thrive in collaborative and co-creative environments and enjoy working across teams to strengthen the visibility and impact of Zero Waste Europe’s work. You are skilled at building alignment around communications priorities; fostering a supportive and growth-oriented team culture; and navigating complexity and fast-evolving environments with sound judgement and adaptability.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and strategy:

• Lead the communications vision and strategy for ZWE, including its implementation and evolution in line with the ZWE Strategic Framework 2025-2030;
• Provide strategic communications direction on organisational positioning, advocacy priorities, external narratives, and emerging communications trends relevant to the sector;
• Develop compelling narratives and audience-focused messaging that help broaden the reach and impact of ZWE’s work beyond traditional policy audiences;
• Contribute to fundraising activities and donor engagement efforts, including proposal development and communications-related fundraising activities;
• Provide strategic communications advice and capacity-building support to colleagues across the organisation, including senior leadership and programme teams;
• Co-lead the approach to crisis communications together with the Executive Director and relevant colleagues.

Team management:

• Line-manage the Communications Team (currently 3 Communications Officers), fostering collaboration, strategic thinking, innovation, and professional growth;
• Ensure effective team coordination, prioritisation, and ways of working across communications activities and cross-organisational projects.

Communication oversight:

• Lead the effective delivery and strategic coherence of the organisation’s communications activities, channels, and outputs;
• Ensure editorial quality, consistency, and alignment across campaigns, publications, media engagement, digital communications, and public-facing communications, including articles, opinion pieces, and press releases;
• Oversee communications planning and support for major publications, campaigns, events, launches, and advocacy moments;
• Oversee communications monitoring, audience engagement, and impact assessment activities;
• Manage strategic relationships with external communications and audiovisual suppliers and oversee key communications platforms and publications, including ZWE websites and the Annual Report.

Strategic projects and external engagement:

• Lead the delivery of key strategic communication projects and initiatives, including the setup of a ZWE Digital Asset Management (DAM)/Multimedia Library; the Communications Management of the Interpool project; and narrative-building moments for key ZWE topics;
• Represent Zero Waste Europe externally, when relevant, in media engagements, public events, and strategic communications discussions;
• Provide high-level communications advice and support to Mission Zero Academy;
• Serve as the European point of contact within the GAIA Communications group, contributing to cross-regional/global communication activities and joint campaigns.

This is a non-exclusive list, and more tasks may be required as the organisation evolves and the selected candidate grows in their role.

Qualifications

• Relevant master's degree or equivalent experience;
• At least 8 years of experience in communications, public relations, journalism or a related field; and experience in communications leadership roles, ideally including line management duties;
• Experience balancing policy/advocacy communication with membership-based communication is a strong asset;
• Strong experience in strategic communications, storytelling, narrative-building, and hope-based communications;
• A strong understanding of campaigning and creative communications approaches to influence political processes and decision makers;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and project management skills, with the ability to bring people along with the strategy set forward;
• Strategic and autonomous mindset, with the ability to drive change, set priorities, and challenge existing ways of working;
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Slack, Zoho, Canva, and similar collaboration tools; Adobe Suite skills are an asset;
• Excellent written and spoken skills in English; other European languages are a plus;
• Experience managing budgets and leading communications for EU-funded projects involving partner consortia;
• A broad understanding of EU and international environmental policies, and a strong appetite for political influence and advocacy. Familiarity with the EU decision‑making process would be an asset;
• Flexibility and ability to react quickly to evolving political developments;
• A strong understanding of campaigning and how to use communications to influence political processes and decision makers;
• A genuine interest in and passion for Zero Waste Europe’s mission, values, and areas of focus;
• A member‑ and movement‑minded approach, with the ability to reflect and represent the diversity of a grassroots network;
• Comfort working in a multicultural environment, with flexibility to collaborate across different time zones when needed.

Application instructions

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