Project and Partnerships Officer

Position description

€ 2400 - € 2800 per month gross

The Projects and Partnerships Officer will be responsible for developing, managing and expanding Rural Youth Europe's project portfolio and strategic partnerships. The role will focus on identifying funding opportunities, building relationships with partners and donors, developing project proposals, and coordinating European projects with a particular focus on agriculture, rural development, innovation, sustainability, and rural youth participation. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening RYE's engagement with foundations, research organisations, agricultural stakeholders and rural development actors. A particular focus will be placed on the development of Horizon Europe and foundation-funded projects.

The Project and Partnerships Officer reports to the Secretary General of Rural Youth Europe. The position is based in the Brussels office of Rural Youth Europe, with the possibility of occasional remote working and includes occasional travel outside of Belgium.

What is Rural Youth Europe?

Rural Youth Europe (RYE) is a European non-governmental umbrella organisation, whose aim is to unite rural youth organisations across Europe to promote rural development and youth participation. It is an umbrella for rural youth organisationsworking to promote and activate young people in rural areas. Today, 23 member organisations from 20 nations and more than 500,000 young people are part of Rural Youth Europe. RYE works to enhance the lives of rural young people by providingintercultural learning opportunities through mobility, volunteering and youth work, while also advocating for rural youth issues. It has an elected board of seven rural youth leaders from around Europe, and a European secretariat with its head office in Brussels.

Responsibilities and tasks

• Develop and coordinate European and international projects from concept design to implementation, reporting, and follow-up;
• Identify and monitor funding opportunities from programmes including Horizon Europe, foundations and other public and private funding sources;
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with research institutions, universities, agricultural organisations, foundations, public authorities, and other stakeholders;
• Coordinate the preparation of project proposals, concept notes and funding applications together with partners, member organisations, volunteers, and the secretariat;
• Lead partnership-building activities, consortium development, and stakeholder engagement for new projects;
• Coordinate project activities, meetings, trainings, and events, both online and in person;
• Monitor project budgets and ensure compliance with contractual and donor requirements, with the support of the Secretary General;
• Represent Rural Youth Europe at meetings, conferences and networking events at European level;
• Contribute to the preparation of publications, reports, studies, policy papers, and other project outputs;
• Support the dissemination and visibility of projects and their results;
• Undertake other day-to-day tasks within the organisation depending on organisational needs.

Qualifications

We are looking for a motivated individual who has:

• Experience in European project development, project management, and reporting;
• Experience in developing funding applications and coordinating partnerships;
• Knowledge of European funding programmes, particularly Horizon Europe, as well as private funding sources, particularly foundations;
• Ideally educational background and/or professional/volunteering experience in agriculture, agri-food systems, rural development, environmental sciences, natural resources, agricultural economics, or related fields;
• Strong interest in rural communities, agriculture, food systems, sustainability, and innovation;
• Experience in stakeholder engagement, networking, and relationship building;
• Very good knowledge of English, both written and spoken;
• Computer literacy, including Microsoft 365 and online collaboration tools;
• Flexibility and willingness to travel and work occasionally during weekends and evenings;
• Strong communication skills and a proactive, solution-oriented approach to work;
• Ability to work under pressure, independently and responsibly, with good organisational skills;
• Willingness to support and work with a team of volunteers and other employees.

The ideal candidate shall:

• Be passionate about rural youth, agriculture, and rural development;
• Have excellent organisational and project management skills;
• Be comfortable building relationships with funders, foundations, project partners and external stakeholders;
• Have a proactive and entrepreneurial mindset;
• Be able to identify opportunities and transform them into concrete projects and partnerships;
• Be committed to intercultural cooperation and youth participation;
• Be able to work independently while contributing positively to a small international team;
• Have an interest in innovation, sustainability, and the future of rural areas in Europe.

What we offer

• A fixed term full-time contract (38 hours per week) under Belgian law, to start in October 2026 for a fixed term of 1-2 years, with the possibility of extension;
• A starting gross salary ranging between 2400 and 2800 EUR (subject to experience). It can include additional benefits (such as meal vouchers, public transportation costs, frais forfaitaires). The exact package is to be agreed with the selected candidate;
• 20 days of holidays plus additional days when the office is closed between Christmas and New Year for approximately two weeks;
• Days in lieu of working outside of regular working days;
• An amount of annual training days per year, and other developmental and travelling opportunities in the framework of work;
• Working with a dynamic and diverse team of secretariat and board members, member and partner organisations and their dedication to rural youth issues;
• An open, positive, international and flexible working environment with the possibility of working remotely, in accordance with the policies of the organisation.

Application instructions

Applicants are asked to send a CV and motivation letter by 9^th of August 2026, 23:59 CEST to .

The candidate should have the right to work and live in Belgium and should be able to be in Brussels by the starting date of the contract.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held during the last week of August 2026 (24-28 August 2026) or the first week of September 2026 (31 August-4 September 2026). Successful candidates may be invited to carry out a relevant task before their interview.

Rural Youth Europe reserves the right to extend the application deadline or not to appoint any candidate if no suitable applicant is identified.

For any questions, you may approach the RYE Secretary General, Spyros Papadatos, at [email protected] (only for questions; all applications should be sent only to the email indicated before).

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