EUROPEAN VOLUNTEER CENTRE – CEV is looking for a Policy and Project Officer

Job description
The European Volunteer Centre (CEV) is a network of over 80 national, regional and local volunteer centres and volunteer support agencies across Europe, reaching out to some 17.000 organisations at a local level. Together we work to support and promote voluntary activity all over Europe. CEV channels the collective priorities and concerns of its member organisations to the institutions of the European Union. It also acts as a central forum for the exchange of policy, practice and information on volunteering. It supports networking among its members and organises conferences, seminars, workshops and collaborates with many other volunteer networks at the European level in the context of the implementation of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

Terms and Conditions:
- Starting date: 15 February 2011
- Indefinite contract with probation period;
- Gross salary minimum 2,100 EUR (based on experience);
- Additional lunch vouchers, local travel and training allowances;

Main tasks:
- Monitoring EU policy in all volunteer-related fields such as active European citizenship, social inclusion, integration, Lifelong Learning, Corporate Social Responsibility, intercultural dialogue, economic value of volunteering, youth, active ageing.
- Coordinating CEV members’ input to policy developments at EU level and in drafting policy input in the above mentioned fields, notably in the context of the European Year of Volunteering 2011
- Present the organization and its policies to internal and external stakeholders, mainly decision makers at EU and, in some cases, national levels
- Assist in partnership building with external stakeholders from the EU institutions, business and NGO actors as well as the Council of Europe
- Contribute to further develop CEV’s policy work and agenda setting for EU policy, notably in the context of the European Year of Volunteering 2011
- Monitoring EU funding opportunities for CEV and its members and instigating project collaborations amongst members
- Delivering on current CEV projects
- Assisting with CEV policy publications such as the publication on the role of volunteering infrastructure
- Assisting in organizing CEV events such as the General Assembly Conference and seminars

The overall division of tasks is estimated at 75% policy work and 25% project work.

Skills profile

The evaluation of the officer will also focus on the following skills required for the position:
- Thorough knowledge of the decision-making process and the institutions of the European Union
- Interest in and familiarity with policy work and the policy landscape in the above mentioned fields; work experience in this area will be a strong asset
- Passion for volunteering and, ideally, first hand experience within volunteer networks at different levels and with organizations of the CEV network
- Strong communication skills and proven experience in dealing with a variety of stakeholders
- Excellent written and spoken English language skills; working knowledge of French and the knowledge of any other European language are considered an asset
- Ability to organise his or her own workload and to work in a small and expanding Brussels-based office and a high degree of self-initiative; he or she will be a reliable team player.
- Computer literacy with an interest in web-site development and in working in an e-based environment
- Sensitivity to and experience of working in an intercultural environment.

Applications

Persons interested in the position should send their complete applications no later than Monday, January 24, 8.00 am Brussels time, to communication@cev.be

A complete application will comprise of:
- a CV;
- a motivation letter, explaining the candidate’s interest in the position and highlighting particular experiences in the required fields;
- a two-page outline of the candidate’s vision on “The future of volunteering in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities”.
- The names and contact details of at least two referees.

Please note that only complete applications will be considered and only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applications for the position should bear the reference: “Policy and Project Officer CEV vacancy”.

Interviews of short-listed candidates will take place in the week of February 7 – 11, 2011 at the CEV office in Brussels.

Please note: The appointment will be made subject to positive references.

Please find the full position description here: http://www.cev.be/data/File/Policy_and_Project_Offer_Job_Description_01_2011_final.pdf