Jesuit Refugee Service Europe Advocacy Officer

Position Summary

The Advocacy Officer works to make sure that JRS Europe has an effective advocacy strategy for all issues of regional importance, strategy that puts forward the voices and concerns of refugees and the forcibly displaced. S/he comes with sound analytical skills and a creative mindset, and is in tune with JRS mission and way of working. The officer is able to engage with fellow team members in the European office as well as JRS national office teams in working towards a common vision. S/he comes with good networking skills and engages with all relevant stakeholders in the fields of civil society, politics and media. S/he is a compelling public speaker and succinct writer who can draw the attention to the plight of refugees.

Together with the Senior Advocacy Officer, with the Project Development Coordinator and the Regional Director, s/he ensures that the mission of JRS Europe to accompany, serve and defend persons seeking protection is implemented at regional level in the best possible way. S/he would regularly have to visit JRS national offices to assist them with the design of advocacy strategies as well as strategic planning.

About JRS Europe

The Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organisation. Its mission is to accompany, to serve and to advocate for refugees and forcibly displaced people. The JRS Europe team in Brussels shares this mission by engaging in policy and advocacy work, project management, fundraising, communications and coordination. The policy work focuses on forcibly displaced people who suffer from immigration detention, destitution and the externalisation of European border management and asylum. Communications work is today closely linked to the advocacy activities and includes the publication of materials for various audiences, media relations and the coordination of central messages with other JRS offices in Europe. The JRS Europe Regional Office has on-going working relationships with relevant EU institutions, UNHCR, and NGOs from a variety of backgrounds. The JRS Europe Regional Office coordinates activities of 13 JRS country offices. The Brussels-based team includes seven permanent staff and a few volunteers.

Location
Brussels, Belgium

Report to
Europe office regional director

Responsibilities
The Advocacy Officer reports to the Regional Director and belongs to the advocacy team. The following key responsibilities are foreseen:

Advocacy Work

• To advocate onselected issues of regional importance (e.g. immigration detention) 
• To maintain issue-based contacts with stakeholders and JRS national offices 
• To maintain and actively participate in NGO partnerships of strategic importance (e.g. International Detention Coalition) 
• To provide in-depth legal and policy analyses onselected issues 
• To write information briefs and policy statements 
• To organise and speak on behalf of JRS at advocacy events

Advocacy Networking

• To design advocacy strategies for regional issues, together with the JRS national offices 
• To take part in the coordination of the regional advocacy work among the JRS national offices (incl. the Advocacy Strategy Group) 
• To actively develop and maintain a broad network of relevant political and civil society stakeholders 
• To design and implement field research for advocacy purposes and to write the reports 
• To collaborate with JRS International on issues of global concern

Regional Coordination

• To collaborate with the Senior Advocacy Officer inside the advocacy strategy of the Regional Office and of the county offices 
• To collaborate with the Communications Officer inside the framework of JRS Europe communications strategy, and for linking advocacy and communications 
• To collaborate with the project development officers towards project design and implementation 
• To participate in all internal planning meetings 
• To contribute to diverse JRS regional meetings 
• To assist national offices in advocacy strategy development 
• To collaborate with JRS International on a coherent approach towards advocacy 

Qualifications

The post-holder will have the following essential experiences, skills, knowledge and abilities: 

• Permission to work in Belgium. JRS Europe is not in a position to obtain a work permit for any applicant 
• Sympathy with or experience of the JRS vision and a good understanding of the way of working and of the JRS values expressed in the JRS International Strategic Framework 
• Experience in the field of advocacy for refugees and forcibly displaced persons, and experience of networking 
• Ability to speak and write fluently and compellingly in English 
• Ability to develop creative solutions and inspire others 
• Good capacities of networker 
• Versatile and convincing public speaker in a variety of situations (interviews, conferences, meetings) for diverse audiences (policy-makers, professionals, religious, students, etc.) 
• Analytic and research experience 
• Capacity for organisational development and strategic planning 
• Ability to manage several tasks simultaneously in a busy office environment and to meet deadlines 
• Good organisational skills and ability to work in an intercultural environment 
• Sufficient knowledge about refugee policies and issues relevant to Europe 
• Good understanding of the functioning of the European Union institutions and regional bodies in Europe 
• Previous experience with working in a team

The following desirable experiences, skills, knowledge and abilities are an advantage:

• University studies in social or political science, social work or law 
• Field experience in working with refugees, migrants or vulnerable social groups 
• Working knowledge of additional European languages, especially French, but also Spanish 

Conditions

• This is a full-time position (38 hours per week). 
• We offer a 18-months contract, to be possibly transformed in a contract of undetermined duration. 
• The applicant must demonstrate that s/he has the permission to work in Belgium. 
• The applicant must be willing to travel occasionally within Europe. 
• The desired starting date is as soon as possible. 
• The salary offered for this position, based on the JRS Europe salary scale, is approximately € 2 400 gross per month. All conditions and additional benefits are according to Belgian legislation. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews are to be conducted at a date to be fixed between 16 and 19 February 2015. 
• The deadline for the receipt of applications is 17:30 CET, 30 January 2015. 
• To apply, please download the application pack at http://en.jrs.net/RecruitDetail?CID=153. Send the completed application pack by email to europe.admin@jrs.net. The application should be saved as an attachment in Microsoft Word. Please write "Application: [Your name]" in the subject line of your email. 
• We can only shortlist candidates on the basis of the information supplied in this application form. Please do not send a separate CV or cover letter. 

Contact information
Contact Oscar Spooner at europe.admin@jrs.net