Senior Associate, Strategic Communications – European Union

Position description

This position is with the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), a global network of communications professionals in the field of climate, energy and nature. GSCC is a programme hosted by the Meliore Foundation.

We’re hiring an experienced strategist and communications specialist to work alongside the GSCC EU Institutions Team in a dynamic global network of strategic communications professionals. The position is based in Brussels.

We are looking for a driven and growth-oriented candidate, who enjoys running with projects, from strategy and idea development to delivery and measurement. In other words, you will be given a lot of responsibility and room to manoeuvre, so it is vital that you enjoy taking charge and move forward on your own initiative while possessing a strong team-player mindset.

You will craft strategy and implement strategic advice and communications assets aimed at a diverse set of partners and stakeholders from across sectors, in order to enhance the public debate at the EU level on climate change and its solutions. You will also be expected to collaborate with the team in a strategic setting. The role will require building and maintaining strong relationships with journalists, including proactive media pitching, networking, and identifying opportunities to increase visibility for key messages and initiatives.

You have a strong knowledge of the intra-EU political dynamics, both the inner workings of EU institutions as well as how political developments within member states influence and shape EU-level policies and politics. You have a keen sense of storytelling and an eye for news angles and news life-cycle, and understand the power of narratives to help support momentum towards a prosperous and fair future for Europe and its citizens. You have an established network of contacts in Brussels, including media, institutions and relevant stakeholders that can be beneficial to your mission.

You are committed to using your talents and experience in strategy and communications for the greater good by working with a vast network of talented communicators and sector specialists dedicated to speeding up the net-zero transition across Europe.

How you’ll contribute

In close cooperation with a wide network of partners in Brussels and in EU member states, the role will be responsible for:

• Devising and operationalising multi-channel strategies with a wide range of materials and actions (messaging, briefings, media backgrounders, press releases, social media content, OpEds, blogs, communication support during events…);
• Crafting audience-specific messaging to support both short-term and long-term strategic goals, ensuring consistency across all communication channels and platforms;
• Delivering timely reactive strategic communications advice, and outreach support to colleagues or partners whose target audience is the “EU bubble” as well as at the national level;
• Fostering strong links with journalists covering global climate issues, energy and EU affairs, briefing reporters, boosting media awareness of core narratives;
• Identifying and elevating voices and spokespeople who can talk convincingly about the urgency and benefits of a clean energy transition;
• Stakeholder engagement, capacity-building and organising to underpin the energy transition;
• Monitoring impact and outcomes of your work, including keeping track of media mentions and contributing to drawing conclusions and recommendations to constantly improve our activities;
• Closely following the political and media debates in the EU to identify where strategic communications can be usefully deployed in order to speed up the net-zero transition.

Our ideal candidate has

• Solid professional experience in strategic communication, journalism is an asset;
• A track record of impactful media and/or stakeholder relations in the “Brussels Bubble”;
• An enthusiasm to embrace complex, technical topics, and transform policy files into compelling narratives about the urgency and necessity of swift and ambitious climate action and energy;
• A strong understanding of the processes and dynamics of policy-making within the EU institutions as well as an excellent read of power dynamics between member states;
• Familiarity with the European media landscape and the value of strategic story placement in an international political context; existing media contacts an asset;
• Experience crafting compelling stories with a journalistic flair;
• Ability to develop a good network of influential European actors such as lawmakers, academics, finance sectors, progressive business and/or civil society leaders is a strong advantage;
• Fluency in written and spoken English, our working language; additional languages are an asset;
• The versatile and adaptable skills necessary to flourish in a fast-paced and wide-ranging work environment and work across time zones using tools such as Google Workspace and Slack;
• Capability to meet deadlines independently in fast-paced environments;
• A commitment to an inclusive and empowering approach to facing climate change;
• You are based in Brussels.

Application instructions

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