Advocacy and Communications Trainee

Overall purpose of the job:

To support the communications, advocacy and campaign work of Plan EU Office by engaging the EU on advocacy issues and raising Plan’s profile, primarily through participating in meetings, sharing Plan’s advocacy messages, using communication tools, engaging with EU media and organising events.

Responsible for: Supporting the implementation of the communications, campaigns and advocacy work plans
Reporting to: Advocacy and Campaigns Manager
Duration: 6 months (14 July 2014 – 14 January 2015)
Based in: Brussels, Plan EU Office
Status: Full-time (5 days per week)
Salary: +/- 750 euros a month
Deadline for application: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Interviews: Monday, 30 June 2014

Principal Responsibilities:

• Assist the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager and the Communication and Media Officer in the communication, campaign and advocacy work of Plan EU Office;
• Provide support for the organisation of meetings, seminars and other policy, advocacy and media events;
• Contribute to the implementation of the communication and advocacy strategies of the Plan EU Office.

General Description of Tasks:

Under the supervision of and in collaboration with the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager and Communications and Media Officer:

• Support Plan Europe’s advocacy and communication work regarding Plan’s global campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’ (BIAAG);
• Support the organisation of key events including European Week of Action for Girls and the BIAAG report launch;
• Support the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager in work on post-2015 and Plan’s role as co-Chair of the CONCORD-Beyond 2015 European Task Force;
• Work with the Advocacy and Campaigns Manager on other advocacy tasks to accomplish the EU Office strategy as requested;
• Lead on the monthly newsletters and weekly updates of Plan EU Office;
• Develop content, including news stories, blogs and videos (if possible), for the Plan EU Office website;
• Contribute to the development of Plan EU Office’s publications;
• Daily monitoring of relevant news and updates from the EU Institutions and EU media;
• Update and maintain Plan EU Office distribution lists;
• Develop and maintain Plan EU Office’s Intranet site;
• Provide support for the organisation of meetings, seminars, hearings and other events conducted by Plan EU Office, including the Plan Europe board meeting;
• Represent Plan in external meetings in the EU institutions and NGO networks at the EU level.

Skill Requirements for the Traineeship:

• A university degree or equivalent experience in human rights, political science, international development, communication or any other specific field relevant to Plan’s work;
• A good understanding of the functioning of the European Union and development policy, particularly relating to child rights and gender equality;
• Previous experience in a related field (EU institutions, NGOs etc) an advantage;
• A very good command of both written and spoken English. A good knowledge of French is an advantage. Additional European languages are considered an asset;
• Have a valid work permit for Belgium;
• Team spirit and willingness to work in a multicultural team;
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to work to a high standard, manage stress while prioritising multiple tasks and meeting deadlines;
• Fully computer literate; skilled and confident user of office applications such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, e-mail and calendar applications. Familiarity with other software (such as Photoshop and InDesign) an asset.

How to apply:

If you meet the skills requirements above and are interested in applying for this position, please send your CV and letter of motivation to info-eu@plan-international.org with “Application: Advocacy and Communications Trainee” in the subject. Deadline for applications is 18 June 2014, 17.00 CET.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and would need to be available for aninterview on Monday 30th June.

About Plan:

Plan International is an international children’s rights organisation, and Plan Europe is a regional network within Plan International which links 11 national Plan organisations in European Union (EU) Member States, Plan Norway, and our programme country offices around the world, with our EU Office in Brussels. Our goal to ensure that the promotion and protection of children’s rights is a priority in the EU's development and foreign policy and that children's voices are taken into consideration in the decision-making processes.

For more information about our work, go to www.plan-eu.org.