Job vacancy: The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Steering Committee (EaP CSF SC) is seeking a Director of the EaP CSF SC Secretariat

The Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum is looking to appoint a full-time Director for its Secretariat. The Director will manage and oversee further organisational development and coherence of the network, implementation of the new EaP CSF Strategy 2022-2030, will continue to strengthen the impact of the Forum and civil society on the implementation of the EaP policy, liaise with key stakeholders at governmental level as well as institutions and civil society at the EU level, support the EaP CSF Steering Committee, and raise funds for the further development of the Secretariat and the Forum.

Location: Brussels, Belgium
Type of contract: Open-ended contract with a probation period of 3 months
Work permit in Belgium: Advantage, not mandatory
Start date: January 2022
Application Deadline: 30 September 2021

The Director will have a good knowledge of the workings of the EU, understanding of the EaP policy challenges and the development needs of civil society in the six Eastern Partnership countries. The successful candidate will have leadership skills, be impartial, driven to improve the performance of the network and offer a vision for further organisational development of the Forum while maintaining its coherence.

This is a challenging position working in a dynamic, international civil society network. The Director will be appointed by the EaP CSF Steering Committee following an open call for applications. The Director will be expected to attend the forthcoming EaP CSF Annual Assembly to be held online on 29 November – 3 December 2021.                                      

Key qualifications

  • Postgraduate university degree or equivalent in relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Science, Sociology, International Law etc.), preferably with a focus on the Eastern Partnership region;
  • At least 5 years of professional experience as senior project manager/director/team leader with proven experience in large-scale project management, preferably in the area related to the EaP region/policy;
  • At least 5 years of professional experience managing budgets and overseeing finances;
  • At least 5 years of professional experience with management of human resources and leadership of a team;
  • Experience working in/with the civil society sector/ CSO/s;
  • Experience and ability to work with stakeholders;
  • Experience with advocacy and digital advocacy;
  • Experience and track record in civil society organisational development and work experience with a large civil society network is an advantage;
  • Experience with implementation of Financial Support to Third Parties within an EU-funded project/s is an advantage;
  • A track record in successful fundraising/proposal writing and managing EU-funded projects is an advantage;
  • Experience working with a voluntary board is an advantage;
  • Strong written and spoken English and Russian language skills are required; solid working knowledge of French is an advantage;
  • Excellent analytical and communication skills;
  • Flexibility, time-management and ability to work under tight deadlines.

    Key responsibilities

    • Manage the Secretariat staff and its operations and workload, setting internal procedures and execution of rights and obligations relating to labour relations;
    • Project management, including responsibility for overall and timely reporting and communication with donors;
    • Ensure effective delivery of project results on time and within budget;
    • Play a key role in delivering on the EaP CSF Strategy 2022-2030;
    • Oversight over financial management of the Secretariat and financial procedures;
    • Communication with the EaP CSF Steering Committee and its Co-chairs, preparation of Steering Committee meetings (agenda), responsibility for the implementation of Steering Committee decisions and follow-up from the meetings, reporting to the EaP CSF Steering Committee and to the General Assembly;
    • Report to the Steering Committee on progress against strategic objectives, providing information and accounting for organisational performance;
    • Advise the Steering Committee on all aspects of leading the organisation, including short- and long-term strategic planning, financial sustainability, human resources management, fundraising, partnership working, and communications;
    • Foster good working relationships within the organisation and ensure systems and structures function effectively;
    • Develop and build relationships with partners, supporters, funders and potential funders to diversify and increase the funding basket;
    • Liaising with key EaP stakeholders in the EU and EaP countries and representing the Secretariat and the Forum at relevant meetings and events;
    • Seek opportunities to promote the organisation and its activities and to maintain and strengthen its role in the EaP policy and architecture.

    Application and selection procedure

    Qualified candidates are invited to apply by 30 September 2021 by sending the following documents to applications@eap-csf.eu (Subject line: EaP CSF – DIRECTOR):

    CV (maximum 3 pages, in English)
    Motivation letter (maximum 2 pages, in English) in which the candidate mentions his/her qualifications and relevance of his/her experience for the vacancy. The candidate will state two references with full name, email and phone number in the motivation letter.

    The selected candidates will be invited for the first round of interviews to take place between October 11-15 2021.

    For any additional information, please contact the Interim Director Vera Rihackova-Pachta at vera.rihackova@eap-csf.eu .

    Contact us

    Vera Rihackova Pachta

    Interim Director
    Email: vera.rihackova@eap-csf.eu