Interim Head of EU Policy

We are seeking to appoint an Interim Head of EU Policy, for 12 months, to lead our advocacy work on Sustainable Finance in Brussels setting ShareAction’s agenda to drive a more responsible financial sector within the EU policy space.

You will lead a team to develop and deliver our advocacy strategy and campaigns. The role would see you interacting and managing strategic relationships with senior policymakers across the EU institutions, as well as with civil society and industry stakeholders. Alongside this, you would oversee programme and budget management, stakeholder engagement, funder relationships and reporting, and monitoring, evaluation and learning. You would also serve as a spokesperson with respect to EU policy work in the media.

Supporting and developing your team, as well as playing a wider role across ShareAction’s Extended Leadership Team, are important aspects of the role.

If this role sounds like something that would build on your current skill set and engage you, we’d love to hear from you!

What you’ll bring to the team

We want to hear from you if you’re excited by the opportunity to lead a team to influence EU regulation to drive a more sustainable financial sector.

We think this role would suit someone who has a background in EU advocacy, with a strong experience in people management, comfort with programme and budget management, and who enjoys building and leveraging stakeholder relationships. Sustainability expertise is desirable; and experience working with the financial sector would also be a bonus. 

We have a formal hybrid working policy in place, and the EU Policy team meets in the Brussels office on a weekly basis. As this role involves a lot of meetings with Brussels based stakeholders, there is an expectation that you live in Belgium and that you are able to attend the office or meetings at least once a week

What we will do for you

We are a fast-paced organisation that has grown substantially over the past few years. We recognise that our people work hard to advocate for responsible investment and drive meaningful engagement with those who have the power to create a brighter future. Every day they bring their expertise, passion and persistence to build a world where the financial system serves our people and planet. We want to ensure we provide the right environment for our colleagues to thrive and we are committed to improving our employee offer where possible.

Currently we are pleased to offer:

-Commitment to flexible working; over 60% of our employees have some sort of flexible working arrangement in place

-Hybrid working; we are committed to supporting our staff to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and meets the requirements of their role

-Internal promotion and development opportunities; we offer a range of ways to improve your skills and focus on what you love, including promotion, secondment, or sideways development opportunities. For some levels of roles, we also offer direct progression.

-Unionised work environment; our staff have the opportunity to join the union. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay

-Regular in-person meetings; including all-staff away days and retreats (in the United Kingdom), and directorate strategy days to create connected teams

-End of year premium - 13 month salary payment and 0.92 month holiday allowance

-Lunch vouchers for every full day worked

-100% reimbursement of all public transports via monthly STIB/MIVB card (this covers the commute to work but not beyond)

-Bike allowance: an additional allowance is paid for every day you cycle into the office

-Up to 20 legal days holiday (depending on your previous year of employment), plus 5 extra-legal holidays per year, plus 2 Green Travel Days, as well as 4 days off between Christmas and New Year when ShareAction is closed

-Working from home allowance per month

-Internet connection at home allowance per month

-Flu vaccination costs reimbursed

-Group Pension Insurance

-Group Health Insurance

-Enhanced sickness and family friendly pay policies

-Access to Mental Health First Aiders

Contract type: 12 month fixed term

Who it reports to: Director of Policy

Salary: € 88,800 - € 96,000

(We normally offer a starting salary at the start of the range)

Deadline for applications: Monday 28 April at 9:00 a.m. UK time

Interview dates:  First round online on 2nd May, Second round online on 7th May

ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!

Our hiring process is anonymised, we won’t ask for a cover letter and we don’t look at CVs until the interview stage. We do this so that we reduce the opportunity for unconscious biases to affect our decision making and so we prioritise skills and expertise over how well you can write a CV. 

We also actively encourage incoming staff to consider flexible working arrangements; recognising that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance and reduce stress. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Please note that using Artificial Intelligence to answer the application questions is not recommended, and it could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools will not accurately reflect your skills, knowledge or experience. It is crucial that you personalise your application by articulating these in your unique voice. If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, we ask you to declare this clearly in your submission.