EC Partnership Coordinator

EC Partnership Coordinator

CARE International

Brussels, Belgium

Background

CARE International (CI) is an international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development Confederation. Drawing on its almost 80 years of experience, through its 20 Members, Candidates and Affiliate, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice and gender equality.

At the core of the Confederation is a small, globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its Members, Candidates and Affiliate in the areas of governance, policy and accountability, advocacy and communications, coordination and engagement with the European Union (EU), and external representation globally at the United Nations and EU.

CARE International AISBL (CI Belgium) is one of the legal entities housing the CI Secretariat. The others are in Geneva and London. CI Secretariat coordinates and supports the global CARE confederation to achieve its common impact goals and shared global priorities in line with our global CARE 2030 Vision and Program Strategy .

Overview of the role

The EC Partnership Coordinator will be based at CARE International AISBL’s office in Brussels, Belgium. She/he will be part of the EU Funding Team and will work with and on behalf of CARE International Members and CARE Implementing Presences (CIPs) in their efforts to optimise their levels of funding from the European Commission (EC) and improve their relations with INTPA and other relevant EU institutions, but also to strengthen their capacity to engage with the EC and EU Delegations, in close collaboration with the Senior EU Partnership and Compliance Advisor, the EC Programme Management Coordinator and the EU Funding and Administrative Officer. The EC Partnership Coordinator is supervised by the Senior EU Partnership and Compliance Advisor and works in close relation with other members of the CI EU team for the fulfilment of their respective objectives.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES – specifically but not limited to

1) Support CI Members and CIPs to improve CI’s strategic approach and coordination on EC resource mobilisation and funding strategy:

• Provide CI Members and COs with intelligence and information on policies, programming and funding opportunities, in coordination with the Senior EU Partnership and Compliance Advisor and the EU Funding;
• Support and Administrative Officer;
• Facilitate, develop and support CIPs and CI Members’ relations with the EC and EU Delegations with regard to strategic positioning, contractual, funding and relevant policy-related issues;
• Lead the implementation and contribute to the improvement of coordination mechanisms on EU funding opportunities and engagement towards the EC, jointly with CIPs and the interested European CMPs;
• Contribute to discussions on CI long-term strategy development for EU funding.

2) Support CI members and CIPs to strengthen their capacity to engage with the EC and EU Delegations:

• Lead on the identification and analysis of emerging EU funding trends and opportunities and ensure that intelligence gathered over time is communicated and shared appropriately with all European CARE members and across all other relevant CARE spaces;
• Lead the development and roll-out of CI training and capacity building tools and events in accessing and managing EC funding and engagement, in collaboration with EU CARE members and EU funding team colleagues;
• Provide training/webinars and support to CI Members and CIPs on EC funding and engagement issues as needed.

3) Undertake representational liaison with EU institutions and other Brussels-based NGOs and networks to advance CARE’s objectives in Europe, to strengthen and expand donor relationships, including by showcasing CI key areas of expertise and achievements:

• Proactively engage with and attend relevant meetings with the EU institutions;
• Represent CARE International and engage in relevant Brussels-based NGO networks (notably CONCORD) and in other EU processes and meetings relevant to CARE priority themes;
• Organise showcasing events when strategic to position CARE.

4) Other responsibilities:

• Support the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the CI EU Office Annual Operating Plan;
• Assist with general office administration and any other tasks as required.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Senior EU Partnership and Compliance Advisor and EU Funding team;
• European CARE members’ Program Directors and EU development focal points;
• CIP Country Directors, Deputy Country Directors and Business Development Managers/Officers, as well as counterparts in Regional Management Units.

External:

• Partnership and funding peer organizations and Brussels based networks, notably CONCORD;
• Contacts in EU Institutions – INTPA, FPI, et all.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Education or work experience:

• At least 5 years of working experience with an NGO or EU Institution;
• Master’s degree (or a combination of a Bachelor degree and/or relevant experience) in social sciences, international relations, development studies, economics or law.

Essential technical competencies for the role:

• Very good knowledge of the European Commission’s ways of working. Proven experience of managing EC contracts and/or influencing EU programming processes would be an asset;
• Strong analytical and research skills and ability to both handle detail and to assess the “big picture”;
• Experience of training/capacity-building would be an asset;
• Demonstrable team-working skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues working in many different locations;
• Excellent inter-personal, organisational and communication skills, including facilitation and networking;
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work independently within a small team and flexibility to respond to rapidly evolving work priorities within a complex organisational setting;
• Proven experience in CI priority thematic areas would be an asset;
• Very good knowledge and experience of working with internet and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel).

Other essential competencies for the role:

• Committed to CARE’s vision and mission and to achieving gender equality;
• Diversity: A global citizen that seeks inspiration through working with diverse individuals and teams;
• Inclusion: Committed to a just world where all people live in dignity and security and equality is a reality.

Languages:

• Our official working language is English. However, fluency in our other working languages such as French, Arabic or Spanish are also an advantage. As a global organisation we celebrate those that can bring different languages to the workplace.

We are committed to preventing all unwanted behaviour at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework.

CARE International has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners. CARE International reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE International requesting the information specified above.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. We will seek at least two references, one of which must be your most recent employer. We participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, you confirm your understanding and agreement of these checks.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their CV and a brief covering letter of interest in English to cirecruitment@careinternational.org by Friday 4^th April 2025 COB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Only candidates with the relevant work authorization will be considered. Interviews will take place the week of 14^th April 2025.

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.