EPB Policy Officer

The European Polar Board (EPB) is an independent organisation that focuses on major scientific, policy and strategic priorities in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Current EPB membership includes research institutes, funding agencies, scientific academies and polar operators from across Europe. The EPB has a mission to improve European coordination of Arctic and Antarctic research by optimising the use of European research infrastructure. We promote multilateral collaborations between our Members and provide a single contact point for the global polar research community. We advance the collective knowledge of polar issues, particularly in the context of European societal relevance. Since 2015, the EPB Secretariat has been hosted by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in The Hague. The EPB has public benefit organisation (ANBI) status in The Netherlands. The working language of the EPB is English.

The EPB is full beneficiary and partner in several large project consortia funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (eg EU-PolarNet 2, Arctic PASSION, INTERACT III, SO-CHIC). The EPB leads deliverables including communication with policymakers, organisation of events (both online and in-person) for a variety of audiences, and various other tasks related to policy advice. The EPB Policy Officer will support these deliverables, as well as central EPB tasks and other tasks as required.

EU-funded project duties

Communication, dissemination and organising events: Organisation and management of activities including the development and update of a dissemination strategy; preparation of policy briefs, and other documents and reports; organisation of policy briefings, press briefings, workshops and other events for projects that the EPB is a part of.

Assist with activities of the various EU-funded projects like EU-PolarNet 2, Arctic PASSION, INTERACT III, SO-CHIC where EPB is a partner. These include organisation of policy briefings, press briefings, workshops and other events for projects that the EPB is a part of. Some international travel is expected for this position.

Core EPB duties

EPB Action Groups: Working with the Executive Secretary to support the work of EPB Executive Committee, Action Groups, and Members are required;

EPB Meetings: Working with the Executive Secretary to support EPB Plenary meetings, Executive Committee, Action Groups and other meetings, including assistance with preparation of reports;

EPB Secretariat Support: Support the development of Polardex (https://polardex.org/); working with the Communications Officer, provide news items for the EPB website and social media; assist with organising events, conference sessions, policy briefings, etc as needed.

Other: Any general administrative tasks or any other tasks as required on a daily basis.

Candidate requirements:

Essential requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in the field of Polar Science, or International Law or policy with a specialisation in a polar subject;
• In depth knowledge of European national, regional and international polar (Arctic and Antarctic), research and policy institutions, organisations and projects; demonstrable engagement with the polar community
• Demonstrable experience of drafting national or international policy documents, or reports;
• Demonstrable experience of organising meetings and workshops and drafting formal meeting documents and reports;
• Excellent knowledge of the English language C2 level for both spoken and written;
• Experience with both formal and informal communication, including social media;
• Capable of working independently, and as a part of a very small team;
• Ability to travel internationally for official meetings, conferences and other events organised by the EPB or projects that the EPB is part of.

Desirable requirements:

• PhD in any area of polar science, polar law, polar or international policy
• Some experience in administration of a small society, non-profit company or organisation
• Knowledge of European languages other than English

Further information

The employment of the Policy Officer will be full-time for an initial period of one year, after satisfactory completion of a two-month probation period. Depending on funding availability, this position may be extended at most until December 2024.

Candidates must be eligible for employment in the Netherlands throughout the course of the position; the European Polar Board is unable to provide or sponsor a work visa or permit for the Netherlands for this position.

This position is based in The Hague, the Netherlands, and the incumbent will be required to register in the Netherlands for taking up the Communications Officer position. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, and it may be possible for the selected candidate to initially work remotely from anywhere within the Netherlands.

Employment conditions, salary:

The salary will be in accordance with the salary scales described in the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) for the Research Institutes, and will depend on the education and relevant experience of the successful candidate. The expected starting gross salary for this position will € 2846 per month as per pay scale 10 (salary level 0), in the 2021 CAO.

Further we offer:

• Holiday allowance equal to 8% of the remuneration, paid each year in May (the “13^th Month”)

• 338 hours of leave per year based on fulltime employment;

• A year-end bonus equal to 8.33% of the remuneration, paid each year in December.

• Contribution towards commuting expenses to and from work;

• Reimbursement for relocation and transport costs within Europe (with prior agreement) – if the successful candidate moves to the Netherlands from abroad;

• Candidate will join National Pension Fund (ABP) and will include an employer contribution;

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a written assessment exercise, and a competency-based interview.

For any queries regarding the position, please contact EPB Executive Secretary, Renuka Badhe, at r.badhe@nwo.nl. More information about the EPB can be found at www.europeanpolarboard.org

The EPB is an equal opportunity employer, committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to promoting equality in careers in science. We welcome applications from all sections of society, particularly those currently underrepresented in the polar research community. We are open to a range of flexible working options to support childcare, other caring responsibilities or other needs.

How to apply

To apply, please send by email a single pdf file that includes:

1) Letter of motivation including your interest in the position, and detailing how your experience meets the requirements of this position set out above - 1 page maximum

2) CV (using a standard format like Europass europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv) - 3 pages maximum

3) Contact details of at least 2 references

Please send your single PDF file to epb@nwo.nl by 23:59 CEST on 30th of April 2022, with “Policy Officer Vacancy” as the email subject line.

Evaluation of shortlisted candidates may include a written assessment exercise and a competency-based interview at a later stage.

The successful candidate will be employed directly by the EPB Secretariat in The Hague, and is expected to join the EPB Secretariat latest by June 2022, and if possible earlier.