The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is an award-winning international think-tank that aims to conduct cutting-edge independent research on European foreign and security policy and to provide a safe meeting space for decision-makers, activists and influencers to share ideas. We build coalitions for change at the European level and promote informed debate about Europe’s role in the world.
In 2007, ECFR’s founders set about creating a pan-European institution that could combine establishment credibility with intellectual insurgency. Today, ECFR remains uniquely placed to continue providing a pan-European perspective on some of the biggest strategic challenges and choices Europeans need to confront, with a network of offices in seven European capitals, over 90 staff from more than 25 different countries and a team of associated researchers in the EU 27 member states. For more information, check our website: ecfr.eu
This is an exciting opportunity for a superstar engagement specialist to join ECFR’s Advocacy team either in Berlin, London or Rome. You will be a motivated and proactive individual who jumps at the opportunity of working with prominent European personalities on ECFR’s Board of Trustees and Council. We are implementing a new approach to engagement and are on the look-out for a new team member to help fulfil our ambitious vision. You will connect the dots before others do; visualise and come up with engagement opportunities; and most importantly, understand that only by working together can we achieve the best outcomes. This is a varied, hands-on role where no two days are the same, from organising briefings and calls-to-action on burning foreign policy issues, to organising Board meetings and ECFR’s Annual Council Meeting with Europe’s leading foreign policy decision-makers. If this sounds like the role for you, please read on!
The ECFR Council acts as an ambassador for ECFR’s ideas and is an integral pillar to our mission. As a steward of this community, you will work as a focal point for ECFR in advising how best to engage members in advocacy, policy, and development initiatives. As a trusted delivery partner for the Board, you’ll also act with a high degree of diplomacy and discretion and will build strong relationships with the Senior Leadership to fulfil this role.
Key roles and responsibilities
- Board engagement
- Organize effectively the logistics for all Board meetings, including preparing Board meeting packs and documentation, taking minutes and action-tracking.
- As a focal point for Board stewardship, ensure effective communication and information flow between the Board and internal/external stakeholders.
- Assisting the Chief of Staff to support the Board in upholding good governance standards and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Support the leadership team in seeking ways to improve the Trustee experience, including through organizational efforts in advocacy, policy and fundraising.
- Draft ECFR’s annual impact report, telling compelling stories of impact of how ECFR’s ideas have helped strengthen European foreign policy.
- Council Engagement
- Act as a focal point for internal and external Council matters and provide advice and assistance to ECFR teams on how to engage Council Members in their activities.
- Developing in-depth knowledge of the interests and areas of expertise of Council Members by curating a stakeholder mapping tool, as well as tracking levels of membership engagement across programmes and national offices.
- As a member of the advocacy team, help design and implement Council engagement strategies and programme of activities, including regular briefings on current affairs, written updates to the Council and individual outreach to members/their offices to explore opportunities for collaboration.
- Plan membership engagement in countries where ECFR has no formalized presence.
- Supporting the delivery of the Annual Council Meeting.
- Develop and deliver engaging membership communications and campaigns across digital, print, and events channels.
- Strengthen relationship management practice, as well as innovate tools for effective engagement ways of working at ECFR.
- Keep up to date with policy and political debates relating to ECFR’s advocacy priorities.
- Membership Administration
- Support the work of the Membership Committee, a Board sub-committee, to ensure the ECFR Council remains a diverse and dynamic community.
- Plan and oversee all stages of the ECFR Council membership lifecycle, including recruiting and onboarding new members, as well as renewals and retirement.
- Record Keeping
- Oversee and maintain ECFR Council and Board Members records, including the CRM database, website, and internal intranet pages.
Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed to support overall ECFR organizational priorities.
Experience and skills expected of the post holder
- Education
- Graduate degree, ideally in international relations or political sciences
- Experience
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in stakeholder relations role, such as for a membership body or in Board coordination roles, preferably in the non-profit sector, government or parliament.
- Experience of international affairs or foreign policy in career.
- Familiarity with board governance and procedures a plus, but not essential.
- Experience in a membership organization would be advantageous but not essential.
- Skills & Abilities
- Excellent communication skills in written and verbal English; knowledge of other European languages (especially German) is an advantage.
- Political acumen and a demonstrated interest and knowledge of European foreign policy as well as political debates within Europe
- A willingness to travel is expected, including to all Board meetings and the ECFR Annual Council Meeting.
- A willingness to dedicate time and effort to the role is expected, including travelling to the location of Board meetings and the ECFR Annual Council Meeting.
- A proactive approach to building relationships and identifying growth opportunities.
- Demonstrated experience of project management and effective organizational skills.
- Advanced level MS Office, particularly Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
- Excellent interpersonal skills working with people at a senior level.
- Flexible, positive, and can-do approach to problem-solving.
- Ability to prioritize workload and work both independently (without extensive supervision) and in a multinational team.
- Highly developed organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to multi-task.
- Confidence in using digital tools such as CRM systems, Asana, Canva.