EU Partnership and Engagement Advisor

Position description

Title: EU Partnership and Engagement Advisor

Location: Brussels, Belgium

About ChildFund Alliance

 

Eleven child-focused development and humanitarian agencies are part of the global ChildFund Alliance network, which helps children and their families overcome poverty and the underlying conditions that prevent children from reaching their full potential. Together we reach 36 million children and family members in 65 countries. Members work to end violence and exploitation against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children, families and communities to create lasting change.

Our work spans three strategic pillars:

1. Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) – the Alliance’s core pillar of operations.
2. Humanitarian Response – ensuring children are safe and protected in times of crisis; and
3. Child Rights in a Changing Climate – addressing the growing risks to children from environmental degradation and climate change.

ChildFund Alliance members deliver services including education, healthcare, protection, disaster response, and livelihood support, while also working to influence the policies, systems, and practices that shape children’s lives. Our commitment, innovation, and deep local partnerships serve as powerful catalysts for transformational change.

The Alliance enhances members’ reach and impact by:

• Driving and supporting collective advocacy and strategic visibility and positioning at global and regional levels.
• Coordinating joint, multi-member programming and fundraising efforts.
• Facilitating Alliance-wide exchange of knowledge and learning, standards, and evidence-building; and
• Connecting members with a diverse range of donors (institutional, foundations, private sector etc.)  as part of joint donor outreach and donor diversification on behalf of the Alliance; including the EU, global donors, and UN systems.

Members invest more than US$580 million annually in children’s futures, with the majority of field staff being national experts embedded in local contexts. Much of our work is delivered through local partners, aligned with our commitment to locally led action.

The ChildFund Alliance Secretariat, headquartered in New York City, drives strategy implementation, facilitates governance, and coordinates collective advocacy. It also manages the Europe Office in Brussels, which serves as the Alliance’s strategic hub for EU (and global) engagement and works to strengthen ChildFund Alliance influence and income – providing real-time donor intelligence, cultivating partnerships by connecting its policy and advocacy work with partnership building at the EU level and globally, and ensuring ChildFund Alliance continues to be represented and remains visible and influential vis a vis relevant European (and global) institutions, networks and platforms.

Governance is provided by a skills-based Board of Directors representing members. The Member Council – comprising the CEOs of all member organizations – guides the Alliance’s shared vision and ensures accountability to our Strategic Plan.

 

The Position

The EU Partnership and Engagement Advisor plays a vital role in advancing ChildFund Alliance’s 2026-2030 strategy by supporting donor intelligence, strategic EU engagement, and partnership-building aligned with our three pillars: Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC), Humanitarian Response, and Climate Action. Based in Brussels, the Advisor will collaborate closely with Members’ head and country offices and will report to the Secretary General of the Alliance.

Role and responsibilities

The role of the ChildFund Alliance EU Partnership and Engagement Advisor is to strengthen the Alliance’s visibility, influence, and strategic positioning with EU institutions, while cultivating funding opportunities and collaborative partnerships that support the Alliance’s core pillars. The Advisor also plays a key role in equipping and coordinating members to effectively engage with EU institutions at Brussels and country level.

The EU Partnership and Engagement Advisor undertakes the following responsibilities:

1. Donor intelligence and Strategic Positioning:

• Monitor EU external action funding trends, such as with DG INTPA, DG ECHO, DG NEAR and DG MENA, and particularly relating to developments around the Global Gateway and NDICI funding and budget lines.
• Analyze implications of EU budget cycles (e.g., 2028-2034 MFF), and linkages with Alliance priority themes and strategic pillars
• Based upon a thorough understanding of the different EU funding instruments and budget lines in the sectors, produce and disseminate timely intelligence briefs and provide strategic advice to members, focusing on strategic entry points and emerging risks and opportunities.

2. Donor engagement and Multi-Member Coordination:

• Support multi-member prepositioning with EU institutions through facilitating introductions and developing and pursuing coordinated and strategic approaches (geographical/ thematic/ sectoral) for joint representation and positioning of the Alliance and its members.)
• Support multi-member engagement with EU delegations and Brussels-based EU desks and focal points.
• Facilitate and support multi-member learning and coordination around major EU opportunities or changes in funding modalities.
• Identify opportunities for developing members’ capacity on EU engagement and contribute to the development and implementation of relevant tools and activities.
• Coordinate and support collaborative EU fundraising efforts and strategic partnerships aligned with the three Alliance pillars.
• Inform and coordinate member-led programming with EU institutional priorities, without replacing members’ programmatic responsibilities.

3. Representation, Advocacy and Visibility:

• Represent ChildFund Alliance at key Brussels-based fora and networks on matters concerning EU funding, development aid, child rights etc., in line with the three strategic priorities of the Alliance and in close coordination with the Global Program and Partnership Development Advisor.
• Build and maintain relationships with key decision-makers within relevant EU institutions and identify opportunities for donor advocacy and influencing, where relevant.
• On behalf of the Alliance, coordinate and support Brussels-based EU-focused advocacy, visibility and positioning efforts, particularly relating to child rights and child protection, working together with the Global Program and Partnership Development Advisor, relevant Secretariat and member advocacy and communications leads, and with relevant partners, networks and coalitions such as Joining Forces, CRAG, CONCORD etc.

 

4. Others 

• Active participation in the relevant committees, task forces, working groups and meetings of the ChildFund Alliance, some of which might involve international travel.
• Support the preparation and coordination of meetings, events or trainings, in Brussels or abroad.

 

Conditions

• Contract: Permanent, full-time position, governed by Belgian Law.
• Expected start date: September 2025
• Salary scale: 4400 – 5000 EUR / month, according to experience. Other benefits include meal vouchers, and reimbursement on travel and hospitalization insurances.
• Location: Our office is located at Mundo J, Rue de l’Industrie 10, 1000 Brussels.
• 30 days of paid vacation per full year worked.
• Availability to travel in Europe and internationally 2 to 4 times a year.

 

Qualifications

Experience and skills

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in EU development and humanitarian funding environments.
• Proven track record in donor intelligence, engagement, and influencing EU funding, preferably in the three key strategic areas of the Alliance (EVAC, Climate and Humanitarian Action).
• Sound understanding and demonstrable experience of undertaking (EU-focused) child rights-based advocacy and policy work.
• Excellent communication, networking, and diplomatic skills: fluent English required, French and/or Spanish an asset.
• Strong analytical and writing abilities: capacity to synthesize complex institutional shifts for diverse audiences.
• Excellent team and interpersonal skills appropriate for working effectively in a multicultural and fast-based environment.
• Ability to prioritize tasks with limited supervision and to manage multiple tasks under tight deadlines.

Application instructions

Applying

 

Submit a CV and cover letter (in English) explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position to [email protected] by August 1, 2025. Please note that candidates must have the right to work in Belgium / in the European Union. A ChildFund Alliance team member will contact you if your credentials match our needs.