The Research and Programme Officer (RPO) will work on the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE), a project that monitors and responds to situations of deteriorating or improving enabling environments for civil society around the world. Close coordination with other consortium members and their staff is expected, as well as with other EPD members working on related issues.
The RPO will be based in Brussels and will directly report to the EPD Research Coordinator. The RPO will also work in close cooperation with EPD’s Strategic Advisor on Civic Space, who will be involved in the EU SEE project in the capacity of Policy and Advocacy Advisor. The RPO will also work in close cooperation with EPD’s Strategic Advisor, who will be involved in the EU SEE project in the capacity of Dialogue and Methodology Advisor and also involved in some of the duties and responsibilities described below.
The RPO will also work in close cooperation with the European Democracy Hub team and also have regular working relationships with other EPD staff.
Carry out in-depth research and analysis to enhance understanding of the trends affecting the enabling environment for civil society.
Identify key gaps in the evidence and understanding of changes to the enabling environment and propose priority topics for EU SEE research.
Design research methodologies and frameworks for forthcoming EU SEE publications, ensuring analytical coherence, ethical standards, and policy relevance.
Identify and coordinate researchers and contributors, and support the editing and peer review of research outputs and publications, ensuring consistency with the European Democracy Hub’s editorial guidelines.
Produce high-quality research outputs, including reports, policy briefs, discussion papers, and presentations on issues related to civic space and democracy support.
Provide evidence-based insights to inform advocacy, policy engagement, and programmatic strategies that protect and expand civic freedoms.
Participate in the EU SEE methodology and research working groups, contributing to the design, review, and implementation of research activities.
Contribute to adapting and developing EPD’s existing methods and approaches under the supervision of the Dialogue and Methodology Advisor, particularly those related to civic space and political economy analysis, to the needs of the EU SEE project.
Produce and help disseminate regular briefings, reports, and policy recommendations to EU and Member State stakeholders, based on the different EU SEE products (alerts, snapshots, and country focus reports).
Contribute to the learning component of EU SEE, in collaboration with the EU SEE Methodology and Dialogue Advisor, by informing the content of training sessions on the basis of the evidence stemming from the EU SEE products.
Contribute to refining the EU SEE monitoring methodology in collaboration with other consortium members, to ensure that EPD’s contributions are included (e.g., in areas related to EPD’s core work on democratic space, public participation in decision-making, policy dialogue, and advocacy).
Monitor the impact of advocacy work and report regularly to the Strategic Advisor on Civic Space.
Support the processing and analysis of the data collected by the EU SEE network, making use of relevant analytical methods and tools (political economy analysis, policy analysis, network analysis, systems thinking, etc.).
Oversee the generation of evidence-based recommendations for funding on the basis of insights from the EU SEE Monitoring Index and Early Warning Mechanism.
Contribute to the identification of impact and outcomes (behavioral change of target groups) of the EU SEE project’s advocacy component (at both the national and international levels) and suggest suitable data collection, aggregation and analysis methods.
Support wider monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes of the EU SEE project in concertation with the rest of the consortium partners.
Contribute to overseeing the implementation of the EU SEE Monitoring and Early Warning Mechanism.
Contribute to identifying and collecting evidence on how digital technologies affect civic space, in close cooperation with EPD member and consortium partner, Democracy Reporting International.
Contribute to the management and coordination of EPD’s activities and responsibilities in the EU SEE project, under the leadership of the Strategic Advisor on Civic Space.
Coordinate the contracting of researchers, including the preparation of Terms of Reference (TORs), oversight of their contributions, and the timely completion of payments and related administrative processes.
Support the preparation of required deliverables, narrative reports, and financial statements, under the leadership of the Policy and Advocacy Advisor.
Provide additional support as requested.
Take the lead in organising events within the framework of the EU SEE project, including democracy dinners under the European Democracy Hub, private workshops, public events, dialogue meetings and roundtables in Brussels and abroad.
Support EU SEE events by producing notes and analytical summaries to advance the project’s research content and recommendations.
Participate in consortium meetings and international events on democracy and civil society relevant to the EU SEE project, with occasional travel as required.
Attend and write reports/minutes of relevant EU events in Brussels.
Master’s degree in Political Science, International Relations, European Studies, Law, Social Sciences, or a related field.
Minimum of 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in research, policy analysis, or programme management related to civil society, democracy support, or EU affairs.
Solid knowledge of global trends and challenges affecting the civil society environment; direct experience working with civil society organisations will be considered an advantage.
Proven ability to conduct qualitative research and produce high-quality policy briefs and analytical reports; publications in relevant fields will be considered an asset.
Strong understanding of EU institutions and European democracy support policies; existing professional networks within EU institutions or civil society will be considered an advantage.
Excellent writing and communication skills in English (C1 level or above); knowledge of other EU languages will be considered an asset.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multicultural team.
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
An initial 12-month contract with a starting salary between EUR 2700 and EUR 4000 (Grade 4 at EPD) with the precise figure dependant on experience;
Lunch vouchers of a unit value of EUR 8,00 (personal contribution by the employee of EUR 1,09) will be granted for each day actually worked;
A monthly public transportation card in Brussels will be reimbursed (EUR 52);
In compliance with EPD’s Structural Teleworking Policy, staff will be granted a monthly teleworking allowance of EUR 154,74 and an additional monthly contribution of EUR 20,00 for the professional use of their private internet connection;
A hospitalisation group insurance (only for candidates who leave in Belgium or one of its neighbouring countries);
Enrollment to the EPD group pension scheme; in which the employer and the employee contribute 2% each;
A yearly training budget of EUR 500;
10 days of additional paid leave per financial year;
All staff are fully involved in all aspects of our work and given considerable responsibility and independence; they are part of an international team that supports them in acquiring skills to work in an international organisation and hands-on knowledge of how major international actors inter-relate, at EU and global levels;
Candidates must have permission to work in the EU. They should be based in Brussels or move to Brussels for the expected start date.
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