Visual Communications Officer

Finance Watch is looking for a

Visual Communications Officer

Finance Watch is a Brussels-based NGO that works to make finance serve society. We are looking for a creative communication expert to strengthen our Communication & Networks department and expand our visual universe.

This exciting new position would suit a communications professional with strong graphic design and visual storytelling skills who is highly motivated by the Finance Watch mission.

The Visual Communications Officer will be part of the Communications & Networks department. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with colleagues across the organisation specialising in research & advocacy, digital communication, press, policy communication, campaigning, grant management and more. The Visual Communications Officer will report to the Head of Communications & Networks.

Core responsibilities

The Visual Communications Officer will consolidate Finance Watch’s visual identity and convey messages of varying complexity to different audiences while balancing diverse projects and deadlines.

There are 3 major types of activities in this role:

Design & storytelling

• Contribute to communication and advocacy campaigns, advise on audience segmentation, build narratives

• Help colleagues convey their messages in an engaging format through visual communication

• Juggle audiences (engaged citizens, civil society, policymakers, politicians, funders)

• Produce videos and contribute to the development of short-form video content, animation, motion graphics, particularly on Instagram Reels

• Track relevant KPIs (downloads, engagement, open rates, visits) and suggest visual improvements to outputs of all types

• Design social media assets such as thumbnails, carousels, ads, stories, and videos

• Contribute to the publication and archival of media assets for social media channels (Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, etc).

• Coordinate the production of educational materials such as cartoons and infographics

Day-to-day delivery

• Provide visual assets (images, illustrations, infographics etc.) for, and design the layouts of, reports, blogs, open letters, social media, slides, video scripts, agendas, event programmes, newsletters, emails, and internal notes

• Design print material such as merchandise, posters, banners, and flyers

• Contribute to the reporting of the team’s activities to funders

• Coordinate with external providers

• Contribute to webmastering tasks and online publishing activities

Framework building

• Develop templates for social media, publications, emailing, slide decks and other digital communications material

• Maintain and develop the brand guidelines & identity

• Review the design of internal communications, such as internal notes

• Promote design best practices and ensure consistency across outputs

Additional responsibilities: policy communication

At Finance Watch, members of the Communication department have a unique opportunity to collaborate with a member of the Research & Advocacy department to learn more about a specific policy area. This “Tandem” structure will enable the Visual Communications Officer to learn more about Finance Watch’s core workstreams, and advise their Research & Advocacy counterpart on how best to communicate this work externally:

• Organising weekly knowledge-sharing meetings with the Research & Advocacy Officer responsible for the stability & supervision workstream

• Keeping up-to-date on the latest developments in the workstream (for example, a new legislative proposal or participation at an important event)

• Helping plan and deliver Finance Watch outputs for this workstream, for example a new report, social media posts, communications with members or an open letter

Profile / Qualifications

Essential

• University degree in communications, visual communications, marketing, community management or equivalent with a specialisation in graphic design and/or multimedia

• Proven experience in video editing and graphic design across digital platforms, with a strong portfolio showcasing creative, visually impactful, brand-aligned work

• Excellent use of video and graphic design tools and desktop publishing software (Canva, CapCut, Adobe Creative Cloud, especially InDesign, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Express)

• Ability to apply design best practices with particular attention to usability, accessibility, and consistency across outputs

• Fluency in English

Desirable

• Experience in shaping/contributing to communication strategies

• High level of digital literacy: community management, digital marketing, analytics, CRM management (Hubspot), webmastering (WordPress)

• Knowledge of a second language, particularly German

• Brand strategy experience

• Experience in data management / CRM (Hubspot)

• Experience in analytics (Google Analytics (GA4), social media analytics, CRM analytics) and project management tools (Asana, Trello, Notion, Slack, Figma, Miro)

• Interest in finance/economics, awareness of European politics and knowledge of the European economic and financial landscape

Skills

• Strong project management, internal communication and organising skills

• Able to manage a substantial and varied workload effectively, autonomously under defined objectives, and to manage competing demands, while maintaining accuracy

• Excellent communication skills, ensuring consistency with brand strategy across digital marketing, social media and public relations.

• Reliable, proactive, eager to learn

• Ability to convey complex messages visually, shape compelling storytelling and inspire others with your ideas

• Basic photography, photojournalism-style work, or retouching

• A passion for social media and a strong track record of leveraging it effectively

• Strong understanding of social media trends, memes, and culturally relevant content that can spark conversation or go viral

• Ability to react fast with visuals during news cycles or advocacy opportunities

• Capacity to adapt visuals for multilingual, multicultural audiences

• Motivated by Finance Watch’s mission and capacity to work on complex advocacy topics in the field of economics and finance in the context of European policymaking

• A team player with a positive outlook who can listen and collaborate with colleagues in an international work environment

• Be eager to propose new ideas, lead projects, and influence comms tactics

What we offer

• A permanent contract under Belgian law

• No probation period

• 100%, or part-time negotiable (80%)

• 40h per week

• Hybrid (i.e. teleworking in Belgium + presence in the office in Brussels)

• Up to four weeks of teleworking from within Europe permitted annually

• A competitive salary, dependent on seniority and skillset

• DKV complementary health insurance, including dental

• Additional pension insurance paid by Finance Watch (6% of gross salary)

• 20 days of legal holidays (prorata) per year + 1 recup day per month (prorata)

• A monthly expense allowance, amount depending on seniority

• A laptop (for professional use)

• Full reimbursement of public transportation in Belgium

• Lunch vouchers 8€ per working day

• “Ecocheques” 250€ per year (prorata)

• Training possibilities

• A multidisciplinary and multicultural working environment.

Equal employment opportunity

Finance Watch is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees, regardless of sex, marital status, nationality, religion, age, sexual orientation and any other characteristics unrelated to the performance of the job.

Know that we are particularly eager to increase the representation of women, people from underrepresented backgrounds and disabled people within the Finance Watch staff.

Selection will be in accordance with objective and job-related criteria. The appointment will be on the basis of applicants’ merits and abilities.

Application guidelines

Interested candidates are invited to send a letter of motivation + CV + portfolio showcasing their visual work via email to: recruitment@finance-watch.org

Please quote “Visual Communications Officer Vacancy” in the title of your email.

The position remains open until filled.

Interviews and a test session for shortlisted candidates will take place online and/or in Brussels.