(Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer (m/f/d) Specialised in Sustainable Finance

Finance Watch is looking for a (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer specialised in sustainable finance to strengthen its team.

Finance Watch, the Brussels-based public interest advocacy association dedicated to making finance serve society, is looking for a (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer specialised in sustainable finance to strengthen its team. Growing this team with highly skilled and motivated professionals is an essential component of our four-year strategic plan.

The (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer will join a Research & Advocacy Department composed of six people. Each member of this department works on specific areas of financial regulation and delivers:

• Policy-oriented research from a public interest perspective: identification of main issues and related legislative solutions;
• Advocacy strategies and their implementation, building policymakers’ support for our proposals;
• Regular contribution to communications, convening and capacity-building efforts in relevant areas of expertise.

This department has regular direct contacts with international, EU and national policy-makers. The Research and Advocacy department works in close collaboration with the entire Finance Watch organisation, including its members and other civil society partners.

The (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer will report to the Head of Research and Advocacy.

Job description

The (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer:

• Takes responsibility for legislative files related to sustainable finance;
• Represents Finance Watch externally with policymakers, regulators and supervisors;
• Has regular contacts with journalists on the files she/he is responsible for;
• Contributes to the development of advocacy and communications strategies;
• Interacts with Finance Watch members on the files he/she is responsible for;
• Contributes to the periodic reporting to donors;
• Collaborates with the Chief Economist with regards to strategic policy positions.

What does success in this job look like?

• Finance Watch strengthens its profile as a leading public interest expert voice on sustainable finance regulation;
• Finance Watch develops a comprehensive, consistent and high-quality corpus of policy analysis and recommendations, considered by regulators, supervisors, policymakers, elected officials and other expert stakeholders as part of the supervisory and legislative process;
• The Research & Advocacy strategy and objectives of Finance Watch on sustainable finance are delivered on time, and properly reported;
• Collaboration and communication with the rest of the organisation is effective and transparent, which contributes to a strong team spirit.

Desired Profile/Qualifications

• Experience in the financial industry and/or in the domain of sustainable finance;
• Experience of conducting policy analysis and writing reports/briefs;
• Understanding of the main issues at stake with sustainable finance initiatives in the EU, sustainable finance regulations (CSRD, Taxonomy, SFDR etc.) and relevant regional and international mechanisms/institutions (EFRAG, ISSB, etc.);
• Understanding of the functioning of finance in general and ability to analyse a diverse range of financial issues;
• Understanding of the EU legislative process, financial regulation and supervision;
• Master’s Degree, PhD or equivalent level of education.

Professional Interests

• Personal conviction about the relevance of Finance Watch’s mission of “making finance serve society”;
• Interest in and ability to understand other finance topics such as banking, financial markets, retail/consumer finance, asset management, financial stability, digital finance etc.;
• Interest in financial reforms in Europe, relevant international mechanisms and institutions.

Skills

• Ability to work and communicate with multiple stakeholders, internally and externally;
• Experience in representing an organisation externally and speaking in public, including in international events, would be a plus;
• Ability to manage a varied workload effectively, including managing competing demands, maintain high levels of accuracy and reliability;
• Ability to analyse sustainable finance topics and regulation thereof, identify issues and propose solutions.

Languages

• Fluent written and spoken English is essential;
• Fluency in at least one other EU language is a plus (in particular, Italian, Spanish and German).

OFFER

• A full-time contract with a competitive package (salary and fringe benefits);
• A multidisciplinary and multicultural working environment;
• High exposure to a large and diverse set of senior stakeholders;
• The position is based in Brussels. Partial remote working available.

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.

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

Application guidelines

Your application should include the following documents:

• A Curriculum Vitae;
• A short motivation letter answering to the following questions:
  • What are the main reasons that motivate you to work for Finance Watch?
  • What are your main achievements?

Send your application by email to: recruitment@finance-watch.org. Please quote “Application for a (Senior) Research and Advocacy Officer position – Sustainable Finance” in the title of your e-mail. Any incomplete application will be disregarded.

Interviews will take place online and/or in Brussels.

Deadline for applications: 16 October 2022