European Civic Forum is looking for a Communications Assistant (Trainee)

Looking to kickstart your career in communications? We’re hiring for a paid trainee position stating this September!

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Who we are

The European Civic Forum (ECF) is a pan-European network of more than 100 associations and NGOs across 30 European countries. Founded in 2005 by our member organisations, we have spent two decades working to protect civic space, enable civic participation, and build civil dialogue for more equality, solidarity, and democracy in Europe. You can read our 2025 Activity Report to get a clearer idea of what we do.

We run Civic Space Watch, a platform dedicated to alerting on restrictions on civic freedoms and civil society and sharing resources for protection. Our latest Civic Space Report gives a good overview of the state of civic space in Europe.

About this role

We are currently seeking a Communications Assistant to support and contribute to ECF’s comms efforts, with a particular focus on storytelling, social media, and narrative building. The successful candidate will be under the supervision of the Communications and Campaigns Officer.

This role is a paid traineeship designed for someone at the very start of their professional life, looking to gain hands-on experience working in NGO communications as part of their early career development. It is not a job for people with years of experience.

This following description is intended to give candidates a good idea of the role and what we’re looking for. The final list of responsibilities will be agreed by the Communications and Campaigns Officer and the successful candidate, to align with their professional and learning goals and expectations.

Main responsibilities

• Planning, drafting, and editing ECF’s communications content including social media, statements, newsletters, and press releases.
• Boosting ECF’s storytelling through social media content creation.
• Supporting the development of a new social media strategy.
• Identifying opportunities for proactive press outreach.
• Supporting the coordination of ECF’s internal Communications Working Group.
• Regular updates to the European Civic Forum and Civic Space Watch websites.
• Helping maintain contact lists, databases, and the collection of statistics.

The job description gives a general outline of the potential tasks and responsibilities and is not exhaustive.

Profile

Were looking for someone who:

• is a sociable and passionate person, committed to ECF’s values.
• is looking to kick-start their career in communications.
• is a creative person with a passion for storytelling and a keen interest in social media content creation and trends.
• has a passion for advancing justice, rights, and democracy, with a basic understanding of civic space and the NGO sector.
• has excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills in English (knowledge of another EU language is a plus).
• is adaptable, highly autonomous, and has good organisational skills.
• has basic layout and design skills.
• is able to work in a multicultural team and environment.

Motivated candidates are encouraged to apply even if they feel they do not completely meet the profile description.

What we offer

• A 6-month Convention d’Immersion Professional (CIP) contract, with the potential to renew for a further 6 months.*
• €1300 per month, plus full reimbursement of Brussels transportation pass, daily meal vouchers (worth €10 gross per day), and €50 per month home working allowance.
• 12.5 days of paid holiday over the six-month period, plus an additional 2.5 days of activism leave.
• Every second Friday off (with the exception of weeks with bank holidays and summer months.)
• A flexible and trust-based working environment.
• Hybrid working at our office in Brussels and at home. Possibility to work occasionally from abroad with prior approval of line manager.
• Home office equipment allowance.

Terms

• Full-time: 38 hours per week (5 days). General working hours 09:00 – 18:00 from Monday to Thursday; 09:00 – 16:00 on Friday, though flexibility (within reason) is allowed.
• Due to the length of this contract, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. The right to live and work in Belgium is therefore a requirement.
• We are unable to offer positions to those who are currently enrolled in a university degree.

* Regrettably, we do not currently have, nor do we expect to have, the resources for a full-time position at the end of this contract. Our focus will be on making this a valuable and enjoyable learning experience for the successful candidate and supporting them in their future career development.

How to apply

Please send an email addressed to Benjamin Goodwin to recruitment@civic-forum.eu including your CV and a one-page motivation letter in one PDF file. The deadline for applications is 23:59 (CEST) on 2 August. Please do not include a photo of yourself on your CV.

All candidates, whether or not they are selected for an interview, can expect to hear back from us by Friday 14 August. Please note that we will not be able to provide individual feedback at this stage.

Interviews will take place at our office in Brussels or via Microsoft Teams in the week starting 7 August.

The starting date will be agreed with the successful candidate, ideally in the second week of September.

View the full job description!

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