About the program

The EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) is a six-year program that engages and supports civil society organizations across 86 countries where civic space is under pressure. Through this program, we aim to improve the capacity and ability of civil society partners to detect and respond to situations of a deteriorating or improving enabling environment, and address and contribute to structural and systemic prerequisites for such an environment.  This EU-funded program has a budget of EUR 30 million and is implemented over a period of six years – 2024 – 2029.

Led by Hivos, the program is implemented by a global consortium of civic space and democracy support organizations and networks, including CIVICUS, Democracy Reporting International, the European Partnership for Democracy, Forus and Transparency International. The EU SEE Network consists of national civil society groups representing the 86 countries, collectively referred to as Network Members. The consortium collaborates closely with EU counterparts at Brussels and EU Delegation level, as well as EU Member States.

As the Global Lead of the program, Hivos is responsible for effective global coordination and oversight over all activities and partners, as well as for managing the EU SEE Secretariat and associated governance bodies.

Job context

The Communications Officer leads and oversees the development and coordination of all external communications and visibility aspects of the EU SEE program. You work closely with all consortium partners to translate program outcomes into captivating external communications outputs and products geared towards diverse audiences (civil society organizations, policy makers and the general public). In parallel, you keep an eye on donor visibility requirements and ensure that Hivos and consortium partners act in compliance with them.

You lead the management of the EU SEE Digital Hub (https://eusee.hivos.org/) that translates data and insights gathered by Network Members into accessible and actionable tools and content. For this, you cooperate closely with a web developer and consortium partners. In addition, you raise the public profile of the program by producing and sharing content and updates on relevant social media channels.

You are a core team member of the EU SEE Secretariat, where you collaborate closely with five Hivos colleagues and additional Consortium partner staff. As Communications Officer, you are the first internal and external point of contact for any issues related to external communications and visibility. You report to and closely collaborate with the Global Program Manager, who is spearheading the entire program.

Responsibilities

Program communications

• Lead the ongoing development and implementation of the communications strategy for the program.
• Oversee the development of the Digital Hub from both a content management and project management perspective.
• Review research products including Early Warning Alerts, Snap Shots and Country Focus Reports before uploading them on the Digital Hub.
• Coordinate communication activities, including press releases, social media and events highlighting key program milestones and outputs.
• Coordinate research outputs between the EU SEE Digital Hub and the EU’s web platform.

Program visibility

• Ensure that Hivos and consortium partners comply with general EU visibility requirements.
• Anticipate and monitor the impact of external program visibility on partner safety, especially in restrictive environments, and adapt program visibility actions accordingly.

Collaboration and learning

• Coordinate and manage the Communications Working Group that includes communications officers from all consortium partners.
• Contribute to consortium-wide planning and learning activities.
• Collaborate with Hivos’ corporate communications team to align program communications with Hivos’ strategic communications priorities.

Requirements

The ideal candidate should be committed to the mission and values of Hivos and the EU SEE program and possess the following qualities and skills:

• A minimum of five years of experience in external communications in a non-profit environment. Specific experience in the areas of civic space, democratic governance and civil society engagement would be an asset.
• A degree (or equivalent work experience) in human rights, international development, political science, public administration, public law, marketing & communications or another relevant field.
• A proven track record of using online communications channels (website, social media) to amplify the impact and visibility of a complex, donor-funded program. Project management experience would be an asset.
• Proven ability to quickly grasp new concepts and information and to translate them into captivating content for diverse audiences (policymakers, civil society organizations, general public)
• Creativity for solving challenging strategic and operational issues.
• High professional proficiency in English with excellent written and verbal skills; proficiency in another widely spoken language would be a strong asset (e.g. Spanish, Arabic, French, Swahili, etc.).

What we offer

In this position you will work at Hivos’ Global Office in the city center of The Hague. This will be the primary location of the EU SEE Secretariat, with other Hivos program staff to be located there as well.

We offer a contract for 32 hours per week based on Hivos Global Office labor conditions. The salary ranges from €4.151,21 to €5.523,71 gross per month based on a 36-hour work week (adjusted pro rata).

We provide a laptop and travel expenses according to our commuting policies, as well as participation in our pension fund. Hivos additionally works according to a 50/50 schedule, which means you may work from home during half of your contract hours.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and CV by May 15th, 2025, at the latest, by clicking on the ‘Apply here’ button. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

APPLY HERE

* Kindly note that you have to be in possession of a valid work permit for the Netherlands.

Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record in their CV and description in cover letter that matches the requirements of the position elaborated above.

Due to the anticipated volume of applications, we regret that we can only respond to shortlisted candidates.

Hivos reserves the right to close the position before the application deadline if a suitable candidate is identified. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

If you are selected for the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references and a certificate of conduct (VOG) will be requested due to our Safeguarding Policy. Exceptions will only be made if there is a local legislation prohibition or when the candidate is unable to obtain such a certificate due to activities on LGTBIQ+ and Human Rights. We may check social media – unless applicants state they do not wish us to do so. Accuracy of information in the curriculum vitae will also be checked. Hivos is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diverse candidates – such as women and LGBTQIA+ people, persons with disabilities, and persons from negatively racialized groups – to apply.