Job vacancy

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Competence Centre for Climate and Social Justice is recruiting a Policy Advisor for a one-year maternity leave cover to support the Policy team.

Location: Brussels, Belgium
Deadline for applications: Friday, 24 April 2026
Contact: justclimate@fes.de

About the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
We stand for values. Together with social democracy and the trade union movement, we are committed to the pursuit of freedom, justice, solidarity, and peace. From a progressive perspective, we analyse and engage with social and political developments in Germany, across the European Union, and globally through our work in more than 100 countries. Our mission is to strengthen and promote social democracy at both the European and international levels. We provide policy advice and expertise to political decision-makers, trade unions, and civil society organisations on key issues shaping European and global politics. In our work, we connect national, European, and international policy debates in order to foster coherent and forward-looking solutions to today’s political, economic, and societal challenges.

About the Competence Centre for Climate and Social Justice 
Launched in 2021, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Competence Center for Climate and Social Justice acts as both a think tank on emerging trends and a policy advisor in ongoing debates. FES Just Climate works with a diverse range of partners, including political actors, trade unions, civil society organisations, and think tanks. Trade unions are central to our work, helping promote social dialogue, safeguard workers’ rights, and shape a just and inclusive energy transition and industrial transformation. We cover the EU, wider Europe, and the South Caucasus region and link the ongoing geopolitical developments with industrial and energy policy debates. Our work focuses on the following key working lines: industrial, labour and energy policies, as well as the geopolitics of energy and climate communications. More details can be found here: https://justclimate.fes.de/index.html 

Are you interested? Our team consists of committed and thoughtful professionals who carry out their work with agility, mutual respect, and a clear focus.

Profile: 
The successful candidate will lead activities related to the energy policy area, with a particular emphasis on the just transition and energy affordability. The candidate should demonstrate strong familiarity with recent policy developments in the just transition debate, especially the social dimension of the energy transition (including instruments such as ETS 2), as well as issues related to energy affordability, energy security, and EU cooperation on energy connectivity and system integration. An understanding of the geopolitical implications of energy transitions and associated supply chain dynamics would be an advantage.

The candidate should have: 

• At least 2 years of professional experience with EU legislative processes and familiarity with the European Commission, Parliament, or Council procedures with regard to the topics of the job profile. Knowledge of key EU energy directives and regulations is an asset (e.g., Renewable Energy Directive, Market Design Reform, EU Grids Package, etc);

• Strong analytical skills, with proven experience in producing briefing notes, policy analyses, and presentations that distil complex policy developments into clear and concise writing;

• A master-level degree in a relevant discipline: Political Science, Renewable Energy, Energy Technology, Economics, Environmental Science, or similar; 

• Experience in preparing and coordinating activities such as public conferences, closed expert seminars, and working visits. Previous moderation of public and closed-door expert discussions and events, and organisation of high-level meetings would be an asset;

• Experience with stakeholder engagement in trade unions, think tanks, civil society organisations;

• Strong organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines;

• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory. Fluency in any other language, including German, is an asset.

Job responsibilities: 

• Writing briefing notes, policy analysis, and preparing presentations;

• Developing and supervising the content of reports, policy papers, and analyses in the energy policy field;

• Moderating public and closed-door discussions;

• Organising high-level meetings and working visits to Brussels;

• Following the key policy developments and debates related to the key topics;

• Cooperation and coordination with other FES units on these topics;

• Willingness to travel for work.

Our offer:

• A one-year maternity contract (maternity leave cover) with a competitive remuneration package according to qualifications;

• A friendly and appreciative working environment;

• Comprehensive professional development opportunities;

• Employee benefits include public transportation allowance, work-from-home arrangement (2 days per week), and lunch vouchers;

• Additional employer benefits such as occupational pension, eco-cheques, and an attractive number of vacation days.

The regular working time is 38 hours per week. The employment contract will be concluded under Belgian law.

Starting date: Summer 2026 

Application: 
Please send your application (a CV of a maximum of 2 pages and a one-page motivation letter) to justclimate(at)fes.de until Friday, 24 April 2026, quoting “Policy Advisor FES Just Climate” in the subject line. You are also encouraged to provide examples of written work from previous roles that would demonstrate your skills and expertise.

For any questions related to the vacancy, please contact Reghina Dimitrisina, Policy Advisor – reghina.dimitrisina(at)fes.de, who will be happy to provide further details.

While we acknowledge the use of generative AI tools in the workplace, we encourage your cover letter to reflect your own perspective and approach to the role. For this reason, we discourage overreliance on such tools in your application.  

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.