Director

Friends of the Earth Europe

Start date
September 2026

About the Organisation

Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) campaigns at the heart of Europe for sustainable and just societies and for the protection of the environment. We are the largest grassroots environmental network in Europe, uniting 30 national organizations with thousands of local groups as part of Friends of the Earth International. Our vision is of a peaceful and sustainable world, founded on social, economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice and free from all forms of domination and exploitation.

About the role

We are looking for a permanent director to galvanize the European network of Friends of the Earth, in support of Friends of the Earth International's mission, vision, values, and strategy, and lead its European Office in pursuing this goal. The Director is responsible for the political and strategic leadership and operational management of FoEE. This role ensures the effective coordination of the FoEE network, oversees programmes and operations, and represents the organization at the highest levels with donors, the Executive Committee, allies, and key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Strategic and Political Leadership:

• Lead the development and implementation of FoEE's strategic plan in close connection with member groups, ensuring alignment with organizational values, and building on previous strengths and successes of both the European office and member groups.
• Act as an effective spokesperson, demonstrating strong political leadership, external vision, and communication skills. Provide high-level advocacy and representation for FoEE, engaging with EU institutions and key stakeholders.
• Identify and develop new areas of work in line with the strategy, including horizon scanning of political, economic, and social contexts to identify new opportunities.
• Ensure integration and coherence of FoEE work with Friends of the Earth International's priorities.

Coordination and Capacity Building:

• Ensure participatory annual planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes to ensure the implementation of the strategic plan. Lead on setting, reviewing, and implementing organizational priorities.
• Ensure good coordination among programmes and cross-cutting activities, fostering clarity in structure and processes to enable staff focus on delivery. Oversee the implementation and effectiveness of all programs and alliances, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission.
• Ensure good coordination and communication between member groups and the office, including Young Friends of the Earth Europe, providing training and development, with a focus on capacity building for grassroots community organizing and mobilization.
• Commit to ensuring youth participation in the organization's structures.

Staff Leadership:

• Foster a positive and productive work environment, prioritizing internal care and staff development, and embodying a people-centred leadership approach with warmth and approachability, engaging effectively with all staff.
• Line manages the current six members of the Coordination and Management Team and the Fundraising Coordinator, providing leadership, support, and performance management.
• Address and surface conflicts constructively, ensuring a respectful and inclusive work environment.
• Recognize successes and maintain a forward-looking, positive spirit.

Fundraising:

• Implement the fundraising strategy to support the organization's strategic plan and annual work plans.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with donors, providing regular updates on progress and financial status.
• Cultivate strategic alliances to secure funding and resources, leveraging strong fundraising ability.

Organizational Management and Governance:

• Ensure robust financial management, budgeting, and compliance with financial regulations.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the Executive Committee, plan meetings, provide reports and recommendations, and implement all relevant decisions.
• Lead the Coordination and Management Team, fostering a participatory leadership style and shared decision-making.
• Review and develop management structures and systems to lead organizational change as required and to lead and manage the office to ensure successful delivery.
• Fulfill all duties and obligations pertaining to the organization under Belgian law and ensure financial and administrative requirements. Implement and monitor policies and procedures to ensure compliance with legal, ethical, and organisational standards. Manage organizational risks and ensure appropriate risk mitigation strategies are in place.

Support to the Director:

• Goodwill, openness, support, loyalty, and trust.
• Clear communication of expectations and needs.
• Constructive feedback, including raising issues when things are not working.
• Commitment to carrying out responsibilities effectively.
• Recognition of successes and a forward-looking, positive spirit.
• Shared responsibility for decision-making, preparing to take on delegated tasks.
• Consideration of support needs for the Director, to balance internal and external responsibilities, including, if the budget allows, putting in place an executive assistant

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience:

• A successful track record of at least 7 years of strategic leadership and participatory management within a complex operating environment, including inspiring, creating, building and sustaining teams to achieve results.
• Demonstrable experience leading strategy development and implementation for a complex and diverse membership organization.
• Demonstrable experience of having conceived, planned and delivered successful campaigns involving partner organizations to deliver system change.
• Demonstrable achievements in fundraising.
• Strong negotiation skills

Qualifications and Experience:

• Alignment with organizational values and integrity in living and leading those values internally and externally.
• Ecological and cultural diversity
• People's sovereignty, human and peoples' rights, freedom from oppression
• Equity and environmental, social, economic, gender and racial justice
• Clear, transparent and collaborative decision-making processes
• Solidarity, responsibility, and empowerment
• Self-care, mutual respect and care for each other and the planet

Leadership Skills:

• A people-centred leader who prioritizes internal care and supports staff development.
• Strong political leadership in a challenging European context, external vision, and proven experience acting as an effective spokesperson.

Topical Knowledge:

• A solid understanding of European politics, social, environmental and global justice trends, along with the changing political context influencing FoEE's agenda.
• A good understanding of network development, community organising and capacity building.

Languages:

• Fluency in English
• French and Dutch are desirable (for dealings with Belgian authorities)
• Additional European languages are an asset.

Compensation & Benefits

• An attractive benefits package
• Lunch vouchers
• An additional 5 days of holidays per year 
• Pension scheme
• Hospitalization and comprehensive travel insurance.
• We also offer full coverage of train travel in case of commuting within Belgium. 
• FoEE offers a motivating working environment in an international office located in an environmentally-friendly NGO building.

Conditions of employment

• You must have the right to live in Belgium.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the Brussels office and remotely

How to apply

• Send an email to the Director at [email protected] with your CV (max 3 pages long) and a motivation letter (max 1page long) clearly describing how your education and work experience meet the above-mentioned requirements by 12th April 2026 at 23.59h CET. Please name your documents CV (Last Name) FoEE Director and Letter (Last Name) FoEE Director.
• If you have questions about the vacancy, you can contact interim Director Matilda Flemming at [email protected].

Interviews

• Due to the volume of applications, we will contact only short-listed candidates.
• The planned hiring process will consist of a phone screening call (30 min) in late April, an online interview with assessment (90 min in total) mid-May, and an in-person interview (60 min) early June 2026.

Policies

FoEE actively welcomes candidates of all descriptions, regardless of age, sexual orientation, marital status, wealth, religious, philosophical or political beliefs, language, present or future state of health, disability, physical or genetic characteristics, gender, pregnancy, parental status, change of sex, nationality, race, skin colour, ancestry, nationality, descent, national or ethnic or social origin. FoE Europe strives to make our office as diverse as possible.

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