Senior EU Policy Officer Food waste, biogas and land use

About the job

About Us

Feedback EU is a Netherlands-based food and climate justice campaign group.  We work closely together with our sister organisation Feedback Global. We work to regenerate nature by transforming our food system. Food production is the single greatest impact humans have on the environment. From mountains of food waste, to habitat destruction to grow animal feed for factory farms or feed farmed fish, to soil depletion leaving future harvests at risk: the food system needs to change. Founded in April 2022, we combine investigative research, campaigns, lobbying, community outreach and on-the-ground pilot projects for a better food system.

About the role

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to strengthen Feedback’s pioneering EU advocacy and campaigning on food waste, anaerobic digesters, climate change, sustainable diets and industrial animal production in Europe.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced EU policy officer to lead our advocacy on biomethane in relation to food waste, biomethane, land use, industrial livestock and climate change at EU level and amongst a few strategic member states. Feedback has campaigned successfully on food waste and on largescale anaerobic digestion in the UK and with partners in the EU since 2013 and on biomethane in the EU since 2023. The successful candidate will strengthen our advocacy on food waste, industrial livestock, energy crops and biomethane in the EU, building on our history of advocacy in the UK and the EU and working in partnership with other European organisations in key countries.

Your role will include responsibility for coordinating our one-year funded project to influence policy makers in the EU and national states to maintain biomethane production within a ´sustainable niche´ such that it supports emission mitigation and energy security without threatening food security and losing opportunities for nature recovery. Furthermore, you will lead our EU advocacy work on food waste regulation in coordination with EU partners and networks.

Your role will involve building relationships and coalitions at EU level, in Member States, and the UK, drawing learning from Feedback’s UK campaign on food waste and further developing and implementing advocacy and campaigns for the EU context. Your role  will require taking significant responsibility for network building and advocacy tactics to achieve policy goals. The role will also involve working on other Feedback projects and campaigns in pursuit of a sustainable and just food system where required, especially with regards to our EU advocacy on industrial livestock and aquaculture.

To be successful in this role you will be an astute policy advisor, with a strong understanding of EU decision-making processes and of critical issues in the environmental and climate sector.   You will have excellent skills at identifying and developing new relationships and communicating with colleagues in a remote setting and will need to be passionate about addressing head on the damage that our food system causes to our climate, ecology, food security and biodiversity.

You will be able to demonstrate your strong advocacy and campaigning skills and sound political judgement in creating and implementing EU lobby and campaigning strategies and networking with civil society and EU policy makers, as well as carrying out project management and fundraising duties as required by the organisation to support advocacy and campaigning. As an employee joining a small team of a new organisation, we value flexibility, energy and a willingness to take on challenges and learn new skills. We look forward to welcoming you to our team.

Job Description

The main responsibilities of this role are:

1. To develop and implement EU lobbying strategies and produce policy briefings and other materials on biomethane and food waste and associated land use, livestock production, food security, land use, climate and energy themes (30% of time), by:
   1. Identifying opportunities to influence EU policy on Feedback’s areas of work, advising on EU lobbying approaches and coordinating strategy implementation.
   2. Working with colleagues to formulate policy recommendations based on research findings and existing Feedback’s positions, and tailor these to opportunities and audience
   3. In relation to biomethane and food waste, producing research outputs, reports, policy briefs and policy recommendations based on scientific evidence and analysis, working with external stakeholders including partner NGOs and academics.
2. To create content based on research findings and to manage and organise advocacy and networking events (20%), working with colleagues and allies including:
   1. Producing content for social media, blogs, op eds and press releases
   2. Preparing presentations and briefings for colleagues and partners
   3. Managing and coordinating campaign events at EU level, the Netherlands and in other target countries.
3. To build relationships with other civil society, policy makers and industry (20%), by:
   1. Convening a core group of NGOs to agree on common positions and messaging on biomethane and strengthening their capacity in relation to advocacy and campaigning.
   2. Convening a core group of NGOs and networks to strengthen our EU advocacy on the regulation of food waste.
   3. Representing Feedback and the campaign in externals networks, and deputizing for senior staff as required
   4. Supporting senior staffing briefing industry bodies and groups.
   5. Building alliances with US organisations and coalitions working on relevant issues like ´factory farm gas´ to cross-pollinate and strengthen international movements.
   6. Participating in European and global coalitions, networks and conversations.
4. Deliver smooth and effective project coordination of the biomethane project, working with the Director of Feedback EU and other colleagues (20%), by:
   1. Administering the project budget.
   2. Supporting on reporting to donors on progress
   3. Supporting fundraising for related work as required
5. Take on other research, advocacy and any other reasonable tasks in wider Feedback EU programmes (10%), including Feedback UK as relevant, committing to extending learning and understanding to new issues and topics.

 Person specification

To deliver in this role you will need to have:

• Good knowledge and understanding of European institutions and decision-making processes and at least 3 years’ experience in advocacy at EU-level ideally in the areas of food systems, food waste, energy systems, land use and/ or climate change.
• Experience in achieving corporate and/ or policy change on environmental issues, as a policy advisor, campaigner or within industry.
• Experience in research methodologies and drawing evidence-based conclusions from research.
• Ideally experience working on policy campaigns and with civil society in the Netherlands
• Flexibility and resilience – the ability to manage multiple priorities and to pivot rapidly to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
• Excellent communication skills – persuasive writing skills and fluent spoken and written English, as well as experience presenting and facilitating.
• Dutch and French language skills would be an asset.
• Ideally, experience working in remote teams and maintaining strong working relationships with remote colleagues.
• A self-starter with a can-do attitude, flexibility and adaptability, willing to pitch in on delivery and help colleagues across the teams, recognising that Feedback EU is a small, nimble organisation with fast-changing priorities.
• A commitment to Feedback’s values Impact, Collaboration, Celebration, Solidarity, Audacity- and to our goal of transforming the food system to regenerate the natural world and to sustain us all on a fair basis
• The right to work in the EU.