Project Communications Officer (part-time, 19-20hours/week)

Job Title: Project Communications Assistant (part-time)

Team: Communications and marketing team  

Contract: Fixed term for 12 months time, part-time. This is a part-time role with 19-20 hours per week.

Level: Foundation (Please refer to our Capability Framework) 

Salary:  Competitive for not-for-profit organisation  

Start Date: As soon as possible 

Location: Belgium, Netherlands (Ideally in commutable distance to office in Brussels or Amsterdam)

At Climate KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.   

When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential colleagues from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you. Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!   

Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. We understand that global temperature rise is exceeding 1.5C and this demands unprecedented change. It requires new social dynamics, ways of doing business, capital flows, policymaking, economic models, and new ways of living. That is why our mission is to leverage the power of systems innovation to transform whole places, industries and value chains by 2030, working across sectors to develop and scale ambitious programmes. Climate KIC’s strategy 2024-2030, Transformation, with Urgency, is available here.    

Climate KIC operates as a not-for-profit foundation working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we orchestrate a community of more than 150 organisations including large corporations and SMEs, municipal and regional governments, universities and research institutes, as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society actors.   

Climate KIC leads the implementation of the European Union’s Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and the launch pilot of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, both with the objective of catalysing rapid and deep transformation on a large scale, creating the precedent and economic transition conditions for demonstration, learning, capacity building, fast followership and investment. Achieving the EU Cities Mission will mean avoided scope 1 and 2 emissions alone of an estimated 0.7GT CO2e between now and 2040.    

Climate KIC has a Remote-First approach, where colleagues work remotely from home based in one of the countries where we have a branch or employing entity (and can work out of local offices or co-working seats, where they exist). We meet at our local offices to exchange and connect and use online collaboration tools to work with each other and with our community. On occasion, we meet in person as teams, and once per year as an organisation.    

As a mission-driven organisation dedicated to climate transformation, we consider the climate impact of our own actions, for example travel, catering, or IT equipment.    

ABOUT THE ROLE  

The project-focused Communications Officer creates a vital bridge between project delivery communications and the Editorial Team of Climate KIC. While firmly anchored in the Communications and Marketing Team, they also straddle project teams. They create purposeful content that both reaches the specific audiences of the project or programme and also builds the Climate KIC brand. They are hands-on doers that make the communications come alive, turning complex ideas into simple messages. They work closely with their programmatic colleagues to create stories of impact and give a voice to our community. 

This role will support the communications activities around projects and programmes in climate adaptation, agri-food, land use and forestry. An overview of Climate KIC’s work and programmes in these areas can be found here and here. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Support in executing the communication strategy for projects or programmes, continuously thinking of new and innovative ways to captivate audiences  

• Draft high-quality editorial content for Climate KIC’s and project websites, newsletter and social media channels  

• Create promotional materials tailored to different audiences  

• Support the design of visuals for social media, website, newsletters, and editorial products   

• Liaise with consortium partner organisations to align on communications deliverables and ensure timely, accurate reporting  

• Manage project-specific social media channels and websites, ensuring regular updates and audience engagement  

• Liaise with external contractors who support project communications  

• Support project event planning and promotion  

• Provide communications support to the project, as well as to the Communications & Marketing team, as needed  

Key Working Relationships  

• Senior Communications Manager (Lead for Regions Cluster) 

• Climate KIC Communications & Marketing team  

• Project delivery teams  

• Occasionally: project communications partners 

• Occasionally: external suppliers  

ABOUT YOU  

To be successful in this role you will need to be passionate about two things: creating compelling and innovative content and climate action. You may be early in your career, but you're eager to build your expertise, learn new skills, and take creative risks. You are both creative and pragmatic, and relish in the challenge of both thinking strategically and delivering high-quality communications products. You have a good eye for detail and are keen to deliver ‘client-ready’ outputs, while not being afraid of asking for guidance. 

Education/Qualifications  

Master’s degree in communications, marketing or journalism preferred but may be substituted for two (2) years of required experience. 

Experience  

• Some experience in the field of communications, marketing, or journalism  

• Flawless copywriting and storytelling skills in English  

• Some experience in managing digital channels (social media, newsletters, websites), including content creation and analytics  

• Some experience working on (online or offline) communications campaigns  

• Ability to work with video, podcasts and other multimedia formats not essential but desirable  

Skills  

• Excellent written and spoken English 

• Comfortable working with a range of digital collaboration tools (Office365, Microsoft Teams, Miro, Zoom, etc.)  

• Good eye for detail applied to analytical, writing and visual literacy skills  

• Good digital skills, with some familiarity with social media management, performance tracking tools, WordPress, Adobe suite, Canva, email marketing being a plus  

• Good communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills   

• Some knowledge and experience in topics related to sustainability, innovation, climate change, environmental topics is a plus   

Qualities, Personal Style, and Approach  

• Curious with a learning mindset  

• Collaborative 

• Proactive with a drive for problem-solving 

• Not afraid of taking the initiative and managing your own schedule (with support and guidance from senior colleagues)  

Compensation

Salaries at Climate-KIC are guided by a clear Salary Framework, which reflects local market conditions and is linked to our Capability Framework — a structure that defines four capability levels across the organisation. The annual gross salary for this role is:

• Belgium: 21,700 Eur (on part-time basis, working 19 hours/week)

• Netherlands: 20,300 Eur (on part-time basis, working 20 hours/week)

Location  

Candidates must have the right to work in the location they’re applying for (I.e. not require visa sponsorship) prior to applying for the position. Ideally, the successful candidate will be based close to a Climate KIC office, but we support fully remote or hybrid forms of working and offer a high degree of flexibility.  

To ensure that we can respond to every single applicant, we will close the role once we receive a reasonable pool of candidates to assess.

To apply, upload your CV and a short (1 page) motivational letter outlining why you would be a good fit for this role and how your skills match the requirements by the deadline indicated. Optionally, you can upload previous examples of your work (such as articles, social media and audiovisual assets, portfolios etc.)