Senior Policy Manager

Senior Policy Manager inThe Japan Business Council in Europe

Job description:

The Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE) is recruiting a Senior Policy Manager to strengthen its Brussels based secretariat. The JBCE is the multi-sectoral voice of Japanese Business interests in the EU and it represents the interests of more than 90 multinational companies of Japanese parentage operating in a wide range of sectors in Europe.

Reporting to the Secretary General, a key role of the Senior Policy Manager, will be to manage a team of 7 Policy Managers and 1 Administrative Assistant and ensuring the seamless delivery of the Secretariat’s core tasks towards its 90+ corporate members. The successful candidate will also be in charge of maintaining current and driving new EU lobbying and networking activities of the office.

The successful candidate must have a minimum of 5 years management experience within the EU lobbying sphere. Extensive experience of working with or within an EU trade association is also a prerequisite of this position. The role requires excellent organisational and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people.

The successful candidate must have native-level English with all other EU languages a plus. In addition, experience of having worked with or in a Japanese corporate environment would be an asset.

Key tasks:

• Manage and coordinate the JBCE Secretariat’s day-to-day operations in collaboration with the Secretary General and the respective policy managers / Administrative Assistant, including:
  • Ensuring business continuity (to take over Policy Manager’s work during a temporary vacancy, as seconded staff from Japan are changed on a regular basis);
  • Human resource issues and team building;
  • Annual Plan and Budget coordination and implementation;
  • Legal, financial and corporate governance management (including General Assembly, Board of Director meeting, Planning Committee meeting, etc.);
  • Membership engagement.
• Manage the smooth running of the work of the respective policy managers in charge of JBCE’s lobbying and engagement activities towards key EU stakeholders, including:
  • Coordinating the work of the respective policy managers in charge of each Committee and supporting the drafting and finalisation of all position papers and other external communication tools;
  • Engage externally with EU institutions on key policy dossiers and drive successful advocacy work in the co-decision and comitology processes;
  • Follow the advocacy KPIs set by JBCE committees within their key advocacy dossiers and successfully implement them in targeted lobbying campaigns;
  • Gather reliable and timely intelligence on key dossiers in the co-decision and comitology process that are of interest to JBCE committees.
  • Build trusted, long-term relations with key EU institutional staff.
• Engage actively with JBCE committee Chairs and other corporate members and establish streamlined communication channels within the Association, including:
  • Ensuring that the JBCE’s priorities and activities are at all times driven by the Committees, based on the needs of member companies;
  • Further developing and targeting internal reports, events, seminars and webinars to reflect EU “hot topics”;
  • Increasing membership engagement in the Committee meetings and organising events to ensure good communications amongst members.

Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in international relations, politics, law, economics, management or equivalent.
• More than 5 years management experience at senior level, preferably within a multinational / EU environment.
• Strong team management capacities: capacity to motivate a team and create a healthy and dynamic working atmosphere.
• Extensive experience of having worked with or within a trade association.
• Excellent drafting and verbal English communication skills.

• Previous experience of having worked within an EU Institution would be a plus.
• Previous experience of having worked with or within a Japanese corporate environment would be a plus.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
• Flexibility, adaptability and an open-minded outlook.
• Excellent computer and social media literacy.

What we offer

• Opportunities to grow, take initiatives and work within a dynamic and multi-cultural organisation.
• An attractive remuneration package (incl. several benefits) commensurate with qualifications and experience.

How to apply

Deadline for applications: Friday, 18 March 2022 (18:00 CET)

To apply for this position, please send your CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page) to Mr. Jesper Holmberg (jesper@brusselsdirect.eu). Your cover letter should outline your suitability and motivation for the post. It should explicitly reference how your profile matches the different tasks and requirements described above.

Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be primarily held online and if COVID health conditions permit, face to face interviews will also be organised at our office location. A written test will also be organised to test the shortlisted candidates drafting skills.

Due to the large volume of applications we expect to receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. All personal data of candidates will be deleted at the end of the selection process.

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