Head Of Hr/Hr Manager

The European Environmental Bureau is the largest and most inclusive European network of environmental citizens’ organisations working on a broad range of environmental and climate issues. We advocate for progressive policies to create a better environment in the European Union and beyond. In 2024, the EEB is celebrating its 50th anniversary together with its 180+ member organisations, its 80+ staff members and our vast network of partners, allies, and friends.

We are seeking a Head of HR / HR Manager (depending on experience) to lead our HR team and our human resources, staff development and wellbeing work. This is an exciting role as part of the EEB’s Senior Management Team to provide strategic guidance and deliver hands on activities to attract and retain qualified, committed, and diverse staff members, to ensure our staff can develop personally and professionally in the organisation and enjoy a high level of workplace satisfaction. Our staff is our main resource to achieve our vision of a better future where people and nature thrive together.

This is a full-time position on a permanent contract. The position is Brussels-based with at least 3 days a week in the office. The Head of HR / HR Manager reports to the Deputy Secretary General. The Head of HR / HR Manager will supervise the HR team currently consisting of a Senior HR Officer and an Administrative Assistant.

As the EEB’s next Head of HR, you will typically have 15+ years of relevant experience in HR and staff development, proven leadership experience and a personal commitment to the work we do. Candidates with around 10 years of relevant experience are welcome to apply and can be offered the role at the grade of HR Manager with the prospect of developing their role as Head of HR with increasing experience.

The work consists of:

• Providing strategic guidance, developing policies, and implementing day-to-day tasks on HR, staff development and wellbeing together with the HR team;
• Being an active part of the EEB’s Senior Management Team and collaborating across teams;
• Following up on legal developments and ensuring our compliance with all rules and regulations applicable to HR in Belgian associations;
• Following best practices and innovation in HR management;
• Supervising the issuing of employment contracts and the Staff Terms and Conditions;
• Being responsible for monthly salary calculations and payroll;
• Coordinating recruitment processes in collaboration with the HR team, team leads and line managers and ensuring our recruiting practices comply with legal requirements and our own standards and policies;
• Contributing to the onboarding of new staff and improve onboarding practices;
• Make proposals to ensure attractive working conditions including through an attractive EEB’s Salary Policy, benefits scheme, and attractive retainment measures;
• Drafting, coordinating, and implementing the annual training plan and support individual training measures and personal development;
• Coordinating and improving Annual Performance Reviews and other feedback mechanisms;
• Conducing regular surveys on staff wellbeing, and propose and implement follow up activities with the HR team and other teams;
• Leading on the organisation of the annual staff retreat and support team retreats and teambuilding activities;
• Recommending staff relations practices necessary to maintain and build a positive employer-employee relationship;
• Coordinating proactively with the other EEB teams working on administration and operations (in particular, the Finance Team, the Office and IT Team, and the Secretary) and contribute to fundraising where appropriate and where linked to HR and staff development.

Qualities and experience:

• Preferably 15+ years of experience in HR and staff development for Head of HR, or 10+ years for HR Manager with the possibility to develop the position over time;
• Preferably 7 years+ of experience in managing a diverse team in an international context (for Head of HR), or 3 years of experience in line management (for HR Manager);
• HR professional trained in Belgium and or with robust experience working as an HR professional in Belgium with strong familiarity with Belgian labour law, social legislation and other applicable rules and regulations;
• Experience working for a civil society, membership or other purpose-driven organisation is a strong asset;
• Robust experience with all formal HR tasks such as employment contracts and payroll;
• Experience with staff development, training, wellbeing, in organisations of our size where development possibilities and budget is more limited compared to large organisations;
• Experience with the interface of Senior Management and staff representation and trade union delegations;
• Good command of written and spoken English and French (with Dutch or other EU languages being an asset);
• Solid organisational skills, highly motivated, solutions-oriented, trustworthy, empathetic leader with a commitment to an inclusive and diverse workspace;
• Interest in building and maintaining – as part of the wider team – a healthy organisational culture;
• Be available to work from the EEB’s Brussels office for at least 3 days a week;
• Subscribe to the EEB’s values.

The EEB offers:

• A permanent contract for a fulltime position (80% role negotiable);
• A monthly pre-tax salary starting from EUR 4871 for Head of HR and EUR 4221 for HR Manager with a higher starting salary depending on the level of experience[1];
• A package with various salary and non-salary benefits (holiday bonus, 13th month, pension scheme (with different elements including 6% on your gross salary), luncheon vouchers, teleworking allowance, transport allowance, extra-legal holidays and increasing number of extra holidays with years in the organisation, mobile phone subscription, travel insurance for work and private purposes etc.);
• Possibility to work from home 2 days a week and temporarily from other EU countries, depending on individual circumstances and work requirements;
• A dynamic, friendly, flexible working environment at a purpose-driven organisation.

How to apply:

Applications consisting of 1) a letter of motivation, 2) a comprehensive CV and 3) a completed questionnaire (see below) should be sent to personnel@eeb.org.

Only applications comprising these three elements will be considered. Please clearly mark “Head of HR/ HR Manager” in the subject of your email.

Questionnaire for Head of HR / HR Manager:

Please answer the following questions:

1. What would you describe as the top three challenges for HR, professional development, and wellbeing under the current circumstance, for an international association working on sustainable development in Brussels? And how can we turn them into opportunities? (300-500 words)

1. As a non-profit organisation funded by grants, our salary package cannot necessarily compete with those of, for instance, the European institutions, consultancies, or trade associations operating in the same space. What are best practices for non-profits to identify and retain qualified and committed staff in that regard? (300-500 words)

Location: As our contracts fall under Belgian law, the candidate must commit to being officially registered in Belgium and working most of the time from our office in Brussels.

Deadline for Application: 7 April 2024

Interviews: 11-12 April 2024 at the EEB offices in Brussels, second round of interviews tentatively the following week.  

Starting date: As soon as possible

Please note that we will ask shortlisted candidates to provide two references.

Due to limited staff resources and numbers of CVs anticipated, only candidates selected for interviews will receive a reply.

The EEB is an equal-opportunities employer. We respect our employees’ private life, including where they are taking up care roles. We strive to be an inclusive organisation and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. Please have a look at our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy.

Please read our recruitment privacy statement before applying.

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