Contract type: Paid traineeship (Convention d’immersion professionnelle - CIP)
Full-time (38 hours/week)
Duration: 6 months starting from March 2026 (with option of 3 to 6-month-extension)
Location: Fair Trade Advocacy Office (Brussels, Belgium) with flexibility for remote work 2 days/week
Reporting to: International and Institutional Relations Manager
BACKGROUND
Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of marginalised producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade Organisations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practices of conventional international trade. (Definition of Fair Trade, International Fair Trade Charter)
As a joint initiative of Fairtrade International, the World Fair Trade Organization and the World Fair Trade Organization-Europe, the Fair Trade Advocacy Office leads the Fair Trade movement political advocacy at the European Union level and contributes to the strengthening of the political advocacy capacities of the global Fair Trade movement.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR …
A highly motivated and well-organised person, able to work at a fast pace and independently by managing their own time and work priorities. The FTAO is a small team, hence, this job opening would suit somebody who is flexible, able to work on different issues simultaneously and carry out a diversity of tasks in the advocacy area.
We are seeking somebody with the ability to carry out advocacy tasks (including monitoring), organise advocacy events, do research work, turn complex issues into easily understandable documents, as well as conduct administrative tasks.
Somebody who is excited to learn and brings in ideas for the advocacy strategy of the FTAO. Last but not least, we are looking for a friendly team member!
KEY AREAS OF WORK
Analysis of EU and international trade and sustainable development policies:
- Analyse EU (and, to a lesser degree, other International Organisations), legislation, policies and agreements
- Monitor EU processes that are key to our advocacy work
- Specific work is expected to be carried out on EUDR, EUOR, UTPs and pesticides.
Support in advocacy work:
- Liaise with MEP assistants, European Commission staff, other NGOs and Fair Trade Organisations.
- Provide support to the FTAO staff in their advocacy tasks, particularly the Managing Director and the International and Institutional Relations Manager
Event organisation:
- Manage the organisation of some of FTAO’s events (workshops, conferences, etc.), in liaison with responsible policy officer
- Write succinct reports of relevant conferences/meetings in Brussels where trainee represents FTAO
General administrative support:
- Carry out specific administrative tasks on an ad hoc basis.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. European Union Studies, Political Science, Economics, Law or International Relations).
- Excellent spoken and written English.
- Excellent research and writing skills.
- Able to work in a small team and independently with people from different cultural backgrounds.
- Flexibility, ability to work at a fast pace, improvise and multi-task.
- IT skills at user level (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Desirable:
- Master’s Degree in the above-mentioned academic fields.
- Fluency in spoken and written French or Spanish.
- Prior knowledge and experience in the following policy areas: Fair Trade, trade, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development, development cooperation policies.
- Demonstrated knowledge of EU Institutions.
WE OFFER
- A stimulating and dynamic international work environment.
- Remuneration of EUR 1394 gross.
- Flexibility to work from home (2 days per week) + possibility to work outside of Brussels for an annual maximum of 30 days (non-consecutive).
- 12 days of (extra official) holidays per 6 months of traineeship.
- Plenty of learning and networking opportunities as part of a training programme.
- Space for taking initiatives.
CONDITIONS
- Work permit for the EU.
- Have completed your studies.
TO APPLY
Please fill in this Google form by 18th January 2026 close of the day. You will have to upload a CV and a motivation letter to the Google form (in one document).
Interviews will take place via video call in the week of 26th January. Ideally, the candidate can start at the beginning of March.
If you have any questions, please contact Virginia Enssle (enssle@fairtrade-advocacy.org)
Thanks for your interest in Fair Trade and in working with us!