Director of Policy

Carbon Gap is an independent carbon dioxide removal (CDR) advocate in Europe, with a large number of policy professionals dedicated exclusively to CDR. Located in our Brussels-based, EU Carbon Removal Policy Centre and selected European capitals, Carbon Gap has established itself as a leading organisation in CDR policy advocacy as well as being a beacon in the scientific research and analysis which underpin our policy positions and interventions.

Since our launch at COP26 in Glasgow, we have published a series of public assets such as policy papers, thought leadership pieces, policy trackers etc. Our experts have been featured in the mainstream and climate media, and we have been selected on various EU CDR-related expert groups. This is an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of a decades-long mission to make Europe a global carbon removal leader and deliver the capacity necessary to meet Europe’s net zero commitment.
As we are continuing to build out a team of experienced carbon removal policy professionals and are looking for a leader with a track record of successfully influencing policy development on carbon removal or adjacent policy areas and a relevant network within the Brussels policy ecosystem, to help make our vision of safe, effective and socially responsible carbon removal a reality. If you have the ambition to match our mission and are seeking a platform to scale your personal impact in a high empowerment and high accountability environment, we want to talk to you.

As a member of the Carbon Gap management team, you will have accountability for our Carbon Dioxide Removal policy work across the EU, EU member states, and other non-EU European countries.
You will lead an experienced team in the development and execution of policy design and policy advocacy strategies, working collaboratively with Carbon Gap colleagues and carbon removal ecosystem partners, based on established carbon removal system development requirements and policy positions that you will contribute to. You will lead engagement with policymakers and influencers and develop your own expertise and profile in climate and carbon removal policy.

You will have overall accountability for a themed portfolio of carbon removal policy within a team of peers, working directly with the CEO. You will lead, direct and be accountable for our policy and advocacy strategy by;

• Developing and executing advocacy plans, including:
  • Have a clear strategy for how to reach the right groups of people such as policy makers inside and outside the EU and member state institutions.
  • Develop, expand, and cultivate relationships with EU policymakers, relevant government agencies, and interest groups in order to advance the policy agenda for carbon removal.
  • With the communications team, develop media strategies, PR strategies and social media strategies to both promote and elevate individuals in the organisation to help them be more effective as well as the organisation itself – in other words, you will ensure Carbon Gap are the first call for policy makers to obtain trusted advice
• Design and develop our strategy and policy proposals
  • Bring an expert level of knowledge to lead the formation and design of our policy positions, providing guidance to the team around tactics and strategy in critical areas, such as understanding timing and windows of opportunity, the changing political landscape, and the social acceptability of various policy proposals
  • Mentor and guide the team in policy design and development
  • Have an open mind and be willing to learn, develop and change your own positions based upon your learnings, discussions and research
• Bring a meaningful network of government, industry, labour, activist groups, ENGOs, and other stakeholders who deeply understand policy needs and galvanise support for carbon removal policy and be able to leverage that network to advance our mission.
• Provide support and guidance and excellent working practices for policy analysis:
  • Reading, reviewing, and synthesising scientific and policy research related to carbon removal, and creating a network of experts that you can rely on, as well as developing relationships with our existing network of experts.
  • Supporting in-depth analysis of policy, politics, and industry trends.
  • Working with our communications team on research insights and written output related to carbon removal policy.
  • Contribute to developing an internal database of relevant carbon removal policy developments, upcoming decisions, and key decision makers.
  • Developing advocacy strategies for identified policy recommendations.
• Contribute to the direction of our other discreet projects including:
  • Developing and executing a member state level strategy
  • Thought leadership and mentorship to your senior team on their discreet projects such as our Policy Tracker, and Country Deployment Roadmaps projects
• Be a core member of the management team contributing to overall organisational strategy as well as the effective running of your own department in areas such as supplier and contractor management, team structure, and hiring and staff development.

• You are a demonstrable expert with working knowledge of the European Union including the [CB1] institutions, process, how to influence these areas and how public policy is generally influenced
• You have experience in climate and energy policy. Experience in CCS or CDR is a plus but not essential.
• You have written position papers, and helped devise strategy for at least the last five years, and you’ll be able to show us some of your published work
• You are committed to climate action. You don’t need to be an expert in carbon removal, but the idea that we can take carbon from the atmosphere, stop climate change, and begin repairing the damage we’ve done to the planet excites you.
• You’re comfortable with new material. Diving into a new field, learning new acronyms and concepts, and digesting scientific papers doesn’t scare you. You want to become a master of new ideas and concepts.
• You make complicated things simple. You have a knack for understanding big, complex issues and distilling them into what your audience needs to know, especially through writing.
• You obsess about the bigger picture. You’re not satisfied unless your work leads to tangible results, and always want to know how what you’re doing now serves the long-term goal.
• You’re a relationship-builder at heart. You proactively make and maintain genuine connections, always looking for ways to help, and work well with diverse groups of people.
• You are a great leader. You will mentor, encourage and develop your team in a collaborative, and thoughtful way.

In your covering letter, please include short paragraphs on the following areas of emphasis to help us better assess your application:

• Show and describe how your interventions have helped to shape policy, and describe how you measure the impact of your work
• Your approach to complex topics, your distillation methods, and how you would support your team in communicating clearly to policy makers, stakeholders and the wider public

• A permanent full-time work contract (40h/week) under Belgium law
• Competitive salary package, including benefits such as lunch vouchers, pension plan, medical plan and reimbursement of public transport
• Dynamic and supportive team with amazing colleagues and regular team socials
• Modern offices situated in the heart of the European district of Brussels
• Hybrid working regime 
• Opportunities for training and personal development

 
Carbon Gap is an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to broadening opportunities for groups that are underrepresented in the climate and carbon removal spaces, and to building an inclusive team where people of different backgrounds can thrive. We strongly encourage applications from people who do not see themselves represented in the current climate ecosystem. If you feel like this description matches you and are able to do so, please mention it in your covering letter, and we will guarantee you an interview.
You don't need to meet all the requirements to be considered and we know you might need to grow into the role. If you feel like this role is the right one for you, please don’t hesitate to apply.