Category: Vacancies

CALL FOR A CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT US IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR 2026-2030+ STRATEGIC PLAN

ERGO Network is contracting a consultant to support us in developing our 2026-2030+ strategic plan based on strategic objectives and strategies. We expect a participatory process, including ERGO Network’s board, staff and membership.

ERGO Network

ERGO Network (www.ergonetwork.org) brings together 30 members from across Europe and supports organisations with a common perspective on Roma grassroots empowerment and equal citizenship to combat antigypsyism. We mobilize and connect organisations and individuals that share and express our values – active citizenship, shared responsibility, and passion – to strengthen and empower Roma civil society involvement in decision-making at local, national and European levels and to address existing shortcomings of policies targeted at Roma.

Our office is based in Brussels.

ERGO Network is seeking the services of a consultant with strong experience and excellent organisational skills to develop and implement a participatory strategic planning process. Our network’s culture is based on participation and co-creation, which we also expect from this important planning process.

The objectives of the task are:

• To conduct an in-depth context analysis in collaboration with members, Board and staff to help review the organisation’s strategic directions (vision, mission, strategic objectives, pathways of change…etc.) and the most suitable structure and resources needed to effectively achieve the outcomes and impact necessary for bringing about change;
• To support ERGO Network’s strategic planning for 2026-2030 by effectively bringing the insights and views of ERGO Network members into the process in a participatory manner.
• To support the creation of long-term strategic goals for the organisation to reach by 2035.

Final output:

• Strategic Plan 2026-2030, including long-term strategic goals until 2035, to be adopted by the ERGO Network General Assembly in June 2025.  

ERGO Network staff will be able to support this process by being available for interviews, meetings and comments, providing internal documents, and setting up meetings with members and the board.

Timeframe and fees:

The contract starts on 1^st April 2024, and the full process must be finalised within 12 months, with a first draft of the strategic plan ready by 15^th December 2024.  The maximum budget, VAT included, is 10.000€.  

Interested consultants are required to send a full application to ERGO Network with a brief presentation of their qualifications and experience, the methodology, key activities and the process they plan to develop and implement with a proposed timeline. The application must include a price offer for the total project.

Profile:

• Excellent strategic planning skills, including experience in participatory strategic planning processes;
• Strong facilitation skills and proven ability to lead collaborative consultation processes;
• Knowledge of civil society movements;
• Fluency in English (speaking and writing) is essential;
• Experience working with Roma civil society and with European networks is desirable.

Please send your application to info@ergonetwork.org by 10^th March 2024, 23:59 CET.

For further questions, please contact Christine Sudbrock at c.sudbrock@ergonetwork.org

Call for applications for Rights Experts from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent in Europe

We are looking for 3 Rights Experts to work closely with ERGO Network and the Global Forum on Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD). We particularly encourage Roma women to apply for this position to achieve equal representation in the Rights Experts team.

Selected Roma Rights Experts will work closely with other Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD), including Dalits and Burakumin in Asia, Quilombola and Palenque in Latin America, Haratin and the CDWD of various names amongst different groups of Africa, who experience discrimination based on their ancestral occupation. This specific type of discrimination, described by the UN as “discrimination based on work and descent”, is common practice in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Yet, it is also one of the least understood forms of discrimination worldwide.

Context

Global Forum on Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) is the global advocacy mechanism of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD). More than 270 million people across the world are discriminated against based on work and descent. They are more commonly known as Dalits, Roma, Quilombola, Burakumin, and Haratin, amongst many other names. Discrimination on Work and Decent (DWD) is a global phenomenon which lacks public recognition and acknowledgement, and affected communities are among the most marginalised and excluded people.

Position Overview

GFoD started the CDWD Rights Experts program in 2021 and is currently seeking applications for the next cohort of Rights Experts from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent to support global advocacy and data collection processes at the national, regional and global levels. Candidates will be recruited based on the requirements and qualifications listed below.

The position requires a high level of autonomy and responsiveness to engage in advocacy processes and a high interest and willingness to engage in national, regional and global advocacy processes. At its core, the program elevates the national level advocacy of these communities towards collective advocacy engagement for all Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) on the global level, such as the United Nations (UN) and other regional and global human rights mechanisms.

The position requires 32 hours per month for the duration of 12 months with potential international travel, and with a 3-month trial period.

Duties and responsibilities of the Rights Experts (REs)

• Dedicate at least 4 full working days per month to this role.
• Participate and organise capacity building, mutual learning and general advocacy activities.
• Contribute to developing and implementing the GFoD regional and global advocacy strategies.
• Author statements, critical interventions and articles or contribute to specific ideas and concept notes on the concerns of CDWD as per the requirement of HLPF and other UN and human rights instruments, mechanisms or initiatives.   
• Communicate regularly with the GFoD Secretariat and undertake national, regional and participate in global consultation processes within the local, regional and national CDWD community.

Requirements and qualifications

In order of preference, characteristics and qualifications are listed below. 

Please note that given our preference for candidates from respective communities, applicants are not required to have English as a working language. 

1. Anchored and rooted in Communities Discriminated by Work and Descent (CDWD): Persons from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) are highly encouraged to apply to this position. Women, youth and other underrepresented and marginalised groups from CDWD are highly desired for this position.
          
2. Experience: Social/community leaders within their community with considerable experience in advocacy actions and processes at national, regional and international levels. Candidates should be established human rights defenders in their country/region/community and are experts in at least one particular field area related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, (Access to water and sanitation – SDG 6, Decent work – SDG 8, Inequalities – SDG10 etc.). Please mention which SDGs you are most interested in/have worked on in your application.
   
3. Commitment: Candidates who have shown ongoing commitment and leadership to the cause of CDWD are encouraged to apply.
   
4. Academic qualifications: Academic qualifications such as University qualifications, publications of books, articles or other journalistic work will be considered in the application process.

Recruitment and timeline

Please submit your applications to RE2024@globalforumcdwd.global by 10 March 2024. Please submit your CV together with a one-page letter referencing the relevant experience mentioned above under Requirements and Qualifications. English as a working language is preferred but Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian and Arabic are also accepted. Please mention all your working languages in your application. The program is dependent and conditional on donor support, which has yet to be released for this program. In case the donor withdraws funding, the program may not continue.

Successful candidates will be appointed for a 10-12 month period with an initial 3-month trial period.

Due to the high volume of expected applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Position: Project Coordinator Jekhipe

ERGO Network is hiring a Project Coordinator on a 100% basis to join its
team in Brussels (80% on Jekhipen and 20% on other ERGO advocacy activities)

ERGO Network

ERGO Network (www.ergonetwork.org) brings together 30 members from across Europe and supports organisations with a common perspective on Roma grassroots empowerment and equal citizenship to challenge stereotypes and combat stigmatization. We mobilize and connect organisations and individuals that share and express our values – active citizenship, shared responsibility, and passion to strengthen Roma civil society involvement in decision-making at local, national and European levels and to address existing shortcomings of policies targeted at Roma.

Jekhipe Project

Under the Jekhipe project, ERGO Network, together with its partners from Czechia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and Sweden, undertook to address some of the key structural and institutional obstacles in achieving justice and equality for Roma in practice by tackling the lack of acknowledgement of Roma as victims of historical injustices such as slavery or the Holocaust and the set-up or adequate compensations and reconciliation processes; or the lack of access to services and rights; the lack of Roma museums and institutional representation of Roma in arts and culture; the lack of Roma history teaching etc.

The project is built on the assumption that to achieve Roma equality, inclusion and participation, priority needs to be given to restore the humanity and dignity of Roma and give value to Roma identity in ways that Roma was never granted since the moment they entered today’s Europe. Roma annihilation policies and practices, including portraying Roma in dehumanising ways have solidified negative perceptions and treatment and targeted actions by both state and non-state actors against Roma that have been justified and perpetuated since the beginning, feeding into a perpetual cycle of marginalisation and victimisation of Roma in society.

This is why JEKHIPE focuses on multiple and complementing levels of policy making, including research and evidence-building, monitoring and advocacy, networking and alliances building, awareness raising and capacity building and empowerment to address what we view as core obstacles and concerns hindering Roma equality. It attempts to engage with national and European institutions and relevant stakeholders, including academia, politicians, justice mechanisms, state authorities, civil society and Roma communities themselves and challenge the status quo on approaching Roma issues, particularly antigypsyism and propose mechanisms that can create increased accountability by national governments.

More specifically, the project aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Build transitional justice processes and mechanisms at the EU, national, regional/local levels, including by setting up expert and/or truth commissions on antigypsyism.
• Develop policy recommendations for EU and national policymakers on transitional justice approaches to address antigypsyism.
• Raise awareness of the manifestations of institutional antigypsyism and policy and legislative developments in the fight against antigypsyism.
• Promote Roma identity, history and culture as a tool to prevent and fight antigypsyism, and include Roma history and culture in school curricula.
• Empower Roma communities and NGOs to recognise and fight antigypsyism.
• Capacitate local Roma civil society and key stakeholders in countering antigypsyism.

Task description

The project coordinator will be hired under the Jekhipe Project and will report directly to ERGO Network Senior Advocacy Officer on Anti-racism and Antigypsyism. The project coordinator will have the following responsibilities:

Project management Jekhipe:

• To ensure that project tasks are implemented timely and correctly
• To ensure regular open coordination between all consortium partners
• To develop and maintain strong relationships with project partners and stakeholders, fostering a culture of partnership and collaboration
• To provide regular project updates to senior management and project partners, as advised by the senior management.
• To ensure financial management of the project, including budget tracking and reporting together with the Senior Programme Manager of ERGO Network.
• To identify and manage project risks, implement appropriate mitigation strategies where necessary, and ensure compliance with EU regulations and reporting requirements.
• To ensure timely and correct reporting of all partners.
• To regularly monitor progress and conduct internal interim evaluations.
• To prepare online, hybrid and on-site events and meetings (venues, catering, billing, planning, contact with suppliers).

Contribute to the implementation of activities under the project and beyond:

• To raise awareness of the manifestations of institutional and structural antigypsyism and policy and legislative developments in the fight against antigypsyism.
• To promote the development of national data and indicators on antigypsyism under the EU Roma framework.
• To develop policy recommendations for EU and national policymakers in areas focusing on but not limited to transitional justice, environmental racism and the fight against antigypsyism and racism more broadly.
• To organise events, including drafting agendas and organising logistical aspects of events.
• To organise and/or contribute to training events on capacity building of CSOs on issues of non-discrimination, racism and antigypsyism.
• To represent ERGO in public events and in multi-stakeholder platforms; prepare public presentations and defend ERGO’s positions.

Requirements

Experience:

• University degree – preferably in a relevant field such as public social sciences or law.
• At least 3 years working on Roma policy issues at national or European level, particularly on human rights aspects, including non-discrimination.
• Previous specific policy experience targeting racism and discrimination is desirable.
• At least three years of demonstrated professional experience in project management (EU project management is desirable).

Skills:

• Excellent project management skills, including planning, budgeting, risk management and stakeholder management.
• Good knowledge of discrimination or antigypsyism issues related to Roma in Europe.
• Good understanding of the functioning of EU institutions.
• Legal background and knowledge of transitional justice processes are an added value.
• A good understanding of EU project rules and financial regulations is desirable.

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential; proficiency in Romanes and other European languages is an advantage.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Office (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with project partners and stakeholders;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and responsibly in an international team
• Ability to organise work assignments, set priorities and meet deadlines
• Creative, forward-thinking and proactive attitude
• Gender awareness
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Genuine interest in the values and mission of the ERGO Network

Conditions

• The job location is Brussels. This is a full-time position (37,5 hours/week)
• The successful candidate will start as soon as possible.
• Salary: gross monthly salary starting from € 3,200 gross depending on the level of experience, coupled with various legal and extra-legal benefits: 13th-month salary, holiday bonus, luncheon vouchers (8€ per working day), transport allowance (49€ per month)), hospitalisation insurance, additional 7 days of holidays per year.
• A 2-year full-time work contract with an intention to extend, subject to funding;
• An organisation committed to values of democracy, fairness, integrity and sustainability;
• A friendly and respectful work environment.

Location

We offer Belgian contracts under Belgian law. The candidate must commit to officially registering in Belgium and working partially from our office in Brussels. This currently entails a structural teleworking scheme (with at least 2 days in the office per week, depending on the position) and will work under the supervision of the ERGO Senior Advocacy Officer on Anti-Racism and Antigypsyism.

Application procedure

Interested and qualified candidates should complete the application form and submit it to info@ergonetwork.org by 6 February 2024, 23:59 CET, indicating in the subject of the email “Application Project Coordinator Jekhipe”. This email address can also be used for further information and questions.

Successful candidates will be invited for interviews online or in Brussels on February 12th.

ERGO is an equal opportunities employer. We respect our employees’ private lives, including where they take care roles. We strive to be an inclusive organisation and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.

ERGO Network is contracting a Web Designer to improve ERGOnetwork.org website

Are you a creative and talented Web Designer looking for an exciting opportunity to transform a plain-text website into a visually stunning and highly functional online platform? If so, we want to hear from you!

Position Overview:

We are seeking a Web Designer with a passion for aesthetics and a keen eye for detail to elevate our website to the next level. In this role, you will be responsible for turning our text-based web pages into engaging, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing digital experiences. Your creative touch will be essential in designing maps with interactive links, crafting icons for various content types, and making our website visually appealing by incorporating images, boxes, colours, and more.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Communications Officer to understand project requirements and objectives.
• Transform plain-text web content into visually appealing, user-friendly designs.
• Create interactive maps with clickable links to streamline data access and enhance user experience.
• Design custom icons and graphics to represent different types of content effectively.
• Incorporate images, graphics, and multimedia elements to make the content engaging.
• Utilize colour theory and typography to enhance the website’s visual appeal.
• Ensure responsive design for seamless viewing on various devices.
• Utilise the industry trends and best practices to improve our website’s design.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience as a Web Designer or in a similar role.
• Proficiency in graphic design software, such as Adobe Creative Suite.
• Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS, and web design principles.
• Excellent understanding of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design.
• Ability to communicate with the team, understand and clarify the tasks.
• Attention to detail and a strong creative flair.
• Problem-solving skills to overcome design challenges.
• Strong portfolio showcasing your web design projects.

Conditions:

The Web designer will be paid 3,000-4,000 euros for the website. We will select the candidate based on the principle of “value for money”.

If you are interested in this task, please submit your resume and a link to your portfolio showcasing your web design projects to info@ergonetwork.org by 15 September 2023. In your cover letter, tell us why you’re the perfect fit for this role and share your vision for improving our website.

ERGO Network is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

For further questions, please contact Communications Officer Ana Rozanova at a.rozanova@ergonetwork.org.