Call for the position of a Junior Policy Officer

OII Europe – Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V. – is the European intersex umbrella organisation, working for the equality and the protection of human rights of intersex people, also known as persons with variations of sex characteristics, and their families in Europe and Central Asia. OII Europe is intersex-led. The organisation was established in 2012 as network of national intersex-led organisations. In 2015, Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V. was founded as a continuation of this network and is, since 2016, registered as a non-profit NGO based in Germany. Currently OII E has members in more than 20 countries across Europe.

As Policy Officer you will work as part of the Policy Team and report to the Executive Director, in his role as Advocacy Director. You will be responsible to contribute to all policy aspects of OII Europe’s work to, in particular but not limited to,

advancing intersex persons’

• legal protection against intersex genital mutilation (IGM) and other harmful practices
• legal protection against discrimination, incl. legal protection on the grounds of “sex characteristics” or “sex”
• legal protection against bias motivated hate speech/crime
• comprehensive inclusion in equality measures on regional and national level
• access to human rights-based healthcare, to safe education and employment, to sports and to goods and services
• protection through work around intersex strategic litigation

monitoring

• the implementation of the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy; the Children’s Rights Strategy; the Gender Equality Strategy
• the implementation of national IGM bans

strengthening

• the capacity of policymakers, civil society and professionals to instigate change in practice

Primary job duties include:

• (co-)draft policy briefs and submissions in the framework of regional and national consultations and monitoring mechanisms (e.g., European Commission, ECRI, FRA)
• monitor policy and legal developments at regional and national level
• gather data; research and analyse complex information
• collect national and European good practice
• work with with relevant stakeholders, including institutions on European level, such as the European Union and the Council of Europe
• support OII Europe member organisations in their national advocacy work
• foster exchange between national intersex organisations and regional and national policy makers, and human rights and equality bodies
• create capacity building advocacy and policy materials and documents
• collaborate with allied organisations (e.g., LGBT(I), FGM, Disability Rights)
• coordinate meetings
• contribute to internal and external reporting, and support the development of policy-related grant applications as needed.
• carry out other policy and advocacy related activities

Your ability to plan, prioritize and organize a complex workload for yourself and as part of a team will be essential. Familiarizing yourself with, understanding and analysing diverse and complex political contexts and power dynamics will be key. Strong writing skills are a must.  Familiarity with writing policy submissions a strong asset. Experience of working (professionally or as a volunteer) for an intersex-led non-profit organization or in a comparable human rights field will be considered a strong advantage. Your interest in increasing your knowledge and continuously developing your skills further, including through training, will be a necessity in the fast-paced work environment of European policy work.

100% part time (equals full time), temporary contract (option to be turned into permanent contract after 1 year depending on available funding)

The successful candidate will need to take residence in Berlin; however, to alleviate possible challenges of moving to a new town, the position may start remotely for a maximum of 3 months. For candidates who may need a work permit, a university diploma will be required due to German immigration practices.

The weekly working time for the 100% position is 40 hours per week.

OII Europe

• remunerates under a salary matrix structure related to TVL West; the monthly gross salary being offered for the post is 3360.- EUR; health insurance is included
• offers 24 days annual leave (full time position) and, in addition, end of year leave between 24.12. and 1.1.
• provides in case of relocation, up to 1000 Euro financial support for moving expenses, if needed
• supports the successful candidate in obtaining a work permit (if applicable)

Anyone

• with a minimum of 2 years of direct experience in policy work on international, regional or national level
• who is devoted to work for an organisation who advances the human rights of intersex people/persons with a variation of sex characteristics
• has experience with carrying out a significant number of the job duties described above
• wants to work in a job environment of constant learning
• meets the requirements set out below

is welcome to apply.

Required skills and knowledge

• Excellent English proficiency (both written and spoken); high proficiency in another European language a strong asset
• Strong writing skills a must
• Good understanding of intersex human rights and the violation of these rights; strong understanding an asset
• Strong ability to understand and analyse complex information and systems
• Strong ability to take concise minutes and maintain the database of current files with up-to date information
• Good ability to creatively think “out of the box” combined with an understanding of how to mitigate given limitations while aiming to change the status quo

• Feeling comfortable with engaging and working with policy makers, partners, and external stakeholders
• Feeling comfortable with speaking in public to a diverse set of audiences

• Strong ability to navigate challenging and sensitive environments
• Strong ability to support complex working processes
• Strong ability to work individually and within diverse teams
• High sense of initiative; ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines, plan, prioritize and organize a complex workload

• Sensitivity to cultural diversity and differences; relevant experience in working in international teams will be considered an asset
• Understanding of power dynamics and issues experienced by marginalised groups
• Understanding of intersectionality and intersectional experiences

• Some experience in developing and implementing capacity building programs
• Willingness to travel regularly
• Sound computer literacy (Word, Email, Excel, Google Drive, Internet, Zoom, Sack, Asana etc.)

Strong Asset:

• Knowledge of the European human rights framework
• Knowledge of EU and CoE regional mechanisms

• Experience in working directly with EU and CoE bodies or comparable international bodies
• Experience in monitoring policy and legal developments at regional and/or national level

If you feel that your qualifications and experiences match our requirements for this position, we are looking forward to receiving your application. Please send all required documents to position [at] oiieurope.org

The subject line of your email should please state: “Application for the position of PO” and should include the following documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae (no picture please, no birth-date, please indicate your pronoun); Format: .doc, .docx, .pdf; please name it the following way: [Your NAME]_CV_PO (please use capital letters for your surname); this will help us organise the incoming applications more easily
2. Motivation letter, explaining why you want to work for OII Europe and what you will bring to the organisation and the team; please include some examples of capacity you built in your former policy work and how you will bring these skills to your work at OII Europe; Format: .doc, .docx, .pdf; please name it in the following way: [Your NAME]_Motivation_PO)
3. An example of your policy related writing skills of 2-3 pages maximum (can be an excerpt), e.g., a (real or fictive) submission, policy brief or similar; if necessary, please feel free to change names, data etc., in order to protect confidentiality or individual’s or a groups data; Format: .doc, .docx, .pdf; please name it in the following way: [Your NAME]_Example_PO)

OII Europe is committed to respect and fairness without discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, bodily diversity, record of offences, marital status, family status, parental status, pregnancy, number of dependents, compromised immune or HIV status, illness, socio-economic class, non-visible or visible disability, neuro-diversity, political or religious affiliations, place of residence, citizenship status, age or other status.

OII Europe is committed to fair treatment to all current and potential employees, interns and contractors and aims to ensure that all such individuals receive equal treatment.

Wheelchair Users:
OII Europe’s office is partially accessible for wheelchair users. The building has an elevator and is accessible from the street on ground level. All the rooms in OII Europe’s office are situated on one level and the office doors and corridors are wide; the toilets are on the same level; however, the doors are at the moment unfortunately too narrow to allow access when using a wheelchair.

Other accessibility needs:
We are aware that accessibility needs can be manifold. We would encourage you to be open about possible needs during the interview, so that we can discuss together if OII Europe is able to accommodate those needs at its current stage of development as an organisation