Advisor for federation active in food and agricultural sector

Our client is a professional, Belgian federation which represents 250 companies active in the food and agricultural sector.   Their core team consists of +/- 5 employees who regularly work together at the association’s head office in Groot-Bijgaarden; it is also possible to work from home during several days per week.  They are currently recruiting an Advisor who will be the right hand of the Director.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As an Advisor you are – together with the Director – the main point of contact for members, partners, stakeholders, research &  knowledge institutions, public authorities and other organisations with regards to all possible company and food related questions within the sector and this on a local, national and European level.  You offer members & stn translate complex policy strategies and legislation into comprehensible and concrete objectives and actions.   You are involved in a broad variety of activities and projects internally and externally, you are faced with a wide range of biological/technical/legal/scientific/economic topics on a daily basis and you have continuously interactions with fascinating people in diverse companies and organisations.  You report to the Director of the association and you work closely together with a really nice, professional and driven team.

JOB DESCRIPTION

More concretely the role  covers the following aspects (list is not exhaustive):

• You are the right hand of the Director: you support her with the processing, management and follow-up of all complex technical-scientific questions, tasks, activities and projects with the aim of supporting the members and assisting them in their daily operations
• You look closely into all sorts of technical matters, files and projects (e.g. labelling, hygiene, food additives; nutritional values, food safety, listeria/salmonella, product recalls, animal welfare, traceability, bio products, food law, compliance guide, audits, sustainability and CO2 calculations, etc.)
• You manage and represent a knowledge & expertise centre: you help building the knowledge and sharing it with the members; you inventorise and summarise scientific studies; you inform members, make them aware and you indicate certain evolutions in current files and legislation
• You follow up on legislation and regulations on a local, regional, national and European level (bio, food law, aromas & additives, whole genome sequencing, animal welfare, etc.)
• You advise and assist members and stakeholders with legal/practical questions related to contracts, terms of reference, UTP Directive, labelling, claims, quality labels and certification, commercial law, tenders, etc.
• You follow up on projects, including news and innovation in collaboration with universities, research groups and working groups
• You follow up on the activities and projects of the technical-scientific working group: coordinating meetings and preparing the agenda for these meetings, writing reports afterwards, following up on action points
• You follow the news closely, you write articles and provide technical content for newsletters and for the website
• You work closely together with the Director on complex export questions and files: opening new countries & market access; analysing numbers & statistics; following up on trends and evolutions; contacts with embassies; helping with the organisation and preparation of inspection missions; raising specific problems/issues; contacts in the diplomatic world; administration regarding customs requirements, export certification, health regulations; etc.)
• You prepare lobbying files together with the Directeur
• Possible projects/tasks after an integration period : visiting members/partners, participating in external meetings & negotiations, crisis management and communication, PR and lobbying activities, serving on committees/research groups, reassessing the training offer, recruiting new members, etc.

PROFILE

• You ideally have a relevant Bachelor or Master degree: bioscience, food technology, agricultural engineer, chemical, etc. A broader legal or economic degree can also be interesting.
• Previous experience in a similar role would obviously be a plus, e.g. a technical-scientific advisor role in another professional federation/research centre/parliamentary cabinet/… But this is not a must. Experience in another field can also be interesting and the right attitude & drive are equally important.
• Perfect knowledge of Dutch (spoken and written) with a good knowledge of French and English. Training courses can be provided.
• Excellent communication and social skills: you enjoy having contacts (by phone, via email and face to face) and you know how to communicate efficiently with various internal and external stakeholders, you can read people well and you are capable of adjusting your communication style to the context
• You are capable of researching, processing and following up on technical, scientific, biological and legal information; you manage to make this information comprehensible and accessible for people with little or no scientific/technical background
• You are enthusiastic and proactive, you are autonomous but you also value the opinion of team members, you enjoy being part of a smaller structure where everybody contributes and helps one another
• You are very service and result oriented, you are capable of finding creative and pragmatic solutions
• Strong planning, administrative, analytical & organisational skills
• Pleasant and flexible personality, good common sense and hands-on attitude, able to adjust smoothly to the context and to changing circumstances
• You have abroad interest, you enjoy to continuously learn new things and to dig deeper into complex technical/scientific matters

OFFER

• A full-time and permanent contract (possibility to work 80%)
• Starting date: as soon as possible!
• Working from home is possible during several days per week, there is a lot of respect for the work-life balance!
• A competitive salary and extralegal benefits package, including: luncheon vouchers, health and group insurance, mobile phone, laptop, homeworking allowance, …  A company car is also an option.
• Intensive training and guidance during the integration phase, you will get the time to get familiar with the association & its functioning, the members/partners/stakeholders, the different projects, etc.
• An extremely varied and challenging role in a small but really professional and driven team; daily contacts with a very interesting network of professionals & experts from the business, political and academic world
• The opportunity to continuously learn and build expertise in different areas (technical-scientific, economical, legal, etc.) and this within a fascinating sector!
• Positive working atmosphere where everyone pulls their weight and inspires/motivates each other!
• Being part of a socially conscious and responsible organisation where you can add real value and make a difference for many people on this planet.