ECVM External Affairs Senior Manager

What we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced External Affairs Senior Manager to promote ECVM views to EU decision-makers and other stakeholders and ensure the development of a policy framework which supports the PVC industry’s transition to a circular economy and contributes to delivering on the European Green Deal.

It includes proactive advocacy work, regular interactions with external stakeholders and engagement with value chain partners.  The successful candidate will be hired as a Plastics Europe employee working 100% for ECVM.

The External Affairs Senior Manager will be based at ECVM’s office in Brussels and will report directly to the Managing Director of ECVM.

The position is based in Brussels, Belgium and some travel within Europe or at global level may be required

Who we are?

Plastics Europe aisbl is the Pan-European association of plastics manufacturers with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. Our member companies represent more than 90% in volume of all plastics materials across the EU27 plus Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.

Plastics Europe has under its umbrella dedicated plastic product groups one of them being the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM).

ECVM represents six leading European producers of PVC. These businesses operate around 40 different plants spread over 23 sites and employ approximately 7,000 people (www.pvc.org). PVC is mostly used in building and construction products, in sport equipment and medical material.

ECVM is also the founding member of VinylPlus®, the voluntary commitment to sustainable development by the European PVC industry (www.vinylplus.eu). Founded in 2000, the commitment has been recently updated with a programme of goals and targets to be achieved by 2030.  The commitment aims at strengthening the sustainability of PVC products and of the entire industry through a holistic approach including the sustainable use of chemical substances, minimisation of the value chain environmental footprint, safe and quality PVC recycling, building global coalitions and partnering for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

The Position

• The candidate will develop advocacy strategies, monitor policy developments at EU level, help define policy positions and undertake advocacy activities in line with agreed strategy. He/she will have a strong focus on building relationships with decision-makers.
• He/she will interact with European upstream and downstream associations and identify areas of possible joint collaboration.

• He/she will plan and oversee the implementation of advocacy actions to support the strategy priorities.
• He/she will work in alignment with the communication department to develop strong political communication action plans.
• This is a highly visible position that is both internally and externally facing. Accordingly, the candidate should be adaptable, comfortable in a high-pressure environment, and be politically diplomatic, responsive, and mature. The candidate should be capable to take initiative, be self-motivated, be able to convince stakeholders to work together on a set goal

Profile

To succeed in this role, we are seeking a candidate with the following profile:

• Degree in management, business, law, communication or related areas, preferably combined with a high-level science qualification in the area of chemistry, polymer science, materials science or environmental/sustainability science
• 10 to 15 years of experience in planning, managing and implementing advocacy projects
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills knowledge of other additional EU languages (e.g. French, German) is an advantage
• Relevant and broad experience of regulatory policy developments and advocacy with strong knowledge of the European chemicals, sustainability, trade and energy frameworks
• Demonstrated track record of working with high level government, industry, NGO’s and other policy stakeholders
• Understanding of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability and elements related to the development of sustainability strategies
• An accomplished and confident public speaker capable of holding the attention of a large audience

Interested?  

If you wish to apply please send your CV and cover letter via the ‘APPLY’ button below by 31 January 2025 at the latest. Please mention in your cover letter when you would be available to start.

Apply here