Communications Officer

**Communications Officer - with solid media/press experience**

**Location**:Belgium-based, hybrid between home and our Brussels office.

**Duration**:open-ended contract

**Start date**:as soon as possible (no later than September-October 2025)

**About us**

Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet.

The ZWE network now includes 37 members and alliances across 29 European countries and works with topics across the whole chain. From the strategic use of resources and product design to reusability to end-of-pipe waste management solutions, from the phase-out of plastics to municipal zero waste strategies, our scope has significantly expanded but our mission and vision remain the same - a zero waste, fairer, inclusive, circular Europe for all (and planet, too, while we’re at it).

We are a successful and fast-growing independent NGO where personal development, fairness and inclusiveness are high on the agenda. We are the proud founders of the Mission Zero Academy (MiZA), through which we offer Zero Waste certifications to cities, municipalities, and small businesses; we are founding member of various movements and coalitions that are hosted under our entity (such as Break Free From Plastic), and are the European chapter of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

**Our ZWE Values**
- We are **purpose-driven**, always putting forward a solution-oriented approach.
- We are **game-changing** - we challenge the status quo, explore emerging topics and create a safe space to succeed (and to recover from setbacks).
- We are **adaptable**, constantly striving towards learning and improving; open to change and taking agency.
- We believe that acting with **integrity** is crucial to achieve impact and change, both inside and outside our network.
- And we **care**deeply about our communities, the environment, and systemic changes that benefit society as a whole - while also looking after ourselves and our own wellbeing as a team and as individuals.

**About you**
- You are a **communications professional** with proven **media relations skills** who is passionate about environmental sustainability. With excellent writing abilities, you can make complex topics accessible across multiple channels and implement communications pushes from strategy to execution.
- You thrive in **multicultural settings**and embrace our hope-based, solution-oriented approach to storytelling.
- Proactive and **detail-oriented**, you're comfortable managing social media channels, using various communications tools, and adapting the content to different audiences.
- You're a **collaborative team player** who values humour while maintaining a high standard of work. You approach challenges with a problem-solving attitude and can prioritise effectively while contributing to our positive team culture. You are caring and helpful towards your team members and can jump in to help your colleagues if/when workload needs to be redistributed.
- You are **impact-oriented**, unafraid to propose new ideas and try new approaches. You treat evaluation/feedback as an essential part of growing (both for the organisation and yourself). When blocked, you ask for help; when stuck in your growth, you seek/ask for more responsibilities or challenges.

If you balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution and want to use your communications skills to advance the zero waste movement in Europe, we want to hear from you

**About the role**

We are looking for a Communications Officer to join the ZWE team. They will report to ZWE’s Head of Communications and be placed within the ZWE Communications team (which currently hosts two other Communications Officers).

This position combines skills in general communications with press and media work. This is a great opportunity to contribute to our mission of creating a zero waste, healthy, and fair world for all by elevating our hope-based, solution-oriented messages and approach, showcasing the people behind/impacted by the work whenever possible.

Core responsibilities of the **Communications Officer**:

- Build overall **communications strategies**: help set up structures and proactively contribute to effective communication and outreach for both in-house and project-specific communication activities.
- Lead on the **publication and distribution of communications materials**for assigned ZWE working topics - either in-house (reports, social media activities, newsletters, website content, event communications,.) or by leading the liaison activities with suppliers (designers, videographers, photographers, proofreaders, translato