Break Free From Plastic Europe is recruiting a Communications Coordinator for the Rethink Plastic Alliance (RPA) to cover the role for up to 15 months from January 2027. The full-time temporary position is based in Belgium, offers a gross starting salary of €3,772 per month plus benefits, and applications close on 15 November 2026 at 23:59 CET. At Youth Works Hub, we went through the full job ad and set out every responsibility, requirement and benefit below.
Key Facts About the Position
🏢 Employer: Break Free From Plastic Europe, hosted by its fiscal sponsor Zero Waste Europe
💼 Role: Rethink Plastic Alliance Communications Coordinator (Cover)
📍 Location: Based in Belgium (second-round interviews and the RPA Strategy Day take place in Brussels)
🕘 Working time: Full-time, 38 hours per week
📝 Contract: Temporary, up to 15 months (initial 6-month fixed-term contract, then 3-month extensions)
💶 Salary: Gross starting salary of €3,772 per month, plus benefits
🛂 Work permit: A valid working permit to work in Belgium is required
🚀 Start: January 2027
📆 Deadline: 15 November 2026, 23:59 CET
About the Break Free From Plastic Movement
Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in September 2016, over 3500 organisations from 186 countries have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
The European Chapter of BFFP
🇪🇺 In Europe, the movement counts 132 members in 33 countries
🔗 Members coordinate their work to achieve systemic change
🏠 Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) hosts the coordination team of the European chapter of the movement
What the Rethink Plastic Alliance Does
The Rethink Plastic Alliance (RPA) acts as the policy arm of the European BFFP movement. It is made up of nine BFFP members who work together to advocate for effective EU policies that tackle plastic pollution along the whole lifecycle of plastics. This includes EU policies on:
🏭 Plastic production and (petro-)chemicals
🔬 Microplastics
🩺 Health impacts of plastic pollution
🔄 The broader circular economy, including waste prevention, reuse and recycling
The Nine Members of the Alliance
🌐 Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
⚖️ ClientEarth
🔎 Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
🌳 European Environment Bureau (EEB)
📏 European Environmental Citizen's Organisation for Standardisation (ECOS)
🐋 Greenpeace
🌊 Seas At Risk
🏄 Surfrider Foundation Europe
🗑️ Zero Waste Europe
Who BFFP Europe Is Looking For
You are passionate about tackling plastic pollution and its root causes, and you know how to turn complex EU policy issues into communication outputs that decision-makers understand and act on. You are an experienced communicator and skilled writer who is equally comfortable writing a press release, running a social media campaign, managing a website and coordinating a newsletter.
You enjoy working in coalitions: bringing diverse partners together, finding the shared message and helping a network speak with one voice. You are organised, proactive and good at juggling several workstreams, you can spot an opportunity in the news cycle and turn it into a timely, creative response, and you like being part of an agile, collaborative team with colleagues across Europe and the globe.
Why This Is a Cover Role
This is a temporary position, covering the role for up to 15 months. The post exists because the current postholder has been temporarily promoted into a cover role within the team. BFFP Europe anticipates the role lasting at least one year, but it can currently only offer an initial fixed-term contract of 6 months, followed by extensions of 3 months at a time.
The Role at a Glance
The RPA Communications Coordinator (Cover) leads the development, implementation and evaluation of communications for the Rethink Plastic Alliance, working closely with Alliance members and the RPA Policy Coordinator. The work covers the full range of communications, from managing the Alliance's website, social media and newsletter to coordinating press releases, publications and events. The Coordinator also keeps RPA communications aligned with the wider BFFP European and global movement, oversees third-party contractors and contributes to the wider BFFP Europe coordination team.
Coordinating Rethink Plastic Alliance Communications (40%)
🗺️ Develop, implement and evaluate effective communication plans and campaigns for RPA, in close coordination with RPA members and the RPA Policy Coordinator
📰 Coordinate the production of RPA communications materials, including publications and press releases, supporting RPA members with drafting and dissemination as relevant
🎙️ Correspond with key journalists and handle press requests by connecting journalists and RPA experts
🎪 Coordinate the promotion of and communications around RPA online and in-person events
🗓️ Plan and facilitate the RPA Communications Group meetings (approx. 6 per year), liaise with the group and facilitate follow-up
🧭 Support the RPA Policy Coordinator with planning regular policy-focused meetings through input, planning, agenda-setting and follow-up
🏔️ Support the planning, agenda setting and preparation of the whole-day RPA Strategy Days (held twice a year) and facilitate communications-related sessions
📬 Produce RPA's quarterly newsletter, presenting RPA advocacy work in an accessible way and featuring member updates
💬 Develop suitable messaging for RPA campaigns in response to external events and developments by adapting the RPA Messaging Guide
✍️ Support the RPA Policy Coordinator with the final drafting of the RPA Strategy, taking into account member inputs gathered in an ongoing process
Managing the Alliance's Communication Tools (25%)
📅 Run RPA's daily communications in line with its advocacy strategy
💻 Manage RPA's website: technical management, sharing publications and press releases, producing content, and keeping the site running smoothly by fixing bugs and contacting website developers when necessary
📱 Manage RPA's social media channels and online community by producing and sharing digital multimedia content and blog posts, including amplifying content by RPA and BFFP members
🗂️ Manage the RPA shared calendar by adding joint RPA and individual members' campaigns and tracking policy developments (with support from the BFFP and RPA Policy Coordinator)
🧰 Ensure smooth communication and access to RPA tools through day-to-day coordination on Slack, especially with the RPA Comms group, and by managing the RPA Comms Google Drive
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🌍 All opportunities in Belgium →
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Coordinating With BFFP Communications (20%)
🤝 Identify and leverage synergies between RPA's EU policy communications and the work and communications of the wider BFFP movement in Europe (and beyond), together with the BFFP Europe Communications Officer
📚 Coordinate with the BFFP Europe Communications Officer on any joint RPA-BFFP publications
🧩 Produce social media toolkits for BFFP members at key EU advocacy moments
🎨 Oversee the work of third-party contractors for some projects where relevant (graphic designers, web administrators, contractors, etc.)
📒 Manage RPA's annual communications budget as well as any campaign-specific communications budget
Contributing to the BFFP Europe Coordination Team (15%)
👥 Participate in weekly BFFP Europe Coordination Team meetings and support monthly online BFFP member meetings
📋 Provide input for the planning, agenda-setting and follow-up of BFFP events
📑 Contribute to drafting funding proposals and reporting, specifically on comms-related activities
🌎 Participate in and contribute to global BFFP team quarterly meetings
🏕️ Provide input for and take part in global team retreats, members' meetings and team planning meetings where appropriate
🎯 Contribute to implementing BFFP's upcoming Global Strategy where appropriate
Essential Experience
🏆 Substantial experience in communications, ideally for a campaign, advocacy, coalition or non-profit organisation
📊 Experience developing and implementing communications strategies and campaigns
🗞️ Experience writing and producing press releases, newsletters, and web and social media content
🖥️ Experience managing a website (e.g. a CMS) and social media channels
📞 Experience working with journalists and handling media requests
🕸️ Experience working with, or coordinating, groups, networks or coalitions
🖌️ Experience managing freelancers or external contractors (e.g. designers, web developers)
Desirable Experience
🏛️ Experience in advocacy communications, particularly on EU policy
🌡️ Strong understanding of environmental and climate change topics, including the issues associated with plastic along its supply chain
🧮 Experience managing small budgets
📂 Experience contributing to funding proposals and reports
🎬 Experience with digital multimedia content production (graphics, short video)
🤗 Experience working with people from different cultures and nationalities
Essential Knowledge and Skills
🗣️ Excellent command of English, with the ability to explain complex policy messages clearly to different audiences
🖊️ Excellent writing and editing skills
♟️ Strategic thinking, with the ability to spot opportunities and synergies and respond quickly to external events
🪧 Ability to facilitate meetings and coordinate with many partners at once
🙋 Strong networking and team-building skills suited to a multicultural, multidisciplinary environment
⏱️ Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines
Desirable Knowledge and Skills
📖 Knowledge of the BFFP movement and/or the Rethink Plastic Alliance
🌱 Passion for social and environmental justice
📜 Understanding of the EU policy-making process and the Brussels environment
✅ Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
🛠️ Solid IT skills with collaborative and communications tools (e.g. Google Drive, Slack, Asana, Zoom, Google Groups, newsletter and CMS platforms, Canva or similar)
🔤 Other European languages, apart from English, are a plus
Personal Qualities BFFP Europe Values
💡 Creative, proactive and solution-oriented
😊 Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player
👂 Excellent listener and communicator
💪 Impact-driven and resilient under pressure
📌 Organised and able to prioritise
🔀 Capacity to run several tasks simultaneously
🧳 Appetite for working in an agile European and international environment
✈️ Willingness to occasionally work flexible hours and to travel, as required
Salary and Benefits
The position offers a gross starting salary of €3,772 per month. On top of this, BFFP Europe provides:
🥗 Lunch vouchers (€10 per day worked: €8.91 employer contribution, €1.09 employee contribution)
🎁 13th month (year-end bonus, if applicable)
🏖️ Double holiday pay (Belgian standard)
🦷 Hospitalisation, ambulatory and dental insurance (DKV)
🧾 Travel insurance
🏡 Home working and other allowances (€170 net per month)
🚆 Reimbursement of public transport costs for local commuting (max €56 net per month) upon the production of receipts, full reimbursement of train commuting costs within Belgium, and a bike allowance for commuting by bicycle
Leave and a 4-Day Working Week
🌴 26 vacation days plus additional leave between Christmas and New Year
📈 Progressive discretionary leave allowances
⚡ A 4-day working week, in which team members are expected to work 90% of their hours for 100% of their pay, and are encouraged to do so between Monday and Thursday
The team takes pride in supporting one another's work in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, and looks forward to introducing the successful candidate to its welcoming and highly motivated team and movement members.
How to Apply
📄 Fill in the online application form with your basic information
📎 Upload a CV and a motivation letter, both in English and combined in one single PDF file
🏙️ The form asks where you currently live (city and country) and whether you have the legal right to live and work in Belgium
🧡 You can also use the form to describe any support needs or adjustments that would give you equitable access to the recruitment process
🚫 Applications via email will not ordinarily be accepted
An Open Door for Diverse Backgrounds
BFFP Europe recognises that not all individuals have the same opportunities to engage in paid work or studies, both within and outside the movement. It highly values passion and experience in addressing plastic pollution and environmental, social, health and human rights justice, and it is open to applications from people who may not fulfil all the required skills but have the interest, passion and lived experience to fulfil the role. People from a diverse intersection of backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Recruitment Timeline
⌛ Application deadline: Sunday 15 November 2026, 23:59 CET
🎧 First-round interviews (online): 23, 24 and 25 November
🧪 Short assignment: between 25 November and 9 December, for candidates moving forward to the second round
🚶 Second-round interviews (in person in Brussels): 9 December
🚌 Travel costs: BFFP Europe will aim to reimburse candidates for their travel expenses to and from the second interview
🌅 Starting date: January 2027, ideally in time to join the Rethink Plastic Alliance Strategy Day in Brussels on 21 January
Find more communications and policy roles in the Jobs section on Youth Works Hub →.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the RPA Communications Coordinator (Cover)?
BFFP Europe offers a gross starting salary of €3,772 per month. Benefits include lunch vouchers, a 13th month, double holiday pay, health and travel insurance, a €170 net monthly home working allowance and commuting support.
How long is the contract?
The cover lasts up to 15 months. It starts with a 6-month fixed-term contract, followed by extensions of 3 months at a time, and the role is expected to last at least one year.
Where is the job based?
The position is based in Belgium and hosted by Zero Waste Europe as fiscal sponsor. Second-round interviews and the RPA Strategy Day take place in Brussels.
Do I need a work permit for Belgium?
Yes. A valid working permit to work in Belgium is required, and the application form asks whether you have the legal right to live and work in Belgium.
Is there a 4-day working week?
Yes. Team members work 90% of their hours for 100% of their pay, and are encouraged to do so between Monday and Thursday.
How much experience do I need?
The ad does not set a number of years. It asks for substantial experience in communications, ideally for a campaign, advocacy, coalition or non-profit organisation, plus experience with press, websites, social media, journalists, coalitions and contractors.
Can I apply by email?
No. Applications via email will not ordinarily be accepted. You apply through the online form, uploading your CV and motivation letter in English as one single PDF file.
What does the selection process look like?
Online first-round interviews take place on 23, 24 and 25 November. Shortlisted candidates complete a short assignment and attend an in-person second-round interview in Brussels on 9 December.
When would the successful candidate start?
BFFP Europe hopes the successful candidate can start in January 2027 and join the Rethink Plastic Alliance Strategy Day in Brussels on 21 January.
Deadline
⏳ 15 November 2026
Links
Application form: https://form.asana.com/?k=8yei9XgjBc9XQwHJMS3Vcg&d=380622048261020
Job ad (PDF): https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/RPA-Communications-Coordinator-Cover-Job-Ad.pdf
Questions and support needs (Alexander Colling, Senior Manager, People and Operations): alexander@breakfreefromplastic.org
