Position title: EU Advocacy Assistant (paid internship/CIP)

Supervisor: Senior EU Advocacy Advisor

Post: 38h/week (5 days/week)

Starting Date: 18 September 2026

Duration: 6 months

Location: CARE International Secretariat office in Brussels (CARE International AISBL)

Compensation: EUR 1.136 per month ( CIP - convention d'immersion professionnelle ) + EUR 8/day meal vouchers + participation to public transport costs + 10 days of leave

Open to: Graduates of a relevant M aster's degree, or Master students who are doing an internship as part of their degree

Background

CARE International (CI) is among the world's largest international non -governmental humanitarian relief and development Confederations. Drawing on its 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, Candidates and Affiliate, CI's work reaches over 100 coun tries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice, with a specific focus on the empowerment of women and girls.

At the core of the Confederation is a small, globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to our Members, Candidates and Affiliates in areas as governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian preparedness and response, resource mobilisation, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CARE Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union.

The CARE International Secretariat office in Brussels works on behalf of CARE members and country offices in their efforts to optimise CI's fundraising and influence relevant policies from the European Union (EU) , and to strengthen CI's relationship with the EU institutions in Brussels.

More Information on CARE International is available at www.careinternational.org

Position summary

The intern will support the advocacy of CARE International at EU level through contributing to research and analysis of EU policies with regards to development, humanitarian aid and external action, particularly as they relate to the priority areas for CI and the CI EU office.

2026 - 2027

Main responibilities

The postholder will play a key role in supporting CARE's effective coordination, facilitation, and delivery of EU advocacy, including, but not limited to:

Monitor policy developments at the EU level and prepare and update an agenda of key EU events
Follow the work of European Parliament committees related to CI's areas of interest
Monitor the relevant EU Council meetings and processes
Prepare updates and briefing notes on relevant EU processes
Attend EU and other organisations' events, and debrief the team on these events
Attend advocacy meetings with peer NGOs, as well as within networks such as VOICE and CONCORD.
Ensure the coordination of CARE's European members on EU advocacy issues and share relevant information with them
Assist in organising advocacy events and meetings with EU institutions and stakeholders
Coordinate/prepare the 'CARE EU Update', the internal quarterly newsletter of the EU o ffice to the rest of CARE's confederation
Co-manage the social media accounts of CI EU
Support as required the work of the wider CI Secretariat advocacy team

Qualifications

Education : The candidate should have or be in the process of obtaining a Master's degree in a relevant field of studies (e.g. social sciences, such as political science, international relations, development or gender studies)

Languages: Strong oral and written English, good knowledge of French and/or other languages is an asset.

Knowledge & skills

Strong interest in development and humanitarian issues
Knowledge on and/or strong interest in gender equality, EU Institutions, or humanitarian/development policy mechanisms
Excellent research, analytical and writing skills
Strong organisational and communication skills
Very good knowledge and experience of working with internet and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Team, Excel, SharePoint)
Knowledge or experience in social media (Twitter/X)
High-capacity to work independently within a small team and strong time-management skills
Ability to take initiative and a resourceful spirit
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Application process

Submit a CV and & brief motivation letter (briefly highlighting your professional, academic and lived experiences, as well as your interest in this position) in English to Noor Aït Issad at [email protected] by Friday 17 th July 2026 6 PM CEST .
Pre-selected candidates will be invited to 45mins online interview and to a 30 mins written task during the second half of the week of the 20 th July 2026 .
Please note that due to the high-level of applications, we may only be able to respond to shortlisted candidates.

Kindly note that due to contract regulations only candidates with the relevant work authorisation can be considered for this traineeship.

Any questions? Please contact Noor Aït Issad at [email protected].

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalised, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

CARE International is committed to preventing all unwanted behaviour and all forms of misconduct at work, including fraud and corruption and sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. Everyone who works for CARE is expected to share this c ommitment, work within CARE International's Safeguarding Policy and sign our Safeguarding Code and Conduct.

CARE International is committed to a safe recruitment process to help attract and appoint the right staff for the role and responsibilities set out in the vacancy notice. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. We will seek at least two references, one of which must be your most recent employer. In addition, we participate in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from job applicants' previous employers, about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, you confirm your understanding and agreement of these checks.