Kellen is the leading professional services firm dedicated to creating, managing and advising EU and global trade associations and interest groups.

Are you a highly motivated & skilled Associations manager with Public Affairs focus ?

At Kellen in Brussels, we are looking for an association manager to support European trade associations in advancing their policy and regulatory priorities. We pride ourselves in delivering personalized services in association management combined with regulatory and public affairs expertise to longstanding clients, active in the food and non food sector at EU level. The position is full-time.

Your main role will be to:

Support the development and implementation of public affairs strategies for various trade associations across food, feed and technical sectors, driving policy engagement and regulatory advocacy, coordinating committees/working groups, and representing associations with key stakeholders. There may be an opportunity to grow into a Secretary General role over time.

In particular, you will be:

• Monitoring and analysing developments on chemicals and food legislation and wider sustainability policies, such as Biotech Act, Bioeconomy Strategy, Safe and Sustainable by Design, Green Claims, Taxonomy Regulation
• Translating policy developments into clear strategic recommendations and advocacy priorities
• Developing advocacy positions and materials by translating technical issues into political arguments
• Leading the implementation of public affairs strategy of the associations in close cooperation with the Association’s Secretary General and related Committee/Working Group experts
• Planning and delivering stakeholder engagement with EU institutions and other relevant organisations
• Supporting the Secretary General, helping to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders (EU Institutions and other associations) by representing the associations in relevant fora at political and regulatory levels and positioning the association as an authoritative and credible partner towards stakeholders
• Managing Committee/Working Group meetings and calls; following up on implementation of actions
• A pro-active and efficient professional, able to work independently, with a high level of commitment and a certain degree of flexibility, with strong diplomatic skills
• A strong team player, quality- and result-oriented and willing to work in an international environment

What we are looking for:

Must-have

• 3-5 years’ experience in public affairs
• Experience working in public affairs roles at EU level and/ or with industry associations or other membership-based organisations
• (In-depth) knowledge of the EU institutions, understanding of EU legislation and EU procedures
• Established network of contacts in EU institutions
• Outstanding analytical and research skills, with proven accuracy in interpreting policy and regulatory developments and translating them into clear, reliable advice
• Ability to produce persuasive, well-structured communications across different audiences
• Strong presentation and meeting management skills
• Computer & AI literacy (Office 365, web-based tools)
• Excellent written and spoken English

Nice-to-have

• Good knowledge of chemicals, food, and/or sustainability legislations: REACH (MAF), PPWR, …
• Experience of industry associations or other membership-based organisations

We offer:

• A full-time position in the Brussels bubble, in a hybrid workplace An attractive base salary and remuneration package commensurate with experience
• An international working environment with a leading firm Continuous training and professional development