Job opening – Communications and Advocacy Trainee, European Pain Federation EFIC

The European Pain Federation EFIC is a multidisciplinary, non-profit federation representing 40 national pain societies across Europe, all of them Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). We work to improve pain care and pain science through education, research, and advocacy. Our projects include a biennial scientific congress, the EFIC Academy and its European pain diploma examinations, the European Journal of Pain, research projects, and EU-level advocacy through the Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) platform.

Our Executive Office in Brussels coordinates most of these projects and manages the association: governance and Executive Board and Council meetings, volunteer management, events, communications, and the administrative, IT, legal, and financial side of a European non-profit.

The traineeship

We are offering a six-month traineeship focused on communications and advocacy. You will help implement our communications and marketing, support a range of advocacy projects, and gain hands-on experience of how a volunteer-based, multidisciplinary organisation communicates and influences policy. The role also includes exposure to events and association management, such as budget tracking, supplier negotiation, and Executive Board administration.

You will work across project teams under the guidance of three line managers: our Executive Director, Sam Kynman (overall line management, events, and association management); our Deputy Director and Head of Communications, Melinda Borzsak-Schramm (communications projects); and our Advocacy and Projects Manager, Ángela Cano Palomares (advocacy projects). You will receive regular coaching throughout, and no significant responsibility will rest with you alone.

EFIC traineeships have been approved by the Belgian labour authorities and are remunerated accordingly.

The traineeship is a good fit if you are aiming for a career in:

• Communications
• EU affairs
• Events and association management
• The non-profit and charitable sector
• Medical and scientific societies

What you will do

Communications and marketing

• Help implement our communications plan around a weekly schedule, including weekly project team calls
• Draft mailings and social media posts for our channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Discord)
• Update website content in WordPress and run mailings and list management in Mailchimp
• Support the production of on-brand visual assets for campaigns and social posts
• Manage and improve our CRM (HubSpot), in line with our privacy policy and the GDPR
• Liaise with partner organisations and volunteers to share our communications more widely

Advocacy

• Join weekly advocacy project calls and work with project teams
• Support events, stakeholder mapping, meeting programmes, and meetings with policymakers
• Follow the EU legislative process and support issues monitoring
• Help develop advocacy materials such as position papers and Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) resources
• Contribute to activities such as the European Day on Pain Awareness and SIP policy events at the European Parliament
• Support liaison with patient organisations, EFIC Chapters, and partner organisations

Education and the EFIC Academy

• Support webinar planning and promotion, from registration mailings to panellist liaison and post-event reporting
• Help with EFIC Academy content updates and promotional campaigns for our pain diploma examinations (EDPM, EDPP, EDPN, and EDPPsy)
• Track webinar and e-learning performance data for reporting

Events and association management

• Take part in project calls for our biennial congress, including calls with our main services supplier
• Help organise Executive Board meetings and follow administrative, financial, and legal discussions
• Manage the Federation's general inbox and support registration and logistics
• Monitor media and policy developments and write short intelligence reports for the team

What you will learn

We aim to offer a genuine learning and development opportunity. Learning objectives are agreed with you at the start, with evaluation at the halfway (three-month) mark and at the end of the traineeship. They include:

• Planning communications and coordinating an organisation's channels for different audiences
• Using WordPress, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Microsoft 365 on a professional basis
• Applying an organisation's brand identity and style guide, and writing in the right register for healthcare professionals and for the public
• How science-focused advocacy works in Brussels, and how medical societies engage with EU decision-makers
• Building high-quality contact databases and handling data responsibly under the GDPR
• Writing concise intelligence reports to keep colleagues informed
• Using AI tools responsibly to support translation and first drafts, always under editorial review
• How a multinational, volunteer-based association is run, including the budget and timeline of a biennial congress of over 3,000 attendees

Who we are looking for

Essential

• Studies in, or a strong interest in, communication, marketing, events management, political science, or European affairs
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Familiarity with communications and social media tools
• Clear communication, good organisation, and attention to detail, including under time pressure
• Initiative and sound judgement, with the ability to work independently and in a team
• Flexibility and willingness to learn
• Discretion in handling confidential information
• The legal right to work in the European Union

Desirable

• Experience with WordPress, Mailchimp, or a CRM such as HubSpot
• An understanding of digital marketing
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and SharePoint
• Working knowledge of other European languages
• Interest in health, public health, health communication, and health advocacy
• Interest in analysis and research