Background

The EA Infrastructure Fund has approved funding for a community builder in Belgium, conditional on finding a good candidate.

The procedure goes as follows: 
a) EA Belgium will select top candidates, who b) will then be interviewed by the EA Infrastructure Fund. c) They decide if the person in question receives the available funding.

Summary

Effective Altruism Belgium is looking for a (first ever funded) community builder/group organizer. 

Effective Altruism Belgium is affiliated with the international Effective Altruism (EA) movement. EA is a research field and community that aims to find the best ways to help others, and put them into practice.

A large part of EA Belgium’s activities is focused on developing a community of people who are strongly motivated to improve the world and who are learning in depth about the best ways to do so.

If you are interested but are not sure if you have the right profile, if you have questions about the position, or if you wish to help out the EA Belgium community in another way, do not hesitate to contact us directly!

About EA Belgium

We have different EA chapters and initiatives in Belgium. Effective Altruism Flanders launched with an EAGx-event in 2016. Since then the focus of the volunteers was mainly on giving talks & lectures, and writing opinion pieces (and books) for a general audience. Community building was mainly limited to a Dutch newsletter and meetups.

There are some university chapters (UGent, UCLouvain), but no funded groups for now.

The main objective of Effective Altruism Brussels is community building with meetups happening since 2015. One characteristic of this group is the presence of expats, with people coming and going as a challenge. This is the most active Belgian group right now. 

These initiatives are connected in EA Belgium, which is also an official nonprofit organization since 2018. 

Other opportunities in Belgium are: 

• the fact that it’s a small country (with many governments) makes influencing policy achievable (for example; two national senators attended our EAGx) 
• the presence of EU institutions and NATO in Brussels
• the current volunteers have links in Flemish academia 
• the presence of EU-minded schools such as College of Europe

Description of the position

This community builder’s first challenge would be to explore different opportunities in Belgium and create a coherent plan for EA Belgium, which would answer questions such as: 

• What is the best way forward for non-university based chapters such as Flanders and Brussels? 
• How can student chapters in the Belgian context be supported? 
• How should EA Belgium initiatives relate to EA initiatives in the EU bubble? 
• How can the EA Belgium community promote donating behaviors? 
• If other people get funded to execute parts of these plans, what should be prioritized? 

After developing this plan, the community builder can begin executing. The following may or will belong to their tasks: 

• Day-to-day administrative and financial management of the organization/chapters
• Establishing personalized one-on-one relationships with and between members of the community, particularly from a career advice perspective
• Supervision and support of the various activities and coordination of the volunteers
• Launching and piloting projects with high societal impact
• Representation of the organization towards other groups or structures
• Organizing events, directly or indirectly through a team of volunteers 
• Organizing an EAGxBelgium (here is the application form)
• Research and implementation of tools and processes contributing to the professionalization of the chapters
• Help start university chapters and support them until they can join CEA’s University Group Accelerator Program
• Consultation with the Board of Directors, presence at the yearly General Assembly
• Setting up a financial-legal structure that allows for future recruitment of employees

For all these challenges described, a group of volunteers are available to support. Setting up a mixed advisory board or multiple advisory boards is possible.

Profile

We think this position requires a high degree of flexibility, good organizational skills, and the ability to work independently. The ideal candidate will also have a strong interest in Effective Altruism, as well as a good knowledge of the ideas of the movement.

The following skills will be particularly useful for applying for funding: 

• be familiar with and interested in the ideas of effective altruism
• be able to communicate these ideas clearly
• strong social and leadership skills
• initiating and proactive approach
• good judgment and an ability to weigh different options and scenarios, and to make decisions on your own
• an open mind, humility, and genuine interest in new ideas
• experience in independent project management
• ability to keep track and organize many different projects and tasks at the same time
• taste for analysis and optimization and qualities of the chapters, anticipation and prioritization of activities
• taste for strategic thinking and ability to step back
• good written and oral communication skills in English
• basic written and oral communication skills in Dutch

Also helpful are:

• experience in leading an organization
• experience in people management
• experience in public speaking and/or being interviewed
• experience in working or volunteering for a non-profit or a charity
• familiarity with the EA Belgium community
• fluency in Dutch and/or French

Funding

The approved conditional funding by the EA Infrastructure Fund is $50 000 (amount in euro depends on the conversion rate at the time of payment). The employment status (self-employed or not) and duration (hours per month) will be discussed with the candidate.  

Application Process

To apply, please complete this form by 5 May 2023.

Our process will consist roughly of three phases:

1. Fill in an application form and attach a CV
2. When selected - interview with EA Belgium team
3. When selected - Interview with the EA Infrastructure Fund

We strongly encourage any interested candidates to apply, even if you do not have all the skills or experience listed and regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, physical ability, educational background, socioeconomic status, etc.

For questions, please reach out to us at info@eabelgium.org!