Public Affairs Consultant

ABOUT EFC

We are EFC. The single unified voice of more than 800 European football clubs — men’s and women’s, of all shapes and sizes — from 55 countries and territories across Europe. Our goal is to promote and protect the interests of our members and ensure the stability and growth of European club football.

EFC’s core purpose is to place clubs at ‘The Heart of Football’. Through long-term strategic partnerships with UEFA and FIFA, we champion the interests of clubs on the European and global stages. We promote sporting integrity and the development of men’s and women’s club competitions; deliver world-class events that bring clubs and industry leaders together; and provide benefits that support the growth of all our members, on and off the pitch.

We also champion football as a force for good, with our EFC Foundation driving charitable programmes to support the communities our clubs represent.

EFC is continually looking to work with the best talent in the market to ensure we deliver on our strategic objectives enhance the value of our activities and services for Member Clubs.

Equity, diversity and inclusion are part of EFC’s core values. We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive organisation.

SCOPE OF WORK

Services

Provide strategic EU public affairs advice to EFC’s General Counsel and EFC’s senior leadership, including but not limited to:

Policy monitoring:

• Track and analyse policy, legislative and regulatory developments at the EU and/or (inter)national level that affect EFC, its members and European club football more generally.
• On-going dissemination of EFC specific positioning and policies across key areas (e.g. football regulatory & governance related developments, transfer system, club competitions & international match calendars financial and environmental sustainability, social impact, etc.).
• Prepare reports on policy trends and other important activities.

Strategic advice:

• Provide EFC with relevant information and clear assessments of political and regulatory matters and strategic options.
• Assess the broader EU policy priorities (and where applicable from other relevant bodies such as the Council of Europe, the ILO, the UN, Interpol etc.) and provide advice as to how those can be mapped to EFC strategy and objectives (those already defined for the cycle and those that may be set at any particular point in time), including a clear strategic and operational plan – including on the ground support from the Service Provider – for how EFC will deliver against those.
• Design and execute a Public Affairs strategy which raises the profile, visibility and positive impact of EFC with European (and where appropriate global) officials and political stakeholders with a view to further enhancing the positioning and reputation of European club football.

Advocacy & stakeholder engagement:

• Secure and significantly enhance support from public authorities (principal among which the EU bodies) for EFC’s positions and goals.
• Build and maintain on behalf of EFC a trusted network at the most senior levels within EU institutions and within other relevant lobbying groups (.e.g. SROC) in order to develop a sustainable lobbying activity.
• Continued engagement around high-level political developments, especially for example through the European Commission Sports Unit, the European Parliament Sports Group and where applicable the DG Competition Unit.
• Establish a program to deepen relations with EU Member States governments and the design of a specific and practical toolbox for Board members to engage with and present the EFC message to governments.

Representation:

• Expand EFC’s public affairs footprint in Europe and, when appropriate, beyond Europe, engaging with officials and stakeholders that can support the ongoing growth of European club football.
• Advocate EFC’ positions in consultations, hearings, and public discussions (including in EU social dialogue).
• Strengthen in a demonstrable manner EFC’s position and image as a thought leader and key stakeholder in all policy matters affecting football, bringing EFC measurably much closer to the level of influence enjoyed by major global and regional governing bodies at political level.

Communications:

• Proactively engage with the EFC’s General Counsel and Communications department to provide strategic guidance on EU developments which present public positioning opportunities for EFC (e.g. contributing to public consultations, issuing public statements on EU developments, speaking at events).
• Strengthen ties to specialised public affairs media to enhance EFC visibility (in collaboration with EFC Communications department).
• Draft policy briefs, position papers, press releases, and speaking notes.
• Draft strategy for promoting the EFC Foundation to key EU officials and other public policy stakeholders (in collaboration with EFC Foundation and EFC Communications department).

Project management:

• Co-ordinate projects relating to public affairs (e.g. with EU and national institutions, relevant communications channels and fora, etc), so as to enable better decision-making.

Event management:

• Support the organisation of events/meetings, attend meetings, roundtables, and networking events to promote EFC’ interests.

• Our offices are designed for collaboration and connection, while giving you the flexibility to work up to 2 days a week from home.

• We invest in growth. You’ll have a dedicated budget for conferences, courses and certifications, alongside training sessions, Lunch & Learn opportunities and access to EFC events that connect you with professionals from across football.

• We reward talent and achievement. Salaries and bonuses reflect the impact you make. We provide medical coverage support, and our retirement plans include competitive contributions from EFC.

• Our team has access to complimentary tickets for UEFA Club Competitions — bringing you even closer to the football you help to grow.

• Football unites people from every background. At EFC, we reflect that in our own organisation. Our team includes 15+ nationalities and comprises 45% women and 55% men. We are committed to building an inclusive culture free from discrimination, bias and prejudice — ensuring everyone can thrive.

• 8+ years of experience in EU public affairs roles; including senior roles which include(d) regular engagement with C-suite and director level executives.
• Experience engaging in EU matters relating to professional sport / football.
• Experience developing and delivering strategies to promote the public position of organisations / industries to EU institutions and wider Brussels stakeholders (EU focused reporting, media etc.).
• Full fluency in English (written and spoken) and one further European language.