• Working hours: Full-time (36 hours – 5 days per week), with the possibility of a reduced schedule of 32 hours per week.
• Duration: One year with possibility of extension.
• Location: Brussels office Belgium (preferrable), or office Ede-Wageningen, The Netherlands. Only candidates eligible to work in the EU will be considered.
• Salary: Competitive and commensurate with experience, starting from €3,600 gross per month plus benefits.
• Start date: January 2027.

Upscaling nature-based solutions in Europe

Wetland ecosystems offer proven nature-based solutions (NbS) to address the interlinked crises related to water security, climate and biodiversity. Across peatlands, floodplains and rivers – and together with healthy soils and other natural features across the landscape – their natural sponge functions retain, store and slowly release water. Restoring these functions can reduce the impacts of floods, droughts and wildfire while supporting biodiversity, climate adaptation and mitigation and resilient livelihoods.

The EU has begun to recognise the need to restore the water cycle and expand nature-based solutions, but these ambitions remain largely aspirational and are not yet consistently embedded in binding policy or investment. Implementation is fragmented and too often confined to pilot projects. Wider uptake requires stronger policy commitments, better use of public funding to leverage private sector investment, greater delivery capacity and practical coordination across water, land use, agriculture and nature.

Wetlands International Europe is seeking a nature-based solutions officer to help turn commitments into implementation. The role will involve EU policy engagement, thought leadership and work on the public and private finance needed to restore and upscale sponge landscapes and other wetland nature-based solutions. Delivery will be via a mix of landscape and European scale projects.

Overall purpose of the job

This is an exciting opportunity to be central to Wetlands International Europe’s efforts to deploy and upscale wetland NbS in Europe. The primary purpose of the position is to accelerate the mobilisation of financing and investments to enable the scaling up of wetland nature-based solutions for water resilience in Europe. The role will connect experience from projects and landscapes with EU policy, public funding instruments and private finance. This includes identifying and leveraging existing policy instruments and financing opportunities that can support wetland restoration and bringing together relevant actors to unlock investment and advance implementation, delivering benefits for water resilience, climate adaptation,mitigation and nature restoration.

Key responsibilities will include identifying opportunities to mobilise finance, engaging with policymakers and relevant partners to strengthen the use of existing policy and funding instruments, convening public and private actors, communicating evidence and lessons learned, and helping address barriers to implementation. The ability to work across government, land managers, civil society, researchers, businesses and financial actors will be essential to turning policy opportunities into investment and action on the ground.

Responsibilities and tasks

Public funding, economic models and complementary finance:

• Analyse how EU and national public funding instruments – including agricultural, cohesion, environment, climate and research funds – can better support water retention, carbon storage and wetland restoration at landscape scale.
• Develop recommendations for using public funding such as through EU Common Agricultural Policy to more effectively strengthen and scale implementation and attract complementary private finance.
• Work with project partners and external experts to develop and assess realistic economic, governance and financing models for nature-based water resilience, including blended and results-based approaches.
• Engage with public authorities, businesses, banks, insurers, foundations and other actors to identify financing opportunities and barriers to investment.

EU policy and thought leadership:

• Track and influence EU policy on water resilience, nature-based solutions and climate adaptation, identifying opportunities and barriers to the uptake of ecosystem-based adaptation, particularly landscape water retention and restoration of the water cycle.
• Strengthen the links between water policy and the EU Common Agricultural Policy, nature restoration, climate adaptation, soil and land-use policy.
• Develop policy recommendations, briefings, consultation responses, presentations and other thought-leadership products grounded in evidence and project experience.
• Represent Wetlands International Europe in relevant EU policy processes, networks, conferences and stakeholder dialogues, and help build a compelling public narrative for re-sponging Europe.

Partnerships, uptake and delivery:

• Work with members, landscape partners, public authorities, land manager and farmer organisations, business and technical experts to identify and overcome financial barriers to implementation, replication and upscaling.
• Translate hydrological, ecological and socio-economic evidence into implementable strategies, investment propositions and delivery pathways.
• Develop strategic partnerships and project opportunities that build on existing initiatives and bring together freshwater and peatland priorities to deliver nature-based water resilience and restoration at scale.
• Communicate project results, practical lessons and policy messages clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences, working closely with communications colleagues.

Working relations

INSIDE Wetlands International Europe: Under the overall supervision of the Freshwater Manager, the position will also work across our programmes integrating expertise on finance and landscape scale restoration into wetland restoration The role will be coordinated through the Strategy Team and involve close collaboration with policy and programme staff working on wetland landscapes and EU policies related to freshwater, peatlands and biodiversity.

OUTSIDE Wetlands International Europe: Direct engagement with members, partners and civil society; sectors including insurance, banking and business; EU institutions, national governments and local authorities, academia and private sector partners and companies. Works as part of the wider Wetlands International Europe team on wetland landscape restoration.

Specific requirements

• A motivated self-starter who is passionate about putting wetlands at the heart of the European Green Deal’s implementation and eager to champion NbS as an indispensable part of resilient landscapes for society, climate and nature.
• A master’s degree or higher in environmental policy, sustainable finance, water or natural resource management, or a related field.
• At least three years of relevant professional experience combining two or more of the following: project delivery; EU environmental or agricultural policy; public funding; nature-based solutions; landscape or catchment restoration; environmental economics or finance.
• A strong understanding of EU environmental policies, including freshwater, climate, agriculture and nature.
• Experience with EU funding programmes and the design or assessment of public, blended or private financing mechanisms for nature restoration and climate adaptation.
• Solid technical and project management skills, combined with entrepreneurial thinking for and knowledge of NbS.
• A strong communicator with experience working internationally across different cultural environments.

Valuable additional knowledge and experience

• Knowledge of the relationship between the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), land management and water outcomes.
• Knowledge of peatland restoration and the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation.
• Demonstrated ability to connect policy analysis with practical implementation and to turn complex evidence into clear recommendations.
• Experience of managing project tasks, coordinating partners and delivering high-quality outputs to deadline.
• An established network in relevant EU policy, research, NbS, agriculture, public-finance or water-resilience communities.

Core competencies

• Ability to work both independently and support a team.
• Strong written and spoken English and the confidence to represent the organisation externally. Working knowledge of other European languages will be an asset.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills and a high level of initiative.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Very good MS Office and other IT user skills.

How to apply

Applications should include a cover letter summarising the applicant’s suitability for the position and a detailed CV. Applications should be sent by email to [email protected] marking your application with “Nature-based Solution Officer” in the subject line.

Interviews: Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and early submissions are strongly encouraged.

Deadline for submission of applications: 5 November 2026.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organisational needs. Wetlands International Europe applies the same terms and conditions of employment as the Wetlands International Global Office.

Download the job offer here