EU Director

Carbon Capture and Storage Association

About the Organisation

CCSA is the lead European trade association representing over 130 organizations accelerating the commercial deployment of Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage (or CCUS) through advocacy and collaboration.  Our ambition is to see CCUS developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations.  

We represent a wide variety of organizations with an interest in the development and deployment of CCUS across many applications to decarbonize heavy industries, power, and hydrogen production, and remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. The CCSA team works across two offices, with staff based in Brussels and London. You must be prepared to travel regularly (across Europe and occasionally internationally), to speak at and attend events, including overnight stays.

About the role

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), you will support the CEO in leading the work of the association to accelerate the deployment of CCUS on behalf of the CCSA Board and its members.  The CCSA’s EU Director will lead the CCSA’s Brussels-based team in the most senior role in the Brussels office. 

You will be responsible for implementing the EU strategy, ensuring that the CCSA continues to advocate for enabling policy and regulatory frameworks for commercial deployment and removing barriers to project delivery at both EU and priority Member State levels, with a focus on cross-border CO2 infrastructure and creation of a Europe-wide CO2 market. 

You will be responsible for the CCSA’s relationship with all European stakeholders, including the European Parliament, Commission, and media and you will have responsibility for navigating the legislative process and engaging and influencing stakeholders at all levels to secure positive outcomes for the CCSA and its members. 

You will lead on further development of the association’s profile in Europe and build strong relations with Member States and organizations that influence CCUS.  You will also be responsible for commissioning and delivering research and further developing and communicating CCUS industry data to inform strategy, policy, and CCSA work programs, including EU-based or joint EU-UK  projects. The role includes management of the EU Policy and EU External Affairs teams (including Membership and Events).

Responsibilities

• Oversee the policy team and external affairs teams to develop a policy and advocacy work program to lead and influence policies that are relevant to the development of the CCUS and hydrogen sectors, prepare briefings, submissions, and presentations to the European Parliament and Commission. 
• Influence the legislative and regulatory developments relevant to the CCUS and hydrogen sector, advising on potential impacts and strategies. 
• Development and implementation of a comprehensive external affairs and communications strategy to influence public perception and policy and decision-making at the Member State level. 
• Oversee the development and delivery of a campaigns program and support cross-functional teams to deliver projects and inform policy-making in line with company objectives. 
• Support CCSA’s engagement and advocacy work with external stakeholders – overarching narrative development, specific briefings, meetings, and events. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with parliamentarians, government officials, industry regulators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders. 
• Represent the CCSA at industry events, conferences, and public hearings, providing necessary briefings and acting as a spokesperson when required. 
• Negotiate and manage partnerships with government bodies, energy organizations, and other relevant entities to support strategic goals. 
• Support the CCSA membership to develop stronger policy and political relationships. 
• Collaborate with Membership Communications teams and undertake key account management to ensure excellent service to members and grow the EU membership. 
• Manage direct reports (Head of EU External Affairs and EU Policy Manager). 
• Support the CEO in preparing annual budgets for the CCSA board for your areas, ensure management within budgets, and provide quarterly forecasting and reporting throughout the year. 
• Oversee the delivery of relevant corporate objectives to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the UK team. 

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Essential:

• Proven track record in leading policy development and influencing policy-makers – preferably within the field of CCS/CCU hydrogen, and related energy sector.  
• Excellent knowledge and demonstrable experience of the EU institutions and their political decision-making processes around policy, regulation, and legislation.  
• Experience in managing a collaborative European policy initiative with strong analytical skills – the ability to receive technical information and translate it into a strategic policy context 
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with strong attention to detail, experience with the European media, and a track record of engaging and influencing stakeholders at all levels. 
• Experience in planning, executing, and measuring the success of external communications and corporate affairs plans. 
• Excellent communicator and diplomat – able to explain complex issues simply and with an ability to manage effective discussions between organizations with diverse viewpoints and work out compromises where members’ views differ. 
• Track record as an effective leader, demonstrating strategic acumen, with the ability to lead and manage talent and build an effective team to prioritize and deliver agreed and focused actions.  
• Experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams to co-create strategic approaches through successful engagement with stakeholders.  
• Exceptional managerial skills with an ability to mentor and inspire colleagues – driving performance and influencing indirect reports 
• A proactive, results-driven self-starter, with excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage own and others’ workloads, deliver at pace, and balance both immediate-term priorities and longer-term goals to achieve successful outcomes with a small team. 
• Proven delivery track record – has delivered at pace in a changing environment with a small team, leveraging a wider network of resources. 
• Financial management skills including setting budgets and tracking performance. 
• Broad understanding of the science of climate change and the technologies that can be used to transition towards net zero and long-term climate sustainability.  
• Understanding of the need for CCUS and its applicability to industry, power, hydrogen, advanced fuels, and carbon dioxide removal sectors. 
• Competent in the use of IT applications. 
• Native English speaker or equivalent level. Other languages are an asset

Desirable:

• Extensive relevant experience working in energy and climate change, particularly carbon capture and storage and hydrogen, or in a political environment.  
• Wider understanding of EU government and policy-making processes. 
• Understanding of the role of trade associations in supporting businesses. 
• Good technical understanding of the CCUS value chain. 
• Experience in applying and assuring compliance with regulations. 
• Experience working in cross-function and multi-geography teams. 

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in level Geosciences, Climate Change, Politics, and related fields.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive Salary Package
• Other Benefits

Conditions of employment

• You need to have the right to work in Belgium/ EU

Working locations

• Remotely working in Brussels Belgium

How to apply

• Send an email to [email protected] with a CV and a cover letter, Your Name, and with the subject line "EU Director" by Friday 28th February 2025 at 11:59 PM

Interviews

• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. The interview will held on the 7th of March 2025

Policies

• At CCSA we celebrate diversity as we know it makes our company a great place to work. Encouraging applicants with different backgrounds, ideas, and points of view, we create teams that work together to lead a new industry. We recognize that multiple perspectives come from many sources including diverse ethnicity, culture, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, marital status, parental status, education, social background, and life experience of people. 

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