Trainee opportunity in global health advocacy

Location: Brussels, Belgium
Contract: 6-month Convention d’immersion professionnelle (CIP)
Start date: Around November 1, 2026
Application deadline: September 25, 2026, 12:00 CET

Help deliver the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum, sit in the room at EU policy meetings, and shape campaigns that reach audiences in more than 60 countries. We are looking for a Programme Support Trainee to build their career alongside us in Brussels.

This is a full-time, remunerated CIP traineeship. You will work from our office at least one day a week and can work remotely the rest of the time, with more office time and external meetings expected around our busiest moments.

About the organisation

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) is a global umbrella organisation bringing together bladder cancer patient organisations from around the world. Spanning 17 member organisations across 14 countries, we connect patient voices globally and work with clinicians, policymakers and international stakeholders to improve outcomes for people affected by bladder cancer and their families.

Every day, we work to ensure the best information, support and care are available to every person affected by bladder cancer, no matter where they live. We are looking for a talented and ambitious person to help us achieve that goal.

About the role

This is a mixed-skill, full-time traineeship offering hands-on exposure across the Coalition’s main work programmes. We foresee an approximate distribution of your time as follows:

• 35% Communications
• 25% Policy & Advocacy
• 20% Event management
• 10% Member relations
• 10% Operations and team support

These are estimates and will shift from month to month. What matters more is what you will own. By the end of the six months, we would expect you to have run your own workstream within one of our key initiatives, helped coordinate a flagship international event, and gone deeper in one area you choose yourself.

This is not a first internship, and we will pitch the work accordingly. It suits someone ready to move from supporting other people’s work to running their own.

What will you do?

Policy & Advocacy support
Research and monitor the policy files that matter most to bladder cancer patients, and turn what you find into briefings the team acts on. Prepare for and attend meetings with policymakers, clinicians and international organisations, including the EU Health Policy Platform and European Parliament events. You will be in the room, not only writing it up afterwards, and you will be credited by name on the consultation responses, position statements and joint letters you draft.

Communications support
Create content for our social media channels, newsletters and website, reaching audiences across the globe. Help deliver the Bladder Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) campaign every May, with your own workstream to run within it. Write blog posts and articles, design visuals for our campaigns and resources, and track how our communications are performing.

Event management
Plan, coordinate and run online and in-person meetings and events, including the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum. Run the operational and technical side of our events, including travel to international congresses.

Member relations
Be a first point of contact for our member organisations, onboard new members, keep our membership records current, and coordinate training and resource sharing that builds capacity across the coalition.

Operations and team support
Coordinate internal meetings end to end, keep our documents and databases in good order, track project timelines, and work directly with the Executive Director on day-to-day priorities.

Who are we looking for?

This role suits someone with a master’s-level degree and some internship experience already behind them, whether in the EU institutions, a health or advocacy organisation, or a comparable setting. You bring:

• University-level education or equivalent experience
• Clear, effective written and spoken English, including the ability to draft for a policy audience (a briefing note, consultation response or position statement)
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset
• A wish to build depth across several functions rather than specialise immediately
• An interest in health, public health and non-communicable diseases, including cancer
• A well-organised, self-starter approach to a busy and varied workload
• Eligibility to work in Belgium without requiring a visa

Desirable, but not mandatory: hands-on experience running an organisational social media channel, newsletter or website (including a CMS, Canva or the Adobe suite, and a mailing or CRM platform); experience helping to deliver a multi-day or multi-country event; familiarity with EU health policy processes; and fluency in other UN working languages, in particular Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish or Chinese.

What we offer

You will join a supportive, collaborative team that values fresh ideas and shared success. While the role is broad to start with, you will have the opportunity to focus more on an area aligned with your interests, gaining deeper insight and hands-on experience.

You will also have the opportunity to attend EU and international policy meetings, European Parliament events and international congresses, representing WBCPC in your own right and building a Brussels network that outlasts the traineeship.

Contract & benefits
The CIP is a Belgian training contract with a statutory minimum allowance (€1,094.90 gross per month, 2026/04 index). We pay above that minimum. The package includes:

• Gross allowance of €1,250 per month
• Luncheon vouchers (value €10 per working day)
• Public transport pass for your commute, fully covered
• A personal training and development budget of €150 for courses, conferences or coaching of your choice
• All travel and accommodation covered when you represent us at international events

You will have a named line manager and a monthly one-to-one on your own development, not just your tasks. Every trainee who has finished with us has gone on to a role in this field: one joined our own team, one moved into a permanent role at another patient advocacy organisation, and one went on to a professional society. Where funding and workload allow, we look first to our trainees when a position opens.

All candidates must already have the right to live and work in Belgium. We are not able to offer relocation support at this time.

How to apply

Please send your application by email to recruitment@worldbladdercancer.org with the subject line:
“Trainee – [Your First Name and Surname]”

Your application should include:

1. A cover letter in English (maximum one A4 page) outlining your motivation and suitability for the role (filename: Lastname_Firstname_cover)
2. A CV in English (maximum two A4 pages) (filename: Lastname_Firstname_CV)

The deadline for applications is September 25, 2026, 12:00 CET. We will review applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be held in September and October 2026, and we will reply to every candidate either way. You can expect to hear from us by October 1, 2026.