OPEN POSITION AT THE MEET NETWORK!

MEET NETWORK TRAINEE/INTERN

Background

The Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism Network was officially established in 2018, to represent a new ecotourism model and provide a membership network for protected areas and organisations who are committed to embracing a new way of developing tourism in the Mediterranean. Today MEET operates in 9 Mediterranean countries (Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Italy and France) and over 20 protected area destinations, and is continuing on its journey to shaping the Mediterranean into a leading ecotourism destination.

MEET is a conservation initiative at its core, designed to support parks in the Mediterranean which play a critical role in protecting the region's threatened biodiversity. We provide visitors to the region with meaningful, market-ready experiences built following the MEET Model for ecotourism development. MEET travellers experience the same authentic Mediterranean flavour as locals do.

MEET builds on several initiatives, and has received indirect support from projects funded by the European Union (Interreg MED’s DestiMED and DestiMED PLUS project; ENI CBC MED’s MEET) and MAVA Fondation pour la Nature. Currently, MEET Network is in a period of consolidation and expansion, and is looking for a trainee or intern with a background in tourism, communications and/or marketing to support the MEET Secretariat, focusing mainly on communications and administrative tasks.


Details of the Role

Position: MEET Network Trainee Assistant

Reporting to: MEET Secretariat

Dedication: Expected full-time (39 hours per week), depending on the internship/traineeship programme requirements

Work pattern: Possibility of up to 3 days working from home per week

Duration: Minimum 6 months, starting between March and June 2024

Location: MEET Secretariat hosted at IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation office in Malaga, Spain

Tasks and Responsibilities

The MEET Network Trainee Assistant will support the MEET Network Secretariat based at the Ecosystem Resilience and Spatial Planning Team at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. The traineeship will focus on supporting different working areas of the MEET Network, including marketing & communications (50%), operations & administration (40%), and membership & governance (10%):

  • Content generation and curation for website, social media and email newsletters

  • Social Media planning, scheduling and analytics

  • Creating marketing materials and managing a system for MEET´s catalogue of ecotourism experiences

  • Supporting media relationships and drafting of news reports and press releases

  • General admin support to MEET Network, including support managing the server, emails, website, contact list, etc.

  • Supporting internal communications with members (parks and inbound tour operators) and commercial partners

  • Supporting the organisation of internal and external events, including scheduling and minute-taking

  • Desk research on topics related to ecotourism and protected area visitation

  • Any other tasks needed and appropriate for the role.

Additionally, the trainee will have the opportunity to get exposure to the commercial activities carried out by MEET, gain insights into the industry, as well as the membership and destination management activities, and gain an understanding of policy and sustainability practice.

Requirements

  • Eligible to apply for a trainee scheme or internship scholarship (ideally under an Erasmus+ programme at your university) that covers the costs during this work experience, as well as insurance. 

  • The candidate should be completing studies (preferably postgraduate) in tourism, communications, marketing or related fields, ideally with a strong focus on sustainability. Previous experience in communications, marketing or sales, especially in tourism or sustainability-related roles will be valued.

  • Fluency in English and French. Knowledge of Spanish will be an advantage, as well as any other languages in the Mediterranean (Arabic, Italian, Greek...) or from MEET target audiences (especially German).  

  • Advanced user of Microsoft Office and Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Classroom), cloud-based server management, email managers.

  • The following skills will be highly valued: content creation (visual and written), web content management (Squarespace), social media management (Canva, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn), and newsletter management (Mailchimp).

  • Mature individual, flexible, with attention to detail and teamwork skills. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills will be needed to perform everyday tasks. The candidate must have the capacity to adapt to a fast-changing work environment without constant supervision. 

In exchange, we offer:

  • Work experience in an innovative organisation bridging the gap between sustainable tourism methods and approaches, and the practices in destinations and business environments.

  • Exposure to the work of a leading nature conservation, scientific and tourism organisations, as well as protected areas and tour operators.

  • Based in Malaga, Spain, capital of the Costa del Sol, a vibrant city with year-round sunshine and well connected to Europe and Northern Africa.

  • Hosted at IUCN Mediterranean office, with a diverse team in a multilingual environment.

Application

Please apply until the 29th of February by sending your CV (1 page) and a motivation letter (max. 2 pages) to secretariat@meetnetwork.org, stating your interest, motivation and justifying why you fulfil the requirements for this position. Mention your availability to apply for a traineeship or internship scheme at your university, and the dates you can could start. Please note we will be evaluating proposals on a rolling basis.