Consultant for Housing Conditionalities

The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) is the leading international think tank on business and human rights. IHRB’s mission is to shape policy, advance practice, and strengthen accountability in order to make respect for human rights part of everyday business.

Overview

Project: Taskforce on Affordable and Sustainable Housing (TASH)

Contract Type:Part-Time Consultancy (Fixed-term)

Budget:EUR 50,000 (all-inclusive)

Time commitment:2 days a week

Duration:January - December 2027

Reporting to:Head of Responsible Building & Value Chains, IHRB

Location:Brussels

Application Deadline:22 November 2026, 23:59 UK time

The EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are set to invest more public money in housing than at any point in their history, much of it through the Pan-European Investment Platform (PEIP) for Affordable and Sustainable Housing. Research by theTaskforce on Affordable and Sustainable Housing (TASH), co-founded by IHRB, The Shift and the Predistribution Initiative (PDI), suggests thatmuch of this money will result in minimal emission reductions and significant rent increases fuelling the backlash against building decarbonisation.

In spring 2026, TASHbrought together investors, CSOs, and policymakers to discuss social, environmental, and governance conditionalities for EU-funded housing. Investors highlighted that regulations and conditionalities aren’t a problem: the problems are uncertainty or regulatory volatility. The European Commission has now confirmed that conditions will be attached to these funds. What they will be, and which instruments will carry them, will be decided over the next 12-18 months.

This is where this consultancy comes in: supporting TASH’s work in 2027 with technical expertise on EU finance and a presence in Brussels to influence key decision-makers.

Role Overview

The Brussels-based consultant will be responsible for building support among investors and EU institutions for an ambitious set of conditionalities on EU and EIB housing finance.

The consultant will also contribute to other activities, led by TASH partners.

The successful candidate will be able to discuss guarantees, lending criteria, and safeguards in technical depth with both investors and officials and will be trusted by both. The emphasis of the role is on relationships and influence rather than written outputs.

This opportunity is only open to individuals and not to organisations.

The consultant will primarily report to IHRB (contact point: Head of Responsible Building and Value Chains) but also to The Shift (contact point: European Project Director) for the work on the Pan-European Investment Platform for Affordable and Sustainable Housing (PEIP).

Key Responsibilities

The consultant willleadthree areas of work.

1. Policy mapping

Map the legal and political vehicles through which conditionalities could be implemented, including the Pan-European Investment Platform (PEIP), EIB lending criteria, InvestEU, and cohesion policy funds. The mapping should identify relevant previous examples, potential avenues, windows of opportunity, and likelihood of success. A first version is due by the end of February 2027 and will be updated as the policy process develops.

2. Investor engagement

Engage bilaterally with responsible institutional investors and industry bodies in the real estate sector, and build an alliance of investors in support of ambitious conditionalities. Success in this area would entail investors or industry bodies explicitly making the case for conditionality to EU decision-makers, publicly or in private meetings.

3. Brussels representation

Represent TASH at relevant events, working groups, and meetings in Brussels, and report back to IHRB and TASH partners. Broaden TASH’s connections with EU institutions, particularly with the EU Parliament and its Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union (HOUS). Success in this area would broaden the range of support - particularly political - for conditionalities.

Contributing roles

The consultant will also contribute to the following activities, owned by TASH colleagues:

• Provide technical expertise to help investors and CSOs align on a common set of conditionalities.

• Input into multi-stakeholder convenings, invite-only roundtables, and capacity-building events (all led by TASH partners)

• Supporting ongoing engagement with the Commission's Housing Task Force, the Working Group on Sustainable and Affordable Housing under the Pan-European Investment Platform (PEIP) and the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition (EEEFC), and the EIB

• Supporting TASH comms partners on media opportunities for investors to demonstrate support for conditionalities

The consultant will provide brief monthly updates to IHRB and TASH, and a final summary of activities and outcomes by mid-December 2027.

AUDIENCE (in order of priority):

• The European Parliament (HOUS Committee), Commission's Housing Task Force, DG ENER, EIB

• A small group of real estate institutional investors and their industry bodies willing to champion conditionality

• Brussels-based housing and climate civil society organisations, engaged as allies

About You Skills and Experience

Essential Experience & Knowledge

• 7+ years working on EU policy, sustainable finance, or housing finance, with a track record of influencing EU-level decisions

• A working knowledge of how EU funding instruments are designed and agreed

• Established relationships with real estate institutional investors or their industry bodies, and the standing to bring them into meetings with officials

• Established relationships with the European Parliament, Commission, and EIB.

• Experience working in coalitions whose members have differing interests, such as investors and tenant organisations

• Based in or within one hour of Brussels and able to attend meetings in person at short notice

• Excellent written and spoken English

** This is a specialised role. The criteria above are necessary requirements. If you don't meet them, then this is not the right opportunity for you, but we'd encourage you to follow IHRB's work as it develops and to look out for future opportunities.

Desirable Experience & Knowledge

• Technical expertise in finance, particularly public guarantees, lending criteria, and social and environmental safeguards, with practical knowledge of how EIB or InvestEU instruments operate

• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, heating decarbonisation or renovation policy

• Housing rights legislation and housing affordability policy

• Business & Human Rights frameworks and approaches

• The work of IHRB and TASH

Attitude

• Bridge builder - known as reliable, impartial, and discreet; trusted by a wide range of stakeholders who would not usually sit at the same table.

• Politically astute - able to read where decisions are really made and adjust the approach accordingly.

• Collaborative and responsive - willing to work as a genuine thought partner with a small team, adapting the approach as the project develops.

• Rigorous and accessible - committed to producing work that is both analytically credible and practically usable, without sacrificing one for the other.

• Self-directing - able to work from a blank page, find a way forward without being told, and seize opportunities as they arise, with clear communication about progress, risks, and dependencies.

Timeline & Process

Timeframe and hours:

• The consultancy will start in January 2027 and run until 31 December 2027, with a one-month notice period.

• It is expected to average 2 days a week, with higher workloads around key EU decision points.

Location:

• The role is based in Brussels.

• Candidates must already be legally entitled to provide services as a self-employed consultant in Belgium, and must provide their own laptop and reliable internet connection.

Compensation:

The total budget for this consultancy is €50,000 (all-inclusive). Travel reimbursement will be only available for trips outside of Belgium.

We envisage this work requiring approx. 2 days a week, which would translate to a day rate of €500. For exceptional candidates we could consider a higher day rate and a reduced time allocation.

Contracting

The successful candidate will be engaged through a consultancy agreement subject to UK law. They will need to be registered as self-employed and will be responsible for their own taxes, insurance, and other legal or financial obligations. Any offer will be subject to two satisfactory references.

As the consultant will engage EU institutions on IHRB's behalf, they will be required to comply with EU Transparency Register requirements.

Application Process

To apply, please click the "Apply Now" buttonand respond to the application questions.

• Deadline for applications: Sunday 22 November 2026 at 11:59pm UK time

You will be asked to submit:

• An example of relevant prior work demonstrating your expertise in sustainable finance or housing finance - published reports, tools, or case studies.

• Contact details for two professional references. (References will not be contacted without written permission following interview)

• Interviews:Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an initial 30-45 minute video interview with IHRB and TASH members via TeamTailor. First round interviews will take place on 27 November between 9AM-5PM UK time. If required, second interviews will take place in early December.

When you apply, there will follow three yes/no questions which are intended to help you identify whether you are qualified and well-positioned for this role. Please answer honestly. We list these minimum criteria and constraints for a reason. If you do not qualify this time, there will certainly be other opportunities in the future. Answering dishonestly only takes away from our capacity to consider other applicants that are well suited for this particular role. So please note that if you answer "yes" to an answer and we find that to be untrue, your name will be added to a black list and you won't be considered for any roles at IHRB

IHRB is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. This means we will not discriminate against candidates or employees based on their protected characteristics.

Applications from unsuccessful candidates will be held on file for 6 months after the end of the recruitment process.