Communication Officer Recruitment Belgium

Archetype recruits Communication Officers for companies, associations and organisations in Belgium: people who write precisely for several audiences, in French, Dutch and often English, and who run an editorial calendar without waiting to be told what to publish. The Communication Officer is one of the Marketing profiles we recruit, alongside the Marketing Officer and the BI Analyst. We work on a retainer, with fees set in a written proposal before the search starts, and a search takes 12 weeks on average. A 6-month replacement guarantee applies. Describe the role to us and you will receive a proposal within 48 to 72 hours.

Communication Officer reviewing a newsletter with the director of a Brussels association — A Communication Officer writes for several audiences and can reframe a message before it goes out.

What you should expect from a Communication Officer

The Communication Officer produces and distributes the organisation’s messages: website, newsletter, social media, press releases, internal communication, material for an event. They often work alone or in a small team, which means they write, coordinate suppliers and keep the schedule at the same time.

Two traits set a good Communication Officer apart. They write well, in several languages and for several audiences: the same message is not phrased the same way for staff, the press and clients. And they can say no, or at least “not like that”, to an executive who wants to publish too quickly. That second trait never shows in a portfolio.

Communication Officer, Marketing Officer, Marketing Manager: the grid

These three titles are often mixed up in job ads, yet they do not attract the same people. The grid below sums up the most common difference between the three roles. Each organisation sets the line slightly differently, which is why it pays to settle it before the search starts.

Communication Officer, Marketing Officer or Marketing Manager: which role should you open?
Criterion	Communication Officer	Marketing Officer	Marketing Manager
Main goal	Image, reputation, keeping audiences informed	Running the campaigns that generate demand	Marketing strategy, budget and team
Audiences	Staff, press, partners, general public	Prospects and clients	Leadership, sales, target markets
Typical output	Articles, newsletter, press releases, internal communication, events	Campaigns, email marketing, product content, trade fairs, lead follow-up	Marketing plan, positioning, budget decisions
Indicators tracked	Reach, press pick-up, internal engagement	Leads generated, cost per lead, conversion	Contribution to revenue, market share
Manages a team	Rarely, coordinates suppliers	Rarely	Yes, in most cases
What to test when hiring	Multilingual writing, judgement, ability to push back on an executive	Execution discipline, reading campaign figures	Vision, trade-offs, management

If your need is mainly to generate sales enquiries, you are probably looking for a Marketing Officer, or a Marketing Manager if the role must own the strategy and a team: see our page on Marketing Manager recruitment and the Marketing Manager job description. If you run a communication agency, see our page for communication recruitment.

When to open a Communication Officer role

Three situations often justify the hire. Leadership tells the market one thing and staff another, and nobody is in charge of aligning them. The organisation is moving into another language region of the country and its messages exist in one language only. Or a sensitive announcement, a reorganisation for instance, was handled by whoever was available that day, and the result went down badly.

In all three cases, language is a selection criterion in its own right. A Communication Officer working for the whole of Belgium has to write properly in French and Dutch, not just speak them. We recruit in French, Dutch and English, and our assignments cover Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.

Our principle of transparency is one of our core values: saying what needs to be said, even when it’s uncomfortable. In practice, that means we’ll tell you if your salary range is misaligned with the market. We’ll tell you if the candidate you’re set on raises a red flag on a critical point. We’ll tell you if the training you’re asking for won’t solve the problem you’re describing. Everyone says they value transparency; few accept its relational cost. We do.
The Archetype method, since 1993

What we test beyond the portfolio

A portfolio shows what a candidate has published. It shows neither what they wrote themselves nor how they react when a message has to go out in two hours. So the interview goes back over specific texts: what they wrote alone, for which audience, with which edits. If you want to see them at work before deciding, an assessment with a case study and a role-play can be added to the search.

Every finalist also takes the KOAN assessment, which we have used for 30 years. KOAN reads competencies, drivers and behavioural dynamics: how the person reacts under pressure, in a team and to change. For a Communication Officer, this is what shows whether they will hold their position with senior management. Our assessment approach is described on assessment for recruitment.

Our recruitment method

The first call is used to take a detailed brief and challenge the role: is this really a communication need, or a marketing one? You receive a proposal within 48 to 72 hours. Between the two calls, we prepare a summary of the need, the open questions, the scorecard for the role, the sourcing strategy and, for exclusive assignments, an employer branding proposal. On average, an assignment is signed 12 days after first contact.

In-depth briefing: audiences, channels, languages, reporting line, balance between internal and external communication.
Written sourcing strategy for the assignment.
Structured screening: in-depth interview and KOAN.
Shortlist presentation with scorecard, interview transcripts and a validated job description.
Follow-up before, during and after the hire, including onboarding follow-up over the first three months.

Fees, timing and guarantee

We work on a retainer only, never on a success fee. Our fee is set before the search starts, in the written proposal you sign, based on the languages required, the seniority of the role and the difficulty of the assignment. Allow 12 weeks on average between signing the assignment and the candidate signing, then their notice period. The 6-month replacement guarantee applies if the candidate leaves.

Archetype is a family business founded in 1993, a Federgon member specialised in Sales, Marketing and Management profiles. Marketing profiles, including Communication Officers, account for 11% of our assignments. We work across nine sectors, associations included, and more than 75 to 80% of our assignments are carried through to placement.

About Archetype

Archetype is a Belgian family business founded in 1993 by Marc Diamant and now co-managed with Davy Diamant and Steve Diamant. A member of Federgon, it won Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 for its ethical and structured use of AI.

Frequently asked questions about hiring a Communication Officer

What does a Communication Officer do?

They produce and distribute an organisation’s messages to its audiences: website, newsletter, social media, press releases, internal communication and events. They write, coordinate suppliers and keep the publishing calendar.

Communications Officer vs Communications Coordinator: what is the difference?

The Coordinator role is usually more operational: planning, logistics, supplier follow-up. The Officer writes and decides more of the content and is expected to advise management. In smaller organisations, one person often does both.

Communication Officer or Marketing Officer: which should you hire?

If the issue is image, reputation and keeping staff or the press informed, hire a Communication Officer. If the issue is generating sales enquiries and following up leads, hire a Marketing Officer.

Do you recruit bilingual French and Dutch Communication Officers?

Yes. We recruit in French, Dutch and English, and the requirement to write in each language the role needs, not just speak it, is set at the briefing.

How much does the recruitment cost and how long does it take?

Our fee is set before the search starts, in a written proposal sent within 48 to 72 hours of the first call. Allow 12 weeks on average between signing the assignment and the candidate signing. A 6-month replacement guarantee applies.