USAID/OTI Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative is looking for qualified individuals to fill the position of Program Development Assistant – Donetsk Region.

Chemonics International, an international development consulting firm, implementing USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) Project, solicits expressions of interest for a program development assistant (PDA) tobe based in Slovyansk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) complements ongoing USAID efforts to create a prosperous and stable Ukraine.  The program provides fast, flexible, short-term assistance to Ukrainian partners in support of a successful, peaceful democratic transition and in promotion of community cohesion in the wake of the conflict in the East.

The program’s overarching objectives are to:

• Increase capacity of vulnerable local communities to manage tensions exacerbated by the conflict in the East;
• Increase constructive engagement between government and citizens in vulnerable communities and;
• Increase citizen resilience against divisive and biased information

Responsibilities for this position include:

Program Development Assistant in Donetsk Oblast (PDA-Donetsk) will lead UCBI monitoring of grant activities and reporting on the local political, civic, and economic environment in different communities in GOU-controlled Donetsk Oblast.  The PDA reports to and is managed on a daily basis directly by the assigned program development officer (PDO), ultimately reporting to the UCBI Chief of Party (COP). Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Proactively identify and conceptualize new potential activities that are appropriate to respond to the current Ukrainian political situation and UCBI’s established program goals and objectives.
• In coordination with the project technical leadership, work with potential grantees to design or refine grant concepts and proposed activities.
• Provide technical assistance to potential grantees, as required, during the grant preparation and implementation stages, including grant budget preparation.
• Facilitate communication between UCBI staff and grantee.
• Monitor ongoing grants, which may include, inter alia, attending activity events, gathering information requested by UCBI staff in Kyiv/Kharkiv, writing updates and brief reports on grant impact and progress, attend coordination meetings for grant activities.
• Organize regional meetings with grantees, focus groups, community leaders and members.
• Report on relevant community or regional meetings, possibly with translation of relevant documents.
• Monitor to ensure that grant implementation and reporting adheres to grant agreement and timelines.
• In coordination with the grants management staff, assist with processing grantee paperwork; such as price quotes, vendor invoicing, and acts of acceptance.
• Assist with any ad hoc procurement and/or logistics and coordination needs that may arise.
• Together with the technical team, prepare monthly work plans defining program specialists’ responsibilities and goals for each month.
• Provide oral and written translations to and from English as required.
• Regular travel throughout and around Slovyansk and environs and occasional travel to other regions of Ukraine.
• Perform any other tasks requested by supervisor.  

Qualifications

• Must already or be willing to reside and be based within Slovyansk for the duration of the assignment.
• Familiarity with the socio/political situation in and around Slovyansk and the Donetsk Oblast.
• Prior experience working with NGOs and/or local communities and/or youth groups.
• Must be able travel throughout GOU-controlled territory of Ukraine and have access to transportation.
• Native fluency in Russian/Ukrainian required; professional functionality in English highly desirable.
• Computer fluency, including MS Word, Excel, email, internet research, and social media platforms.
• University degree required.

Application instructions:

Send electronic submissions to [email protected] by Tuesday, April 12, 2016. Please insert the position you are applying for (“PDA-Donetsk”) in the subject line and include your CV, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three (3) professional references. No telephone inquiries, please. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis and only finalists will be contacted. Interested prospective applicants are encouraged to visit UCBI’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USAIDUCBI/.