DRA is looking for a Project Manager leading on environmental projects for the DRA Resource Center in Slоviansk (Donetsk oblast, Ukraine), opening in September 2019. The appointment will be from 1 September 2019 until 31 August 2020 with a possibility of multi-year extension, depending on available further project funding.

Background: The civil society in Eastern Ukraine is in a state of flux since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in this region in 2014. DRA sees active grass-roots networks and well-working horizontal structures in communities as a prerequisite for building a sustainable and democratic society. The DRA Resource Center received funding from the German Federal Foreign office to support active citizens – and particularly young people – in Sloviansk and other cities in the conflict region by providing them with educational and development opportunities, supporting grass-roots initiatives aimed at community development, and by providing international exchange. The Resource Center will facilitate local civil society development by strengthening active citizens and civic initiatives with capacity building, communication and exchanges with experts, professionals, and activists from EU countries and other regions of Ukraine.

The main areas of activity of the Resource Center in Sloviansk will be 

• Supporting the efficient and sustainable development of local civic initiatives, their networks and collaborative projects; 
• Strengthening the engagement of international civil society actors with the region, including conflict management efforts;
• Organising educational/ volunteer and professional exchanges between civil society and youth from different regions in Ukraine;
• Encouraging public debates on local democracy, and other topics of importance for the local population;
• Contributing to the process of reconciliation;
• Dealing with local and regional history and culture;
• Fostering local human rights work. 

The Project Manager has a key role to play within the small team in delivering and supporting high-quality projects with a particular focus on environmental awareness, environmental monitoring and climate education in Eastern Ukraine. S/he will organise jointly with local partners civil-society-supported monitoring mechanism of environmental risks in the Donbas region in order to increase the national and international awareness of environmental protection in Ukraine as a key part of conflict and post-conflict management. 

Tasks 

• Facilitate workshops and trainings for local activists on environmental awareness and protection, climate education, sustainable community development, waste management, renewable energies and the development of environmentally-friendly businesses; 
• Conduct regional awareness-raising campaigns about regional environmental challenges and risks; 
• Support the development of a regional network of climate and environmental activists across East Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast), and provide them with capacity building; 
• Research and analyse environmental data from authoritative sources for monitoring, presentations, and for a comprehensive risk assessment of environmental challenges; 
• Support the development of a climate plan jointly with local authorities for two cities in East Ukraine; 
• Liaise and communicate regularly with international partners involved in this environmental project; 
• Support the Director of the office with input for narrative donor reports on this project and with monitoring and evaluation of outputs; 
• Contribute to the development of programme strategies, based on responsiveness to the dynamic local environment and on in-depth context awareness; 
• Support the Director of the office and Programme Manager with Social Media Output (Facebook, Instagram), and compelling evidence from the field for fundraising and advocacy purposes;  
• Perform other related activities as assigned by the Director. 

Requirements  

• 2-4 years previous work experience in a relevant field; 
• Passion and commitment to work on sustainable development as well as environmental and climate-related issues;
• Experience in programme development, the project management cycle, event management and budget management; 
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Profound Microsoft Office – particularly Excel – skills; 
• Willingness to travel frequently across the region (Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast); 
• Experience in managing funds from public and private international donors; working with German donors is a competitive advantage. 

Skills 

• Ability to be creative and innovative in generating new ideas and concepts; 
• Excellent communication, social and team-work skills; 
• Diligence, independence, initiative, punctuality; 
• Comprehensive and analytical understanding of environmental topics; 
• Reliable and careful handling of numbers, receipts, and documents, documentation; 
• Ability to manage information with discretion; 
• Excellent organisational and planning skills. 

Knowledge 

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in a relevant field; 
• Advanced level of English language skills, fluent written and spoken Russian and Ukrainian, German language skills would be an advantage; 
• Excellent understanding of local context and culture, of the environmental situation in East Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast), and of relevant civil society stakeholders; 
• Experience or knowledge in subject areas of the project (environmental research and activism, conflict management, civil society, human rights monitoring) are welcome. 

About the organisation: DRA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Berlin, working since 1992 with the aim of promoting democratic developments in East European countries through cooperation with Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and other European NGOs, with independent mass media and in cross-sectoral cooperation. The DRA offers youth and other exchange programs in the field of political education, democracy and active citizenship and works to establish links with Western partners. Moreover, the DRA acts as an agency for volunteers between Eastern and Western Europe, and has been working in the field of environmental and climate issues for more than ten years. 

The DRA offers a multi-faceted, flexible and international working environment in a young and dynamic team, a competitive salary, and a lot of space for your own ideas. For more information, see: www.austausch.org  

Please send your applications (cover letter and CV) as a single PDF document (no larger than 2MB) by 11 August 2019 to [email protected] 

Interviews will take place in Slоviansk, Ukraine, in the week from 19 August to 23 August 2019.  

Contact details:  

DRA e.V. 
Badstraße 44 
D-13357 Berlin  
Tel: +49(0)30/44 66 80 00 
www.facebook.com/draberlin