Position: PROTECT Program Technical Director   

Employment Type:  Full-Time, 12 months renewable

Reports to:  Project Principal (Ottawa)

Direct Reports:  Reform Initiative (RI) Team Leaders (TL) (Kyiv)

Collaborates with:  Field Manager (Kyiv), Senior Defence Advisor (Kyiv)

Committed to Inclusivity and Diversity: Alinea provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants on the basis of merit. 

Alinea is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Given the nature of our work, candidates will be subjected to due diligence checks and to enhanced background checks as appropriate.

About Alinea International Ltd.

Alinea is an international development consultancy providing technical and management expertise that helps people improve their lives. We work with governments, investors, companies and communities to create lasting change. Over 35 years, Alinea has successfully delivered more than 515 projects worldwide.  

Alinea International is recruiting a Technical Director for Canada’s Promoting Reform Objectives through Technical Expertise and Capacity Transfer (PROTECT) program. PROTECT is a 2 year, 3M CAN$ defence and security sector reform program funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented in Kyiv, Ukraine.  PROTECT provides short-term expert (Ukrainian and international) deployment and capacity to reforms in the defence and security sector. The program responds to the needs of Ukraine’s defence and security institutions and agencies and focuses on building strong analytical approaches in gender equality; women peace and security (WPS); and results-based management into reform initiatives, while lending expertise in the management of reforms.

PROTECT program outcomes are defined as follows:

• Improved governance and democratic accountability of Ukraine’s security and defence sector
• Improved planning, coordination, gender responsiveness and strategic analysis of security and defence sector reforms
• Improved implementation of reforms delivered through the Ukrainian security and defence sector

Under the direct supervision of the PROTECT Project Principal and in close cooperation with the Senior Defence Advisor, the Technical Director will be ultimately responsible for the successful execution of the RIs and the leadership and management of the RI TLs and their teams.  Current RIs include the development of the Annual National Programme (Ukraine and NATO), Defence Governance, and Defence Planning and Resource Management.  

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior Ukraine-based representative and primary interlocutor of the PROTECT program to the civilian and military officials of the Government of Ukraine, Embassy of Canada, and the international community;
• Position the PROTECT project with Ukraine-based stakeholders and target audiences based on relevant plans;
• Ensure efficient and professional interaction with key contact points and RI counterparts in the Government of Ukraine;
• Work with Ukrainian government officials in the definition and development of reform initiative interventions;
• Accept, evaluate, and provide recommendations on reform initiative interventions and requests for assistance from Ukrainian government officials;
• Develop or evaluate resource requirements for current or emerging Ris;
• Review and approve RI TL inputs to program management reports;
• Lead, guide, and mentor the RI TLs in the execution of their respective projects;
• Serve on hiring panels for RI TLs and technical experts;
• Develop relevant products and policy recommendations to support the management of the PROTECT program; 
• Ensure, under the direction of the Project Principal, that program plans and activities are closely coordinated with other national and international stakeholders working with the security and defence sector;
• Actively identify opportunities and support ongoing business development initiatives for Alinea in Ukraine and the region;
• Cooperate with the locally-based Gender Equality Expert to ensure that opportunity for the integration of gender-based analysis in the thematic policy areas is fully enabled;
• Cooperate with the locally-based Results-Based Management (RBM) Expert to ensure that all RIs are developed and executed in accordance with RBM principles;
• Monitor performance of RIs against approved outcomes;
• At the request of the Project Principal, represent Alinea corporately on specific mandates.

• Lead activity planning workshops and the discussion of implementation strategies with PROTECT team; 

Academic Qualifications and Experience:

Mandatory: 

• Knowledge of the security and defence sector of Ukraine and understanding of the organizational structure and activities of the Government of Ukraine;
• Master of Law or Public Administration degree or qualifications in Public Policy, Political Science, and/or relevant area;
• A minimum of 3 years’ thematic experience related to Ukrainian Government policy development and/or reforms; 
• A minimum of 5 years’ management experience leading teams;
• Ukrainian and English language skills.

Desirable:

• Skilled in various facilitation methodologies and workshop design and execution; 
• Capable of working with and managing government-sensitive information;
• Education and/or experience with defence governance, planning, and/or resource management. 

Interested applicants are asked to submit their cover letter and CV to [email protected] by 31 August 2021. Please include the position title in your subject line and state your approximate salary expectations as a monthly rate, USD, inclusive of benefits. 

We welcome all applications, regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression; candidates that belong to underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. The recruitment process is based on fair standards. 

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted; no telephone enquiries, please.

For more information about Alinea, please visit our website:  https://www.alineainternational.com/