Chemonics International Inc. is looking for a qualified professional to fill the position Participatory Governance Expert

Estimated Period of Performance/Level of Effort

16 days.

Background:

The USAID Democratic Governance East Activity (DG East) aims to strengthen the connection and trust between citizens and their government in eastern and southern Ukraine by promoting an inclusive civic identity, common civic value and a unified Ukraine by addressing the divisive impacts of the ongoing unjustified war against Ukraine through increased citizen participation, improved service delivery and more responsive governance. DG East works to (1) develop greater acceptance of a shared civic culture based on common values and understandings, and to (2) increase participation to improve Ukraine’s governance and reform processes and help to resolve community problems. DG East provides opportunities for citizens to engage with their government, provide government with resources to support their citizens, and create opportunities for citizens of Ukraine to create hope in their future and positive changes in their daily lives. DG East activities are implemented across four regional portfolios and a physical office located in Kyiv.

Kherson City Military Administration (CMA) is experiencing insufficient material and technical support for the executive bodies due to the eight months of occupation. The absence or insufficient ICT equipment and electronic communication does not allow the Kherson CMA to fully organize the work of executive authorities, to represent the interests of residents of the territorial community and to exercise relevant functions and powers on behalf of and in the interests of the community. Due to prolonged hostilities and occupation in the region, the city council has lost many employees, which is why there is a current shortage of qualified personnel. The purpose of this activity is to improve the capacity of Kherson CMA to provide public services and to improve local governance processes and capacities. DG East will support Kherson CMA in their effort to restore the work of 8 departments of the Executive Committee of Kherson City Council and restore services provision to internally displaced people (IDPs) and local population through the procurement of critical IT equipment such as computers, necessary software, and a training for 30 representatives of eight structural subdivisions of Kherson City Council including a Participatory Governance training and Customer-centric approach training.

Purpose of Assignment:

The Participatory Governance Expert will provide support and expertise to DG East in raising awareness and knowledge on Participatory Governance principles for Kherson City Council staff. In particular, the Expert will develop training module on Participatory governance. Informing, communicating and involving residents in decision-making under martial law. The target audience for the training is representatives of eight Executive Bodies of Kherson City Council. The training will be followed by the development of the operational framework and mentoring of the newly trained personnel so that they can smoothly apply the knowledge obtained to their day-to-day work.

Detailed Tasks:

The Participatory Governance Expert will be responsible for performing the following tasks:

1. Conduct an assessment for local NGO representatives to learn about barriers to effective participation.

2. Develop methodology for one 3-day (maximum 4 hours a day) online training based on the assessment results for local government representatives of different structural subdivisions of Kherson city Council, namely Department of office management, Department of Administrative Services, Department of accounting and reporting, Department of Urban Planning, Architecture and Land Resources, Department of city marketing and tourism,

Department of Legal Policy and Quality, Department of Information Technologies and Department of mass media and public relations. The training will include recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to fix addressed problems and incorporate participatory governance principles into the day-to-day work of the CC staff.

3. Develop training materials both theoretical and practical.

The training aims at educating LGE staff on the basics of participation, its philosophy, and principles. Participants will become familiar with participatory approaches, methods, and tools as well as with some of the associated skills. At the end of the training participants will learn how to increase citizen and civil society participation in local decision and policy-making processes.

The training should address the following:

     • Participatory approaches. A brief history.

     • Why, When and How?

     • Key principles of applying participatory methods and tools, considering the interests of IDP representatives as well as other underrepresented groups (women, youth, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+)

     • Communication. Participatory attitudes and behaviour. Citizen engagement as a tool to build the trust, between local government and the community.

     • Adaptation and modification of tools.

     • Participation as a process.

     • Pros and cons of participatory planning.

     • Overcoming obstacles to participatory governance.

     • Decision-making under martial law.

4. Develop operational framework for the application of the Participatory Governance principles to day-to-day work of the CC.

5. Conduct one 3-day online on the job training for up to 15 representatives of Kherson City Council. (60 % for theoretical part and 40 % for practical part). The third day of the training will be devoted to analyzing the survey conducted and identifying ways to overcome barriers to participation in governance. Develop operational plan for application of Participatory Governance principles and Customer-centric approach to day-to-day work of the CC.

6. Provide consulting and mentoring support, so to assist trained personnel to deal with possible difficulties with applying new knowledge at work. (Remote support).

7. Develop a questionnaire for the survey on application of gained knowledge, which will be conducted 6 months following the activity by DG East MEL team.

8. Develop a report with recommendations for DG East on how to address issues on citizen participation and on services delivery in the most efficient way.

Deliverables

The expected deliverables of the assignment include the following:

1. Activity timeline.

2. Assessment for local NGO representatives to learn about barriers to effective participation.

3. Methodology of the interactive training with the detailed training program.

4. Training materials – PP presentations, training evaluation forms, list of participants, including screenshots.

5. One 3-day online on the job training course for 15 representatives of Kherson City Council.

6. Operational plan for application of Participatory Governance principles and Customer-centric approach to day-to-day work of the CC and ASC staff respectively.

7. A questionnaire for the survey on application of gained knowledge, which will be conducted 6 months following the activity by DG East MEL team.

8. Expert’s final report, which should include description of all stages of work with recommendations to DG East on how to use the results obtained by the trainings and any improvements and modifications needed in the future to address participatory issues and challenges related to service provision in a more effective way.

Supervision and Reporting:

The Participatory Governance Expert will report to the Regional Director and will work closely with the Governance Specialist.

Level of Effort:

A total of 16 days of LOE.

Place of Performance

The assignment will take place remotely from within Ukraine.

Timeframe:

The timeframe for this assignment will be on/about February 5, 2024 – February 29, 2024.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: 

Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to [email protected]   with Participatory Governance Expert listed in the subject line by January 22, 2024. Candidates must ensure that CV does *not* include a photograph, date of birth, and/or marital status information. 

No telephone inquiries, please. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, and only finalists will be contacted. 

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.