Project Assistant - Ukraine Stiykist Project (M/W)

Описание

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

• democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
• peace, stability, and security ;
• climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
• health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

Based in Kyiv, the position is under the direct supervision of the project officers in Kyiv and in close cooperation with the project officers in Paris. The Assistant will perform the following key tasks in accordance with Expertise France procedures, guidelines and rules, with a concern for quality, efficiency, accuracy and confidentiality:

•   administrative: maintain organized project documentation, contracts, and correspondence. prepare minutes of meetings and assist in scheduling and coordinating activities, update monitoring tools, dashboards, and document databases;

•   logistical: in link with the dedicated department organize logistics for missions, trainings, workshops, and study visits (travel arrangements, bookings, equipment, etc.); liaise with service providers (catering, interpretation and translation, venue hire) to ensure quality delivery; help with preparing mission packs and travel authorizations for international and national staff;

•   financial support for project activities on the field: support the collection and verification of invoices and supporting documents; assist in preparing payment requests and tracking project expenditures; ensure compliance with internal and donor financial procedures;

•   operational monitoring: assist project officers in tracking project deliverables and deadlines, participate in project reviews, data collection, and reporting, contribute to the translation or proofreading of documents when required;

•   communication and stakeholder coordination with the whole team: support the preparation (with the EF communication officer) of communication materials (presentations, briefs, event summaries); facilitate coordination with Ukrainian institutional partners, local authorities, and NGOs; facilitate coordination with French institutional partners and network of experts; represent the project team at local meetings when delegated.

The presence of Expertise France – as the operator for the French government in Ukraine – has recently been strengthened in the country. Expertise France (EF) is operating in Ukraine since 2006. The agency focuses its activities in Ukraine on two strategic areas: support for resilience and reconstruction; and support for European integration.

 In 2024, the EF portfolio included 15 national projects and 3 regional projects in 6 sectors: (i) health and social protection, (ii) rule of law and justice, (iii) local governance and decentralisation, (iv) innovation and support for the private sector, (v) economic and financial governance, (vi) defence and security.

 With a view of the emergency actions taken following the Russian aggression, the French Ministry of Europe of Foreign Affairs has mobilized Expertise France to better position its response to the country’s short and medium term needs and thus leverage European funding (through a €14.5 million envelope).

 Expertise France’s local presence is structured around the “mAIDan Ukraine” facility, implemented in close coordination with the Special Envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, the French Embassy in Kyiv and the entire France team, with the aim of mobilizing French technical assistance in support of Ukraine to respond to the emergency and prepare for reconstruction and the EU accession process. It is in that context that the “Stiykist” project was born.

 The “Stiykist” project aims to contribute to social transformation and resilience in Ukraine by strengthening the capacities of national and local institutions in the field of vocational training and social protection, with a particular focus on the social inclusion of the most vulnerable.

 The project is structured around two specific objectives:

1. In the short term, provide support to local institutions and actors in the Chernihivska and Zakarpatska oblasts.

2. In the medium term, support Ukraine’s transformational agenda in the fields of vocational training, child protection and social services.

The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications and skills:

Qualifications and Experience

o    University degree in international cooperation, development, project management, public administration and other relevant field;

o    At least 3 years of project management experience, preferably within the context of international technical assistance projects;

o    At least 3 years of experience supporting administrative, logistics and financial management;

o    Experience in Ukrainian-English translation or Ukrainian-French translation would be considered an asset;

o    Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.);

o    Fluency in written and spoken English and Ukrainian. Good command of French (B1) would be considered an asset. 

Skills

o    Strong teamwork and coordination skills;

o    Strong versatility and curiosity to grasp technical, complex topics;

o    High degree of organization and ability to multitask;

o    Very good interpersonal skills;

o    Initiative, autonomy and responsiveness;

o    Analytical and synthesis skills.