Advisor on Financial Sector Development and MSME Financing

The programme STEP IN 2 EU is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with co-funding contributions from the European Union and Norway. The political partner is the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (MEEA).   

The overall objective of the programme is to improve the economic policy conditions and financing options for the integration of Ukrainian companies into the EU single market. STEP IN 2 EU has four interlinked outputs: 

1. Strengthened capacities of the MEEA, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and other relevant actors for the development and implementation of economic policy reforms in the context of EU accession.
2. Implementation measures and processes to promote the integration of Ukrainian companies and financial institutions into the EU internal market.
3. Improved location conditions for prioritised sectors in selected regions of Ukraine.
4. Improved capacities of selected financial institutions to provide financial services to Ukrainian companies. 

Four teams deliver the programme. They work closely together through joint planning and implementation procedures, permanent platforms and flexible mechanisms. 

Areas of Responsibilities and Tasks:

The Team “Financial Sector Reform and Access to Finance” is looking for an Advisor in the field of MSME financing and the cooperation with partner associations of financial institutions undertaking the following tasks: 

• Advice to and cooperation within the Team, steering activities with a wide range of Ukrainian partners (MEEA, NBU, associations such as AUB, NABU, insurance; the Business Development Fund - BDF, the Export Credit Agency -ECA and financial institutions) and international organisations such as the European Central Bank, the European Banking Authority, EU central banks, the IMF, KFW, EIB, etc.).
• Taking responsibility for the cooperation with selected associations, providing support in their strategic and operational planning in the area of MSME financing and related reforms in the financial sector. Establishing and accompanying respective committees and working groups together with the partner associations to provide aligned “bottom- up feedback” to relevant policy makers.
• Design and preparation of technical workshops, trainings and seminars conducted by the partner associations – in close cooperation with consulting companies and/or international experts.
• Coordinate and support the communication with the MEEA, the NBU and other Government institutions in the areas of economic and financial sector programmes (e.g. “5-7-9 Affordable Loans”), MSME financing/insurance and required reforms.
• Monitor and support the organisational transformation of the BDF (Vision BDF 2.0) in view of their role to co-ordinate international loan and grant programmes of International Finance Institutions, the Ukrainian Government and financial institutions – including public and private banks as well as non-bank financial service providers (close link to the implementation of the “SME-Finance Platform” jointly developed by GIZ and the BDF).
• Cooperation with the “SME Resilience Alliance” secretariat managed by GIZ in the workstreams of “Access to Finance”, in line with Ukraine’s SME Strategy, NBU’s Lending Strategy, and other relevant Policies of the country. Coordination with various members and stakeholders of the Alliance in this area, e.g. conducting information events and thematic workshops.
• Assure the cooperation on STEP-in-2-EU Programme-level between different teams and in selected internal platforms, e.g. identifying options to directly support and work with specific sectors or regions on SME financing (Output 3), and with a strong awareness of women’s access to finance and female entrepreneurship.
• Maintain a good flow of communication and information both with external stakeholders and within the GIZ Cluster on economic transformation.
• Support in managing contractual and procurement processes with subcontractors, consultants, financing recipients etc., in consultation with the Management Team.
• Regular exchange and planning sessions with the team leader; preparing regular updates for the Management Team.

Required qualifications, professional experience and personal competences:

• Bachelors or Master‘s degree (or equivalent) in economics, financing, banking or business administration, or another degree relevant for this position.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in the Ukrainian financial sector or in international development cooperation with a focus on financial systems development.
• Professional experience in financing private sector development particularly with regard to MSMEs as well as in international cooperation.
• Experience in cooperation with political decision makers, ministries and/or associations.
• Strong communication, organizational and coordination skills
• Excellent intercultural competences and awareness about political sensitivities
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Extensive IT skills (Office 365, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as SAP skills) are a prerequisite.
• High standards of confidentiality, integrity and loyalty
• Strong cooperation skills, team player with a high degree of flexibility and commitment.
• Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed
• Readiness for business travels in Ukraine and abroad
• Business fluent in Ukrainian and English (verbal and written)  

We offer:

• Official employment, salary fixed in EUR, performance-related bonuses and 13th salary.
• Medical insurance, 29 vacation days annually.
• Language classes, hard and soft skills trainings.
• Individual and group psychological support.
• Possible flexible and remote work (depending on projects’ needs up to 10 days a month within Ukrainian border).
• Meaningful and valuable work, international environment.

Employment conditions:

Full-time position with 40-hours working week; part-time arrangements shall be considered if required. Place of assignment is Kyiv. The assignment shall start on March 1st, 2026. The contract duration will be 12 months with the possibility of prolongation.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and offers an attractive and challenging working environment with opportunities for skill enhancement.

Application:

We are looking forward to your application in English, comprising your CV and a Cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for the job to @email  until COB 9 January

2026, Friday. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stages of the recruitment process.

Candidates are requested to submit their documents with the following title:

•  Surname Name_CV

•  Surname Name_Cover letter

By sending the application you give the consent for the personal data processing for recruitment processes solely according to GIZ data privacy regulations. You can familiarize yourself with these regulations by the link Data protection | GIZ