Advisor on Economic Reforms

The programme STEP IN 2 EU is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the Governments of Germany and Norway, the European Union, and the Governments of Lithuania and Estonia. The political partner is the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (MEE).

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 Ministry of Economy, the National Bank 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 operational teams and a project management unit deliver the programme. They work closely together through joint planning and implementation procedures, permanent platforms and flexible mechanisms.

The operational team ”Economic Policy Reform Advisory” works on macro level, supporting the development and implementation of economic policy reforms in the context of EU accession. 

The Advisor on Economic Reforms will be integrated into the operational team “Economic Policy Reform Advisory” of the programme STEP IN 2 EU, working alongside the existing Advisor on Economic Reforms. The advisor advises the programme’s partners on economic reforms related to the further EU integration of the Ukrainian economy, with a particular focus on deregulation/better regulation and industrial sector-related reform processes, participates in the design of support measures, coordinates the implementation of these measures and contributes to other relevant activities of the programme.

Key responsibilities:

1. Core tasks / topics

• Act as topic lead on deregulation/better regulation, including further development of the programme’s cooperation approach in this field and tracking of progress against Ukraine’s Deregulation Plan and Deregulation Dashboard, as well as against Ukraine Facility/Ukraine Plan and other EU accession-related obligations
• Advising Ukrainian partner institutions on economic reform processes in the context of the further EU integration of the Ukrainian economy (e.g. SME strategy, National Export Strategy, Strategy for the Development of Technical Regulation, Standardization Strategy, ACAA process, others)
• Coordinate the programme’s support to industrial sector-related reform processes, including identifying, analysing and designing support to sector-specific regulatory or standardisation gaps and market-distorting practices, and supporting related assessments of the impact of further EU integration on Ukrainian sectors, sub-sectors and product groups
• Support national and regional sector-related Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) processes facilitated by the programme
• Support tracking of Ukraine’s implementation of major framework documents in the EU Accession process (NPAA, Ukraine Facility, Ukraine Plan, Enlargement Reports, etc.) and the programme’s links and contributions to these processes

2. General tasks

• Coordination of planning, preparation and implementation of the programme’s support measures in the above-mentioned reform processes, and goal-oriented ensuring of the intended results, including but not limited to:
  • Conducting eligibility checks of programme partners
  • Drafting terms of reference, initiating procurement procedures and managing the resulting contracts with external experts
  • Processing reports and payment-related documentation from programme partners and external experts
  • Controlling expenses for the activities in accordance with the prevailing provisions
  • Supporting international and national experts in familiarizing themselves with and performing their tasks
  • Ensuring preparation and sharing of documentation for knowledge management
• Coordination of pools of international and national experts to support the further economic EU integration and EU accession process
• Communication with Ukrainian counterpart authorities and maintaining a good flow of communication and information between all involved institutions and within GIZ
• Participation in the operational planning and in the design of support measures
• Supporting the monitoring of results of activities in accordance with programme objectives and indicators, and supporting the reporting to donors and political partners
• Supporting the programme’s communication about reform processes, especially those related to the advisor’s area of responsibility
• Contributing to the work of platforms on programme level, in particular the Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) and Communications platforms, and assuring effective collaboration with other operational teams
• Performing other duties and tasks at the request of management

Required qualifications, professional experience and personal competences:

• Master’s degree in an area relevant for the position
• At least 5 years of professional experience in implementation of economic reforms and/or private sector development
• At least 5 years of experience in project management or project coordination
• At least 2 years of experience in EU integration processes; experience of working with chapter 1 or chapter 20 of the EU Acquis is an advantage
• At least 2 years of experience in technical assistance projects
• Strong advisory competencies and demonstrated experience in an advisory function, with the ability to translate analysis into practical guidance for partner institutions
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to keep track of complex tasks and a broad, diversified network of partners
• Experience in the field of deregulation/better regulation would be an advantage
• Experience working collaboratively with businesses and other stakeholders to identify and address sector-specific regulatory issues would be an advantage
• Reliability, confidentiality, flexibility and stress resistance
• Intercultural competence and political sensitivity for smooth relation management with various international and domestic partners and stakeholders
• Good communication skills
• Strong IT skills with Microsoft 365 applications
• Business fluent in Ukrainian and English (verbal and written); command of German would be an advantage
• Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed
• Readiness for business travel in Ukraine and abroad
• Ability to work under pressure

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.
• Working in a team of highly committed, motivated and engaged colleagues.

Employment conditions:

Full-time position with 40-hours working week. Place of assignment is Kyiv. Starting date of assignment is November 1, 2026. The contract duration will be 12 months with the possibility of extension.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.

We particularly encourage veterans and people with disabilities to apply.

Application:

Application comprising of the candidate’s CV and a cover letter in the English language explaining the motivation to apply for the job is to be sent to @email until COB 28 September 2026, Monday. 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