Junior Legal and Policy Advisor

“Strengthening Ukraine’s EU Alignment in the Rule of Law” is a technical cooperation programme commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union and implemented by GIZ in order to support the government of Ukraine in its efforts to align Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis, focusing on the negotiation chapters related to “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” (Chapter 23) and “Justice, Freedom and Security” (Chapter 24) that lie at the heart of the cluster called the “Fundamentals of EU Membership”. The programme aims at enhancing the capacities of key actors within the Ukrainian government to steer and implement a cooperative and participative process of Ukraine’s EU alignment in the rule of law. The implementation partners are the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, the Government Office for Coordination on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration located at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, and other related institutions.

The Junior Legal and Policy Advisor will be part of the programme’s Legal and Policy Team which focuses on supporting key national actors responsible for the alignment to the EU acquis with the specialised expertise needed to work towards the implementation of key reforms that are necessary to align Ukrainian law with European law. Particular emphasis is put on measures related to Chapter 23 of the EU acquis which are included in Ukraine’s Rule of Law Roadmap. The Junior Legal and Policy Advisor will provide day-to-day support to the Legal and Policy Team in bringing together leading Ukrainian and international legal experts and providing needs-based, hands-on, tailored, timely and structured advice and capacity building to key Ukrainian stakeholders.

Key responsibilities:

• Assist in compiling analyses, memoranda, opinions, and recommendations and other on-demand legal and policy advice related to priority rule of law reforms to partners and donors to maximize the added value for the Ukrainian partners.
• Support in developing and maintaining good working relations with relevant partner institutions to advance the programme’s objectives.
• Assist in building up partnerships with leading European, international, and national legal and policy experts and think tanks in the field of EU alignment in the rule of law within and outside the programme’s expert platform.
• Assist in engaging with the staff of the service provider which manages the programme’s expert platform as well as the relevant experts in to support proper role-out of support offers such as provisions of analyses, trainings, seminars, conferences, etc.
• Provide expert community management support for the programme’s expert platform, including facilitating a constant flow of communication among experts.
• Contribute to the programme’s public relations, monitoring, and evaluation by preparing and sharing information from the areas of one’s responsibility. 
• Assist with procurement processes to support quality and timely delivery of development programming.
• Assist the Legal and Policy Team in staying abreast with the overall strategic approach of the Ukrainian government and developments vis-à-vis the accession process as well as with progress of alignment in Chapter 23 of the EU acquis.
• Assist the Legal and Policy Team in its efforts to support the key actors responsible for the alignment of Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis.
• Contribute to ensuring gender equality in programme’s activities.
• Contribute to the programme’s success in all areas through close collaboration with colleagues, promoting experience exchange, and dialogue, reflection, and learning.

Required qualifications, professional experience and personal competences:

• Bachelor’s degree in law, political sciences, or equivalent. 
• Strong professional interest in international development and rule of law reforms. 
• Knowledge of the Ukrainian government’s reform agenda in the rule of law, the Ukrainian justice sector, and the EU acquis in Chapter 23.
• Knowledge of the structure and procedures of the European Union, in particular with regard to the EU enlargement process.
• Prior professional experience in an institution working on Rule of Law topics and/or related to stakeholder management is considered a plus.
• Excellent command of written and spoken Ukrainian and English; command of German would be a plus.
• Strong interest in EU accession policies and Ukraine’s reform agenda aligning Ukraine with the EU acquis.
• Engaged and proactive team player open to various tasks with excellent intercultural competences.
• Strong organizational, planning, and task management competences.
• Excellent communication, writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work flexibly and autonomously after receiving guidance, often under tight deadlines, and deliver at pace.
• Resistance to stress and ability to manage multiple workstreams under one’s responsibility. 
• Good judgement, integrity, and sense of tone.
• Strong logical, analytical, and critical thinking skills as well as high attention to detail.
• Respect for confidentiality and aptitude for assessing and handling materials of politically sensitive nature.

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. Place of assignment is Kyiv. Starting as soon as possible. The contract duration is until the end of June 2027 with a possibility of prolongation.

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:

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 03 June 2026, Wednesday. 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