Job Title: Local Economic Development Expert
Project Name: Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance (SURGe).
Job Type: Community-led Inclusive Recovery (CLIR), Strategic Planning Capacity Team.
Location of Position: Project Office in Kyiv with possibility of remote work and regular business trips to pilot communities (Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, Chernihivska, Kyivska oblasts).
Reporting to: SURGe Deputy Director, Team Lead
Remuneration: Fees are subject to negotiation and shall not exceed established market rates.
Indicative LOE/Time Frame: Full-time, Monday-Friday. The duration of the contract is six months with a possibility of extensions (subject to approval and implemented deliverables during a previous deployment). For contracting (after the job offer is made), the selected candidate is expected to be registered as a Private Entrepreneur of the 3d group (consultancy services).
Citizenship: Ukraine.
Language Requirements: Excellent knowledge of Ukrainian, ability to speak and write clearly. Excellent command of English, both written and speaking skills.
Application Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Application Instructions:

1. A cover letter is mandatory to be considered. Cover letters should effectively align your skills and experiences with the specific job responsibilities outlined in the position’s description, demonstrating your aptitude and enthusiasm for the role, your daily fee and current availability.
2. Alinea International accepts electronic submissions only. Interested applicants are asked to submit a CV and cover letter in English to valeriias@alineainternational.com by the specified application deadline.
3. Only successful candidates will be contacted. No phone calls please.

About Alinea
Alinea is an international development consultancy providing technical and management expertise that helps people improve their lives. Alinea works with governments, investors, companies, and communities to create lasting change. Over 37 years, Alinea has successfully delivered more than 1,000 projects worldwide. For more information, please visit Alinea International website.

Alinea International does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment and hiring process. All offers of employment or job opportunities with Alinea International that include any form of a request for payment of fees or collect information on bank accounts are fraudulent. Any requests for such payment or information should be refused and reported to your local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action and to Alinea International.

At Alinea International we value diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility and belonging in everything we do. We are an equal opportunity employer opposed to all forms of discrimination. We actively seek and encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds recognizing that an inclusive workforce enriches our organization and achieves smarter, more innovative results.

Alinea is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Due to the nature of our work, all candidates will be subject to due diligence checks and extensive background checks where appropriate.

Project Description:
In October 2019, Alinea International launched a new five-year project in Ukraine: the Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance (SURGe). SURGe is a technical assistance project in Ukraine, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Alinea International Ltd.
SURGe’s Ultimate Outcome is to help the Government of Ukraine (GoU) to deliver governance and economic reforms that better respond to the needs of its citizens. To achieve this, the Project will strategically enhance and strengthen the GoU’s reform management functions, namely its capacity to undertake planning and analysis of reforms that consider citizen impact and to implement these reforms.

About the Work:
SURGe has launched the Community-led Inclusive Recovery Initiative (CLIR) to address the immediate need of communities for inclusive social and economic recovery, along with the new demands that require responsiveness and innovation in rebuilding damaged infrastructure allowing successful resettlement. The initiative encourages local communities to take the issue of inclusive recovery into their own hands, to analyze and prioritize community needs and based on the collected and verified data prepare Community Recovery Plans and Programs. The RI aims to facilitate and ensure that the voice of every citizen is included throughout the process.

SURGe Project is looking for а Local Economic Development Expert who will support CLIR’s pilot communities in conducting needs assessment, analyzing issues and opportunities in economic development, contributing to the development of strategies, recovery plans and initiatives to improve economic development, ensuring it is designed in gender-responsive, citizen-oriented, inclusive, trauma-informed, environmentally sensitive manner, and supporting implementation of initiatives.

The Role:

• Develop the methodology for the needs assessment in the economic development sector, ensuring it is designed in gender-responsive, citizen-oriented, inclusive, trauma-informed, environmentally sensitive manner, support implementation of initiatives.
• Advise pilot communities in conducting needs assessments based on developed methodology, and collecting disaggregated data needed for strategic and recovery planning.
• Raise pilot communities’ capacity to conduct needs assessments, analyze the results and develop planning documents based on needs assessments.
• Support pilot communities’ sectoral experts in strategic and recovery planning with regard to economic development (general analysis, SWOT, setting outcomes, Activity Plan).
• Develop community’s economic passport.
• Mentor pilot communities to develop economic recovery plans and initiatives, support the implementation of developed plans.
• Advise pilot communities on various ways to foster local economic development (with a special focus on agricultural development).
• Identify legal gaps in the economic sector at the local level to inform line Ministries.
• Inform SURGe management and CLIR PMO team on the potential recovery initiatives.
• Maintain effective working relationships with territorial communities, sectoral stakeholders, line Ministry, other technical assistance projects and actors.
• Design selected recovery initiatives and improve capacity of the pilot communities to implement, monitor and report selected recovery initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with the best practices and principles of inclusive development in the field of economic development in the pilot communities.
• Represent initiative deliverables at sectoral working groups, meetings and other official events.
• Collaborate with other CLIR experts to achieve initiative’s objectives.
• Contribute to SURGe’s work plans and reports.
• Prepare and draft other documents and activities as requested by SURGe and Government of Ukraine related to CLIR initiative with prior approval by SURGe.
• Apply principles of RBM, GBA+ and environmental sustainability in preparation of the deliverables.
• As agreed with SURGe, ensure visibility of the Government of Canada support to this initiative in conferences, meetings, seminars, working groups, interaction with public authorities, non-governmental organizations, and other international technical assistance projects.

Required Qualifications:

• Higher education in economics, finances, business administration or relevant area.
• 5+ years of professional experience in local economic development.
• Understanding of tools and approaches to the local economic development.
• Impeccable understanding of the economic situation in small communities and ability to identify opportunities.
• Knowledge of the government policy making cycle and national reform agenda, local self-government, emergency response and reconstruction.
• Experience in the advisory to the local self-government bodies of Ukraine is highly desirable.
• Experience in facilitation and development of written materials.
• Results driven highly motivated expert with sound judgement and maturity.
• Strong ethics, well-balanced and mature personality, positive attitude to the job.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to work under tight deadlines.