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UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a UN agency that works in about 170 countries and territories, helping eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience. It thereby helps them sustain progress and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In Ukraine, UNDP operates in three programme priorities: Democratic Governance and Inclusive Social Fabric, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery and Growth, and Sustainable Environment and Energy Transformation. Since the start of the hostilities in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, UNDP in Ukraine has been present on the ground, through its hubs around the country, supporting regional and local authorities and civil society partners in their emergency response and crisis management.
Lessons from the past years informed the development of UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2025-2029) and the scale-up of the Area-Based Recovery (ABR) Framework. The Framework’s programmatic pillars of Reconstruction, Returns, Resilience, and Reforms are focused on ensuring community recovery and creating conditions for the return to a development pathway in Ukraine.
Addressing the country’s complex reconstruction and recovery requires a holistic, systems-based response that empowers all parts of society - including government, local authorities, the private sector, and citizens - with the capacity and resources to respond effectively. To ensure a whole-of-society approach, the framework offers an integrated, participatory, and inclusive methodology to advance recovery in communities most affected by the war.
Regular duty trips to partner hromadas throughout Mykolaiv oblast will be required to ensure effective outreach, coordination, and monitoring of ABR initiatives.
Duties and Responsibilities
I. Implement Civic Engagement Activities and Support Inclusive Recovery Initiatives
- Support implementation of programme activities related to civic engagement, participatory governance, and community-led recovery at the local level within the Area-Based Recovery approach.
- Conduct community-level assessments and stakeholder mapping to identify community needs, capacities, gaps, and priorities, with specific attention to veterans, youth, IDPs, women, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups ensuring evidence-based and data-driven inputs.
- Facilitate inclusive participatory processes in partner hromadas, including local problem analysis, community profiling, consultations, and co-creation of community priorities.
- Support the establishment, functioning, and continuous strengthening of Community Engagement Working Groups (CEWGs) in partner hromadas, ensuring their role as inclusive platforms for dialogue, coordination, and participatory decision-making.
- Prepare and regularly update work plans for community mobilization activities, ensuring that planning, prioritization, and sequencing of activities are informed by data, assessments, stakeholder feedback, and monitoring results.
- Provide technical support to communities, local authorities, civil society organizations, and informal civic groups in the design, implementation, and monitoring of community-led initiatives, including grant-supported activities.
- Support community-based reintegration of veterans, including facilitation of veterans’ participation in civic engagement platforms, cooperation with veterans’ organizations and local authorities, and integration of veterans’ perspectives into community planning and recovery processes.
- Contribute to the design and delivery of capacity development activities (trainings, workshops, peer exchanges) for community actors, including local authorities, civic leaders, veterans’, women and youth groups, focusing on participation, collaboration, and local governance.
- Ensure coordination, documentation, reporting, and communication of civic engagement activities and results, including support to visibility actions and partner or donor visits.
- Collaborate closely with Area-Based Recovery (ABR) thematic teams (including local governance, civic engagement, rule of law, and public services) to ensure coherence, sustainability, and alignment of civic engagement mechanisms supported under UNDP programming at the local level.
II. Engage and Coordinate with Stakeholders to Ensure Effective Collaboration and Alignment
- Ensure regular and structured engagement with key regional and local stakeholders, including oblast and hromada administrations, civil society organizations, community-based groups, and relevant public institutions, to support inclusive civic participation in recovery and development processes.
- Facilitate participatory consultations, dialogue meetings, and working sessions with communities, local authorities, CEWG members, veterans’ groups, IDPs, youth and women representatives, people with disabilities and other target groups to collect inputs, co-create solutions, and validate proposed approaches, plans, or initiatives.
- Promote meaningful inclusion of veterans, youth, women, IDPs, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups in CEWGs and other civic engagement mechanisms, strengthening their participation and leadership in local recovery governance.
- Support coordination and communication between local-level stakeholders, CEWGs, and relevant oblast level and national institutions, ensuring community perspectives are reflected in broader policy, planning, and coordination processes.
- Liaise with civil society organizations, academic institutions, and subject-matter experts, as relevant, to support evidence-informed discussions, quality facilitation processes, and informed community inputs within civic engagement activities.
- Systematically document stakeholder feedback, CEWG discussions, and agreed action points, and ensure their integration into project implementation, reporting, and follow-up activities.
III. Provide Coordination and Operational Support to Ensure Smooth Planning, Implementation and Reporting
- Coordinate closely with UNDP programme, operations, and technical teams to ensure that civic engagement, inclusion, and community perspectives are reflected in the planning and implementation of Programme activities.
- Support coordination with implementing partners, service providers, and contractors, as relevant, by facilitating communication, sharing community-level inputs, and flagging social or operational considerations affecting implementation.
- Contribute to monitoring implementation from a community and civic engagement perspective, documenting feedback, social risks, implementation challenges, and lessons learned to inform adaptive programme management.
- Provide support to procurement-related processes, as required, including preparation of Terms of Reference, participation in evaluation or review processes, and coordination during delivery of goods and services, in line with UNDP SOPs.
- Support organization of coordination meetings, consultations, and field missions, facilitating effective collaboration among community representatives, local authorities, partners, and UNDP teams.
- Assist in preparation of progress, monitoring, and results-oriented reports, ensuring reflection of civic engagement, inclusiveness, and sustainability aspects of Programme implementation.
IV. Ensure the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in the field of expertise, and promoting a safe, enabling environment free of discrimination and abusive behaviour in line with corporate standards and knowledge sharing
- Assist with ensuring the Programme contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving, and benefiting both women and men.
- Use the principles of gender-responsive communications in line with the UNDP corporate standards.
- Be aware of relevant gender issues and concerns in the field of expertise.
- Support the promotion of team culture of gender equality and zero tolerance to any sexual misconduct in the team through leadership and personal example.
- Demonstrate respect for gender equality in professional interactions, identify and address sexism and gender discrimination.
- Assist with informing and briefing personnel and partners about corporate sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse policies.
- Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
4. Institutional Arrangement
The Community Mobilization Officer will work under the direct supervision of Civic Engagement Specialist and the strategic guidance of the ABR Programme Manager.
Competencies
Core
Achieve Results:
LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:
LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously:
LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:
LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination:
LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:
LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:
LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area
Name
Definition
Business Direction & Strategy
System Thinking
- Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Business Development
Knowledge Facilitation- Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally
- and externally, and to design and facilitate
- activities, to share and exchange knowledge,
- information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and
- approaches to stimulate active participation,
- contribution, and exchange
