Project Coordinator, Ukraine

Context

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization of 35 member states, with a mission to support sustainable democracy worldwide through policy-relevant knowledge, capacity development, advocacy, and the convening of dialogues. The Institute pursues this mission by developing, sharing and enabling the use of comparative knowledge to reform-makers, combining research, global knowledge tools, and technical assistance to support democratic reform and influence policies and politics at the national and global level.

The Regional Europe Programme (REP) has a strategic objective to support democracy in Europe, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. In Ukraine, International IDEA aims to support state and civil society organizations in enhancing the resilience and quality of democratic institutions and processes. Key areas of our engagement relate to electoral processes and political finance, parliamentary strengthening, and promoting the expertise and capacity of civil society organizations to participate in decision-making processes.

International IDEA programming in Ukraine has expanded significantly. The Programme’s key areas of focus are provision of support to parliamentary strengthening and to enhancing electoral integrity; other areas of work may include activities to foster greater civic engagement in democratic processes, support to strengthening the culture of constitutionalism, digitalization, promotion of gender equality and women’s participation in political and public life.

The Project Coordinator support the coordination of project activities, stakeholder engagement, events, reporting, and programme development, contributing to the delivery of high-quality and impactful democratic governance interventions in close collaboration with the Project Manager, Ukraine.

Duties And Responsibilities

Project Coordination and Implementation

• Coordinates and ensures timely implementation of democratic governance activities, with a focus on electoral processes, parliamentary strengthening, and constitutional reform;
• Coordinates day-to-day implementation of project activities, including planning, scheduling, and follow-up on deliverables and milestones;
• Manages the contracting of consultants and service providers, including drafting TORs, reviewing deliverables, and ensuring compliance with quality and procurement standards;
• Coordinates with internal teams and technical advisors to ensure coherence and consistency across activities and alignment with international standards and comparative practices.
  
  

Stakeholder Liaison and Representation

• Maintains regular communication and operational coordination with key national and international stakeholders, including electoral bodies, ministries, parliaments, civil society, and international partners;
• Prepares and delivers brief thematic presentations or updates during meetings, roundtables, and consultations as needed;
• Represents International IDEA at technical-level coordination platforms, including working groups, donor meetings, and stakeholder dialogues, as delegated by the supervisor.
  
  

Project Development and Budgeting

• Contributes to the design of new initiatives, including drafting concept notes, identifying relevant interventions, and supporting the development of budgets;
• Supports donor reporting and proposal writing in collaboration with programme and finance teams;
• Implement programme activities in accordance with budget.
  
  

Event and Mission Coordination

• Leads the substantive and logistical preparation of project-related events, consultative visits, stakeholder meetings, roundtables, and study visits;
• Oversees coordination with participants, speakers, venues, and logistics providers, ensuring smooth and professional delivery of events;
• Supports documentation of outcomes and preparation of summary reports from project activities.
  
  

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Tracks the progress of activities against work plans, outputs, and indicators;
• Gathers inputs for internal and donor reporting, including drafting narrative sections of progress and final reports;
• Collects and systematizes evidence and feedback from consultations, missions, and workshops to inform outcome assessments and learning;
• Supports regular updates on the political and policy context affecting project delivery.
  
  

Institutional Engagement and Knowledge Sharing

• Supports strategic engagement with EU institutions and international democracy support actors to advance programme objectives;
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of trends in democratic governance and institutional reforms in Ukraine and the region;
• Coordinates inputs for knowledge products (e.g., lessons-learned papers, thematic briefs), ensuring the dissemination of project findings and good practices.
  
  

General Profile

• Combines a good knowledge of the state of democracy and governance in Ukraine and the broader region, acquired through academic studies in political science, law, social science or related fields, and the relevant work experience;
• Will contribute significantly to assigned projects all along the project life cycle, i.e. from project design and funding to project assessment; will lead meetings and discussions, supervise publications and review input from external providers;
• Can work with minimal guidance and supervision;
• Adds value to team-based activities in their unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model or mentor for less experienced colleagues;
• Can be expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in their projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates gender equality, diversity, and social inclusion (GEDSI) considerations into all tasks and activities, in alignment with the Institute’s Core Values and commitment to the GEDSI policy.
  
  

Reporting line

• Project Manager - Electoral Preparedness and Integrity, Ukraine
  
  

Education And Experience

• University degree in political science, law, international relations, public administration or other related discipline;
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in democracy and governance in Ukraine in the field of elections, political participation and representation, anti-corruption, rule of law or constitutionalism;
• Demonstrated experience working with Ukrainian national and foreign state authorities;
• Demonstrated experience in results-based report writing;
• Demonstrated experience in the implementation of projects in the field of democratic governance;
• Experience in resource mobilization, including conceptualization and formulation of successful funding proposals and knowledge of fundraising methods;
• Experience of working in an international context considered an advantage;
• Fluency in Ukrainian is required; Advanced spoken and written English is required.
  
  

Terms Of Contract

• Local Post.
• Fixed-term appointment for one (1) year.
• Remuneration - USD 3 418 gross per month
  
  

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to the relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Ukraine for the duration of the contract. International IDEA is not able to support work permit applications.

Use of AI in Recruitment

International IDEA places strong emphasis on human input in recruitment. Candidates must disclose any use of AI tools. All application materials, written assessments, and interview responses (as applicable) must be entirely human-generated and reflect the candidate’s own knowledge, skills, and experience. The use of AI to generate content or misrepresent qualifications is not permitted. AI‑powered assistive technologies (such as screen readers or speech‑to‑text tools) may be used for accessibility purposes to ensure equal access to the recruitment process.

Applying For This Position

• Applications should be submitted online no later than 23:59 (CEST) on 29 July 2026.
• Please note that all applications must be made in English.
  
  

Selection Process

• Evaluation of qualified candidates will include a written test assessment and up to two (2) interviews.
• Candidates selected to proceed to the next stage of the process will be contacted once all applications have been carefully reviewed.
• All candidates will be notified of the status of their application via email once the process has been finalized.
  
  

Due to the anticipated volume of applications, International IDEA will review applications on a rolling basis, and the vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. Applicants are therefore encouraged to apply early.

International IDEA is an equal-opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide.