Експерт/ка з просування експорту (спеціаліст/ка з комунікацій)

Position: National Short-Term Expert on regional export promotion (Communications Specialist)
Location: Kyiv (hybrid)
Expected start date: 30.05.2026
Duration of assignment: 30.05.2026 – 31.10.2026
Number of working days:  up to 57 days

Background 

Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development Project, UCORD, is a technical assistance project implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB.  

UCORD aims for citizens, businesses, and public authorities to contribute and equally benefit from recovery actions and coherent regional development that fosters improved quality of life, resilience, peace, and social cohesion in Ukraine. The project currently supports six pilot oblasts of Ukraine: Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Sumy, Ternopil, Volyn and Vinnytsia oblasts as the starting points, targeting capacity development and awareness-raising initiatives nationwide.  

UCORD consists of three components:  

Component 1 embeds regional policy development in Ukraine by supporting and strengthening Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in pilot oblasts. 

Component 2 seeks to improve public service delivery in the WASAW (water supply, sanitation, and waste management) sector, focusing on the environment. 

Component 3 aims to construct social cohesion through culture, dialogue, and creative industries. 

In the six pilot oblasts, RDAs are taking on a more structured role in supporting regional economic development. Their work includes mapping regional economic strengths, facilitating cluster development, supporting Industrial Zone development and supporting start-ups and SME’s. In consultations across these initiatives, companies consistently highlight the need to access international markets to grow. While businesses receive support to start, grow, network, and locate within organised industrial environments, many lack structured guidance on export processes, market-entry requirements, and international positioning. 

To address these needs, the UCORD project, in cooperation with the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office (EEPO) within the framework of the Memorandum, has launched the Export Connect initiative. Export Connect is a practical initiative for Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), business support organizations, as well as relevant structural units of regional state (military) administrations, aimed at building a systematic approach to supporting exporters in the region and enabling hands-on engagement with businesses. The project focuses on six pilot regions: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Odesa, Sumy, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts. 

RDAs will act as focal points for coordinating stakeholders, facilitating export mapping and needs assessment, and piloting structured export case-management at the regional level. With technical support delivered through UCORD in cooperation with EEPO, RDAs will strengthen their capacity to fulfil this role. The experience gained through this pilot phase will inform the design and expansion of regional export support. 

Effective implementation of the Export Connect initiative requires consistent, high-quality, and coordinated communication across national and regional levels. Given the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including RDAs, the EEPO, and regional partners, there is a need to ensure coherent messaging, timely dissemination of information, and alignment with visibility and communication standards. Strong communication support is essential to translate technical activities into clear, accessible messages for target audiences and to ensure the visibility and outreach of initiative results. The Communications Specialist is responsible for planning, preparation, coordination, and timely publication of communication materials in accordance with the approved content plan and project implementation timeline.  

Communication Channels: UCORD project social networks and website, social media channels of EEPO, regional communication platforms, other partner communication channels (subject to approval). 

In this context, under Component 1, UCORD is looking to engage National Short-Term Expert for export promotion (Communications Specialist), who is expected to perform the following tasks: 

• Develop content plans for initiative communication activities, ensuring alignment with initiative objectives, timelines, and target audiences. 
• Develop communication materials related to initiative activities, including news articles, social media content, announcements, success stories, and promotional texts. 
• Support media outreach activities, including coordination with regional and national media outlets, preparation of media materials, and dissemination of project-related information through relevant media channels, where applicable. 
• Independently create visual content for social media channels, including simple designs and layouts using Canva or other basic design tools, in line with project branding and visibility requirements. 
• Coordinate the preparation and dissemination of communication outputs in line with the project visibility and branding requirements, ensuring full compliance with UCORD visibility guidelines and standards. 
• Ensure that all communication products are reviewed and approved by the UCORD Strategic Communications and Knowledge Management Lead prior to publication. 
• Ensure strict adherence to UCORD branding, visibility, and communication guidelines across all communication products, maintaining consistency of messaging, tone of voice, and visual identity in all outputs. 
• Support communication and visibility activities for regional events, trainings, and export promotion initiatives implemented under the project. 
• Liaise with designers, photographers, and other service providers, where relevant, to ensure timely preparation of visual and communication materials. 
• Ensure timely publication and distribution of communication content through agreed communication channels. 
• Conduct basic monitoring of communication performance, including tracking reach, engagement, and visibility of published content across communication channels, and provide brief analytical inputs for internal reporting. 
• Monitor communication activities and provide brief reporting on implemented outreach efforts and produced materials. 
• Cooperate with regional stakeholders, including RDAs to collect, verify, and validate information in coordination with the project team. 
• Adapt communication materials to regional specifics (dates, locations, partners) without altering core structure or key messages. 

Candidate Qualifications 

Education & Knowledge: 

At least a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or Communications. 

Experience: 

• A minimum of 5 years of proven professional experience in communications, public relations, or public communications. 
• Demonstrated experience in delivering communication support for national and international projects, particularly in the fields of entrepreneurship, export promotion, economic development, or regional development. 
• Practical experience in creating basic visual content for social media and digital platforms using Canva or similar tools. 
• Proven experience in providing full-cycle communication support for international and national events implemented within state programmes or international technical assistance projects, including announcement and registration campaigns, media materials, post-releases, final communication outputs, and reporting. 
• Practical experience of cooperation with the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, government institutions, ministries, and regional authorities or affiliated institutions. 
• Experience in coordinating communications with regional stakeholders, including Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), regional administrations, business associations, partners, and implementing organisations. 
• Experience in preparing and publishing communication materials on official information platforms, in line with approved procedures, branding guidelines, and visibility requirements. 

Knowledge and Skills: 

• Ability to independently plan, coordinate, and implement comprehensive communication activities within development projects. 
• Strong skills in preparing, editing, and adapting: press releases and post-releases, informational and analytical materials, content for digital platforms and social media, presentations for public events, experts, and partners. 
• Skills in creating basic visual content for social media and digital platforms using Canva or similar tools. 
• Solid understanding of visual identity principles and proven experience in coordinating work with designers, contractors, and partner teams. 
• Ability to work with content plans, deadlines, and multiple communication streams within one project. 
• Excellent command of Ukrainian, with strong writing, editing, and stylistic skills. 
• Fluency in English 
• Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, from regional teams and experts to project management, government institutions, and international partners. 
• Strong understanding of the Ukrainian institutional and governance landscape, particularly in the areas of public communications, entrepreneurship, export promotion, and regional development. 
• Understanding of the principles of international technical assistance projects, including donor requirements related to communication, visibility, approvals, and reporting. 
• Knowledge of SME support instruments, export promotion programmes, international events, exhibitions, and regional business ecosystems. 
• Experience or a clear understanding of communication practices within national projects and initiatives implemented with the involvement of government institutions. 

The proposal should contain the following documents:  

• A cover letter demonstrating the candidate’s suitability for the position and summarizing relevant experience. 
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) detailing qualifications and professional experience, including a minimum of three contact references. 
• The preferred daily rate. 
• Note: Candidates must be registered as a Private Entrepreneur (PE), 3rd group, as this is required for contract signing. 
• Interested applicants should send their proposals to [email protected] no later than May 25, 2026