Короткотерміновий/ва експерт/ка з підтримки грантоотримувачів з питань брендингу

Location: Kyiv

Expected start date: 22 September 2025

Background

Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development project, UCORD, is implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through 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, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn and Odesa 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. 

The UCORD is progressing the Renaissance Clusters Grant Programme. This programme is supporting the establishment and development of cultural and cultural-tourism clusters. These clusters are intended to demonstrate significant contribution to regional development, creating added value for local economies, improving human capital, and strengthening social cohesion.  

In May, UCORD selected eight partnership initiatives across six pilot regions. Each partnership consists of a Lead Partner (typically an NGO) and other collaborators such as hromadas, cultural or educational institutions, public spaces, NGOs, and more. To support their efforts, UCORD is planning to launch a comprehensive Mentorship Programme that will provide tailored guidance, strengthen institutional capacity, and enhance the sustainability and impact of the Renaissance Clusters Grant Programme on regional development. 

In this context, UCORD is looking to engage a Short-Term Expert for Mentorship support of the grant recipients on Branding (Including Enviromental Branding) , who is expected to perform the following tasks: 

• The expert will lead introductory cross-project mentorship sessions for the project teams on visual identity development, messaging frameworks, and environmantal branding concepts, their use in communication and tourism product design and introduce best practices 
• The expert will evaluate action plans and deliverables of the projects and prepare questionaries/lists of tasks for the teams to evaluate needs assessment on branding topic
• The expert will evaluate the existing or planned branding approaches of each initiative, including logos, taglines, and key messages  
• The expert will conduct regular (monthly or other period specified) interactive group or individual sessions on brand development and visual storytelling, drawing from heritage, landscape, and socio-cultural identity
• The expert will guide the development of a consistent and flexible brand system that integrates local narratives, cultural values, and community input, support environmental branding elements such as site signage, wayfinding, exhibition design, and other visitor-facing infrastructure
• The expert will participate actively in coordination meetings with the Primary Mentor and Mentorship Coordination Lead and other relevant stakeholders to align efforts and share updates, supporting timely delivery of key outputs
• The expert will prepare and submit monthly progress reports according to provided templates and detailed quarterly reports to the Mentorship Coordination Lead, documenting achievements, challenges, and next steps related to the branding of the projects

Candidate Qualifications

Education & Knowledge:

A master’s degree in Marketing, Sociology, Design, or a related field.

Specific Knowledge:  

• Regional development, creative industries and/or tourism development at reginal level, branding of the territories

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional expertise in branding preferably in tourism or cultural sectors

• A proven experience in developing brand strategies and communication campaigns, and working with/for local governments or civil society organizations 
• A proven track record in implementing large-scale projects in public and/or private sector areas

Skills:

• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Strong creative thinking and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling narratives

• Strong facilitation and mentoring skills with the ability to tailor support to different capacity levels of project teams
• Knowledge of participatory planning methods and community consultation practices
• Familiarity with digital tools and platforms
• Proficient in articulating ideas through reports and presentations
• Strong written and communication skills 
• Knowledge of English (B2 or higher)

Evaluation of response & selection: 

• The expert will collaborate with the UCORD Component 3 Leader;
• Interested applicants should send their proposals to [email protected] no later than August 26, 2025

The proposal should contain the following documents: 

• Cover letter highlighting relevant experience.
• Up-to-date CV indicating relevant experience and qualifications, including at least three contact references.
• The proposal should be submitted in English.