Провідний/а спеціаліст/ка з регуляторних питань / Lead Regulatory Specialist

Program: USAID-funded GROW Project in Ukraine
Application Deadline: Until filled
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

World Council of Credit Unions seeks a Lead Regulatory Specialist for the GROW Project in Ukraine (hereinafter – GROW) to work closely with Ukrainian regulators and legislators, to seek to improve credit unions’ market operating environment in line with the EU and international best standards, allowing credit unions to operate efficiently and competitively within the Ukrainian market. She/he will work closely as a team member to help revive the credit union sector in Ukraine by providing support to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) to ensure an appropriate regulatory approach, relief measures as Ukraine progresses through the war into early recovery, and the introduction of a deposit guarantee system for credit unions’ members.

About the Program:

The GROW Project in Ukraine is a four – year project implemented by World Council of Credit Unions and funded by USAID.

The goals of GROW are to:

• Support MSME growth through increased lending
• Improve the enabling environment for credit unions
• Improve the operational capacity of Ukrainian credit unions to better serve MSMEs

The GROW Project will expand access to finance through credit unions for legal entities and private entrepreneurs, including farms, MSMEs, and cooperatives, as well as individuals in rural areas who are seeking to start or expand existing businesses. To facilitate this, GROW will address the supply of business financing, improve the enabling environment, and deepen the technical capacity of credit unions to provide and promote their financial services.

Duties:

• Lead all legislative and regulatory tasks as required in line with project goals and annual implementation plans;
• Actively participate in all working groups related to credit union legislation established at the Verkhovna Rada, Office of the President, Cabinet of Ministers, the NBU and as needed selected Ministries, and other central administration units;
• Serve as key liaison between the NBU and GROW and build effective relationships between the NBU, the project and the credit union apex institutions, market associations and other stakeholders to ensure effective communication with the market;
• Liaise with partner organizations, consultants, government officials and other stakeholders as needed independently to ensure proper communication and information flow;
• Work closely with the DGF on advocating the introduction of a deposit guarantee system for credit unions’ members;
• Work closely with the credit unions’ associations to review and revise draft laws and policies to better meet the needs of credit union members and support their joint legislative initiatives;
• Support the two national credit union associations in improving service delivery to their member credit unions in regard to compliance with new laws and regulations as implemented by the NBU;
• Collaborates where appropriate with other international projects and donors, to maximize results and leverage resources;
• Lead and coordinate GROW work to provide technical assistance to the NBU as the credit union regulator in Ukraine, including preparation of workshop, events, work plans and respond to other ad-hoc request for information and support;
• Prepare and maintain depository of legal information as regards important to credit unions regulations, including but not limited to draft laws, existing laws and sectoral regulations of lower level that pertain credit union sector;
• Create training materials and hold training sessions as needed; develop and supervise training programs for state officials as needed;
• Contribute to the development of work plans, quarterly reports, reports to the Regulator and annual reports of GROW and its partners;
• Travel outside of Kyiv as needed to reach rural credit unions and their members; and
• Fulfill all tasks required to meet project goals under Objective as assigned and per request of the COP or DCOP.

Required Qualifications:

• Masters’ degree in law, international development, political science, sociology, humanities and social sciences, economics or another related field;
• At least 5-7 years of experience focused on assisting credit unions in policy reforms and regulatory standards compliance and in achieving credit worthiness;
• Previous experience working with, or understand the National Bank of Ukraine and its overarching functions;
• Previous USAID experience preferred;
• An understanding of how the legal framework affects women and disadvantaged groups;
• In-depth understanding of the political, legal, and regulatory environment in Ukraine, with a focus on how the legal framework affects credit unions;
• Training experience;
• Excellent writing, research and communication skills;
• Native Ukrainian fluency, both written and spoken;
• Fluency or high proficiency in written and spoken English;
• Computer proficiency (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint);
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills;
• Culturally sensitive and able to work with multiple stakeholders in Ukraine and understand their various positions/viewpoints;
• An ambitious nature, problem-solving abilities, creativity, and a dedication to creating change in Ukraine.

Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and three reference contacts to [email protected] with the subject line: “Lead Regulatory Specialist”. Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Thank you.