Strategic Communications Director

Position Overview

The $325 Million Ukraine Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) (8/27/2018 - 8/26/2026) was designed to strengthen the economy and improve the resilience of businesses and communities in eastern Ukraine following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the seizure of territory in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions by Russia backed separatists. In August 2023, ERA substantially increased in size and refocused the scope of the activity.

ERA one of the key implementers of the USAID Agriculture Resilience Initiative (Ukraine-AGRI) and is focused on facilitating the increased flow of commodities from Ukraine through its EU borders to prepare for better integration with the European Union. Between 2023-2026, USAID is dedicating $115 million to support the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine (SARDI), Ukrainian Railways (UZ), and State Customs Services to upgrade border crossing points (BCPs) to improve grain trade and export volumes, transportation routes, and passenger traffic.

ERA is looking for an energetic and highly organized candidate to lead our communications team and develop communications materials from ERA project staff, USAID, the Government of Ukraine, and other stakeholders.

Preferred candidates are able to be based in Ukraine (up to 25 percent remote work) for the life of the project, which is set to conclude in August 2026; DAI may consider candidates who live in a similar time zone and who are able to travel to Ukraine regularly.

Expected key functions:

The Strategic Communications Director will lead ERA’s communications in line with the approved work plan and routine communications requirements from USAID. This includes developing and drafting requested communications materials from ERA leadership, technical and other staff, USAID, Government of Ukraine, and other stakeholders. Examples of communications materials may be in the form of briefs, success stories, press releases, flyers, presentations, and videos. The Director will lead the overall communications intervention under ERA, providing backstop support and field visits as needed. They will also play a core knowledge management role on ERA, ensuring that technical content and results are saved and shared internally and will support with Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) team in ensuring that results are communicated accurately and consistently through the communications team.

The duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop and lead the ERA communications strategy/plan in line with ERA’s approved work plan.

• Draft communications materials at the request of ERA and USAID staff and other key stakeholders, including but not limited to briefs, success stories, press release, flyers, presentations, etc.

• Promote and highlight ERA’s activities across all components and sectors in social media and newsletters, work with local partners and key stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies, businesses, and mass media.

• Ensure weekly bullet points, meeting notes and ad hoc information request from USAID are edited and communicated effectively and concisely in the format required by the client.

• Work with ERA communications team to develop content for social networking platforms and to develop platform-specific content to share with USAID in advance of events, visits, etc.

• Coach communications colleagues on English language communications and strategies that improve the effectiveness and professionalism of ERA communications for USAID and international audiences.

• Ensure that the Activity produces and disseminates high-quality knowledge, tools, and lessons learned through routine monitoring and evaluation and implementation experience.

• Other tasks as assigned by the COP, DCOP, or AGRI Director

Required qualifications:

• At least 10 years of professional experience developing strategic communications for private sector or donor-funded initiatives.

• Excellent writing skills and experience preparing well-researched reports; experience writing for USAID audiences preferred.

• Demonstrated experience designing strategic communications plans, developing and implementing knowledge management tools or systems, developing content for videos, and developing content for social media platforms.

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional and private‐sector partners and stakeholders in a multi‐country setting.

• Strong team leader and collaborator with the demosntrated ability to work across multiple teams, take initiative, track down information, work on several tasks simultaneously, and work under limited guidance and supervision.

• Proficiency with MS Office (Word and Power Point), graphic arts and/or desktop publishing software a plus.

• Proven management skills, including managing teams in hybrid work environments

• Excellent writing, speaking, and reading skills in English

• Experience in Eastern Europe and/or Central Asia is an advantage, including Ukrainian, Russian, or other regional language skills.