Programme Officer - Ukraine Programme in Kyiv

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine. One full-time consultancy position until 31 Dec 2026 with a potential continuation in 2027 subject to the availability of funding. Start date as soon as possible.

About RWI

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) is an independent academic institution that combines multi-disciplinary human rights research with education, support and outreach to contribute to a wider understanding of, and respect for, human rights and international humanitarian law. Our impact extends across more than 40 countries, and we have offices in Lund (HQ), Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Harare, Jakarta, Kyiv, Nairobi, Phnom Penh, and Yerevan.

About the Ukraine Programme

RWI is currently implementing Human Rights Infrastructure for Ukraine 2025-2027 (HRIU) Program in Ukraine funded by Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The overall Objective of the Program is to strengthen Ukraine’s human rights infrastructure while supporting the country’s recovery and EU accession process including Ukraine’s EU accession process through human rights expertise for Chapter 23 of the Ukraine-EU Negotiations Framework. It engages Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice with the support of multi-stakeholder partnerships, universities and other academic institutions local perspectives and outreach on the national and EU levels. Human rights informed processes of recovery and EU accession should contribute to overall efforts towards Ukraine's stability, prosperity, social cohesion and international cooperation.

About the Position

The successful candidate will join a team supporting Ukraine’s EU accession process through human rights expertise for Chapter 23.

As Programme Officer, you will play a key role in supporting the implementation and development of RWI’s Ukraine programme.

This particular role will be managing in cooperation and coordination with other Programme Officers activities under Objectives 2 and 3 of the HRIU Programme: Ukraine's academics and practitioners increasingly provide human rights expertise in cooperation with other actors with expected result of increased ability of academic institutions to educate students and practitioners and apply research on human rights in policymaking; and Ukraine's local actors in selected regions contribute, to a greater extent, to realising human rights and access to justice at the local level with expected results of increased capacity, peer support, and visibility for local actors in selected regions to assess and widen access to justice and expanded expertise and partnerships for local actors in selected regions to advance human rights, including across sectors and levels.

You will contribute to the development of the work plans, which includes developing terms of references and agreements, develop agendas and materials, secure resource persons and other necessary inputs for activities; and coordinating completion of activity deliverables. You will contribute to the development and improvement of working methodologies and MEAL tools, helping to strengthen programme quality and effectiveness over time, eg. by conducting relevant research.

In addition, you will monitor, supervise and coordinate activities of the Implementing Partners and prepare narrative reports to analyse the outcomes and impact of implemented activities and programmes. Develop and monitor programmes budgets, ensuring that budgetary resources are efficiently utilised to achieve expected results.

The role also involves contributing to external communication and outreach by documenting and sharing results, lessons learned, and best practices from programme activities. You will stay informed about relevant geographic, thematic, and political developments to ensure that programme implementation remains contextually informed and responsive.

You will work closely with RWI colleagues and a wide range of external stakeholders, maintaining regular contact with partners, authorities, organisations, and donors. You will support the identification and assessment of new programme opportunities within RWI’s mandate and priorities, contributing to the development of concept notes and proposals where relevant. As part of a collaborative team environment, you will actively share your areas of responsibility, research insights, and challenges faced, contributing constructively to collective learning and problem-solving.

The role includes periodic travel to programme activity sites to successfully implement the duties above.

Your Profile

• At least 3-5 years of documented experience with programme management in the areas of EU integration, human rights protection and education, other relevant work in the context of international development cooperation in Ukraine.
• Experience of protection and promoting human rights at local level, including cooperation with municipalities and other local authorities.
• Strong knowledge of international human rights law, standards and mechanisms, including relevant university degree with preferably specialisation in human rights, law, international relations, European studies or related field.
• Knowledge and understanding of universities’ organization of work and functioning, processes of syllabus and curricular development and courses delivery.
• Knowledge of means and methods of international development cooperation work in Ukraine.
• Strong analytical and legal drafting skills.
• Fluency in Ukrainian and English with excellent writing skills in both languages.
• Proven skills to work in teams.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and complete tasks within given timeframes.
• Well-developed organisational skills and ability to take initiative and prioritise work tasks.
• Supportive of a learning organisation with a strong willingness to share knowledge.
• Flexible, proactive and solution-oriented mindset with a desire to continuously improve work performance.
• A high sense of responsibility and commitment as well as strong attention to detail.
• Cultural sensitivity.
• Previous experience with EU integration is an advantage.

We offer a meaningful and challenging role in a respected international organisation, where your work will directly contribute to justice and rights for all.

Application

Apply with your CV, cover letter and by answering the selection questions no later than 11 February.

Please note that applications sent by email will not be registered. We will review applications as soon as they are received. Interested applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.

Every application is reviewed with care. Our recruitment team takes the time to assess each candidate thoughtfully and thoroughly. Once your application is submitted, you will receive system-generated confirmations and updates. These are triggered by our recruitment team to keep you informed throughout the process. If we decide not to invite you for an interview, we unfortunately won’t be able to provide individual feedback. While we appreciate the effort behind every application, the volume of candidates makes personalised responses impossible.

For any questions about the position, please contact Deputy Country Director Ukraine, Igor Osyka at igor.osyka@rwi.lu.se

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute promotes diversity and welcomes applications from all qualified persons, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, age, disability, or other protected status under the law.

We look forward to receiving your application!