Capacity Development Specialist in Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is seeking for the programme “Strengthening Ukraine’s EU Alignment in the Rule of Law” a qualified staff member to fill the positions of the

Capacity Development Specialist

Law Enforcement Reform “Support to Ukraine’s EU accession” (full-time, Kyiv)

(internal SAP code: Capacity Development Specialist) 

“Strengthening Ukraine’s EU Alignment in the Rule of Law” is a technical cooperation programme commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union and implemented by GIZ in order to assist the government of Ukraine in its efforts to align Ukrainian legislation with the Acquis Communautaire of the European Union, focusing on the negotiation chapters related to “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” (Chapter 23) and “Justice, Freedom and Security” (Chapter 24) that lie at the heart of the cluster called the “Fundamentals of EU Membership”. The programme aims at enhancing the capacities of key actors within the Ukrainian government to steer and implement a cooperative and participative process of the country’s EU alignment in the rule of law, based on the Rule of Law Roadmap approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Programme works closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine as well as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and other related institutions.

 The specialists will be part of the programme’s team of capacity developers, which focuses on supporting national key actors responsible for the alignment of Ukraine’s law enforcement sector to the EU acquis. The work of the Specialists will focus on fostering the capacities of key Law Enforcement stakeholders’ strategy for aligning Ukraine’s normative framework to the requirements of Chapters 24. Due to the pilot character of the programme’s work in the field, the focus will lie on strengthening the capacities of investigating financial and economic crimes. The specialists will identify and make accessible the lessons learnt from EU Member States which recently joined and/or other candidate countries. The specialists will also provide targeted training to further enhance the negotiation skills and strategies of the relevant areas among the European partners.

 Key responsibilities:

• Provide policy advice to the Ukrainian law enforcement sector on an effective strategic planning and coordination structure for the accession process, building on the experience made in EU Member States;
• Enable in-depth exchange of experience and network building with the Law Enforcement Agencies officials from countries with recent EU-accession experience, e.g. through study visits targeted at the top coordination level of the accession process;
• Carrying out and/or directing and overseeing the programme’s capacity development activities such as training courses, seminars, workshops, conferences in related Law Enforcement fields, including on modern methods of investigation of financial and economic crimes
• Support the development and implementation of training programmes for selected Law Enforcement Agencies;
• Support assessments and feasibility studies for human resources and training departments of partner organisations;
• Oversee, steer and report the implementation of joint capacity development activities; 
• Support clients and partners with analytical work related to the general process of EU Enlargement  on Chapter 24;
• Advise the Ukrainian partner in the integration of a gender-sensitive approach to the overall coordination process of EU alignment;
• Engage in activities to promote the visibility, communication as well as monitoring and reporting of results.

 Required qualifications, professional experience and personal competences:

• University Degree in the security sector, public administration, criminology, adult education, or similar;
• Knowledge on investigation techniques for financial, or economic crimes;
• At least 3 - 5 years of professional experience in the area of international cooperation in the field of good governance, development of training strategies, capacity development;
• Deep knowledge of the Ukrainian government’s reform agenda in law enforcement reform, the European Union acquis and accession procedures; 
• Excellent command of written and spoken Ukrainian and English; command of another EU language is a plus;
• Previous work experience with a Law Enforcement Agency would be an asset. 
• Strong interest in EU accession policies and Ukraine’s reform agenda aligning to the acquis communautaire;
• Team player with excellent intercultural competences;
• Strong organisational, planning and managerial competences;
• Excellent communication, writing, presentation and organisational skills;
• Ability to work flexibly and independently, often under tight deadlines;
• High level of discretion, integrity, and sense of tone;
• Experience with or knowledge of command structures of law enforcement; 
• Aptitude for assessing material and content of politically sensitive nature.

We offer: 

• Official employment, salary fixed in EUR, performance-related bonuses and 13th salary.
• Medical insurance, 29 vacation days annually.
• Language classes, hard and soft skills trainings.
• Individual and group psychological support.
• Possible flexible and remote work (depending on projects’ needs up to 10 days a month within Ukrainian border). 
• Meaningful and valuable work, international environment.

Employment conditions:

 Full-time position with 40-hours working week. Place of assignment is Kyiv. Starting as soon as possible. For now, the contract duration is till the end of June 2026. As the programme is currently in the contracting procedure for its second phase, extension until September 2027 is highly likely.

 GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and offers an attractive and challenging working environment with opportunities for skill enhancement.

 Application:

 We are looking forward to your application in English, comprising your CV and a Cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for the job until COB 11 February 2026, Wednesday. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stages of the recruitment process.

 Candidates are requested to submit their documents with the following title:

•  Surname Name_CV

•  Surname Name_Cover letter

 By sending the application you give the consent for the personal data processing for recruitment processes solely according to GIZ data privacy regulations. You can familiarize yourself with these regulations by the link Data protection | GIZ