The International Labour Organization (ILO) has announced an exciting opportunity for a Project Assistant (Grade G6) based in Kyiv, Ukraine, within its Country Office for Ukraine (CO-Kyiv) under the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. This role is part of a critical, high-impact initiative aimed at protecting, retaining, and equipping Ukraine’s energy workforce during a time of extraordinary challenge and transformation.
With a fixed-term contract of one year starting February 2026, and the possibility of extension subject to funding and performance, this position offers experienced administrative and programme support professionals the chance to contribute directly to Ukraine’s recovery, resilience, and long-term modernization of its energy sector.
About the Project: Protecting Ukraine’s Energy Workforce
Against the backdrop of extensive war-related damage to infrastructure, Ukraine’s energy workers operate under extremely hazardous conditions. Daily risks include shelling, unexploded ordnance, unsafe worksites, physical exhaustion, and psychological trauma. At the same time, the sector faces workforce shortages, outdated training systems, and limited reintegration pathways for veterans, internally displaced persons (IDPs), women, older workers, and persons with disabilities.
In response, the ILO Country Office for Ukraine—working with the Government of Ukraine, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and key energy enterprises—will launch a new initiative funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The project balances urgent worker protection with longer-term system building, ensuring continuity of energy supply while laying foundations for a greener, decentralized energy system aligned with Ukraine’s EU accession pathway.
This initiative is implemented under the Safety + Health for All Flagship Programme, benefiting from ILO’s global strategies, tools, and lessons learned in occupational safety and health (OSH).
Key Project Outcomes
The project is designed as a preparatory and demonstration phase, testing scalable solutions and generating evidence for future expansion. It delivers results through three mutually reinforcing outcomes:
Outcome 1: Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in Wartime Conditions
The project will co-develop OSH protocols tailored to wartime realities, support employer-led provision of protective equipment, and deploy small-scale mobile OSH interventions. It also integrates mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to address trauma, fatigue, and burnout among energy workers.
Outcome 2: Inclusive Return-to-Work and Workforce Adaptation Measures
Workplace adaptation pilots will rehabilitate basic facilities—such as lockers and changing rooms—using gender-responsive design. The project also supports safe return-to-work schemes and negotiated reintegration pathways for veterans (including those with disabilities), IDPs, women, and older workers, anchored through tripartite dialogue and collective bargaining.
Outcome 3: Skills Anticipation and Training for Recovery and Transition
Rapid skills anticipation studies will identify urgent repair skills gaps while preparing for the medium-term transition to renewable energy. Based on these findings, OSH-integrated “energy repair” training modules and micro-qualifications will be developed with TVET institutions and enterprise academies, focusing on practical prevention and control measures at worksites.
The Role: Project Assistant (Grade G6)
Based in Kyiv, the Project Assistant plays a central role in ensuring the smooth administration and delivery of project services in a client-oriented, efficient, and compliant manner. The position reports directly to the Project Manager, with technical guidance from the Project Manager and Finance Officer.
The Project Assistant supports the project’s daily operations, administration, finance tracking, coordination, and communication, ensuring that all activities follow ILO rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, including effective use of the organization’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
Key Responsibilities
The Project Assistant’s duties span administrative, financial, coordination, and communication functions, including:
- Ensuring smooth project administration, office management, and operational support, including processing entitlements, contracts, and maintaining records and files.
- Advising project staff on administrative rules and procedures, organizing travel, preparing travel authorizations, and handling logistics.
- Collecting, organizing, and compiling socioeconomic and project-related data, and drafting summaries, reports, and correspondence.
- Maintaining records and control systems for project monitoring and evaluation.
- Assisting with drafting notes, meeting minutes, workplans, and translating documents between English and Ukrainian.
- Supporting financial and administrative monitoring, maintaining budgets, checking expenditures against correct budget lines, and liaising with ILO offices and partner agencies.
- Organizing workshops, seminars, trainings, and field missions, including coordination with stakeholders and logistical arrangements.
- Providing interpretation (English–Ukrainian and Ukrainian–English) for ILO missions and Kyiv-based international staff when required.
- Supporting communication outputs such as press announcements, press releases, and ensuring project updates are reflected on ILO social media channels.
- Performing any additional relevant duties as requested by the Project Manager or the ILO CO Kyiv Director.
Required Qualifications and Profile
Education
- Completion of secondary school education, supplemented by technical or university-level courses relevant to the organization’s work.
- Specialized training and previous UN or ILO experience are considered strong advantages.
Experience
- At least six years of progressively responsible administrative and/or finance work, including one year in programme support activities.
- Prior experience in similar roles within UN or ILO projects is highly desirable.
Languages
- Excellent command of Ukrainian and English, both written and spoken.
Competencies
Successful candidates will demonstrate strong technical knowledge of administrative and financial procedures, programme planning and evaluation, and office operations. They must be detail-oriented, ethical, organized, and capable of working under pressure in a multicultural and gender-sensitive environment, with excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
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Conditions of Employment and Diversity Commitment
This is a technical cooperation appointment, which does not carry an expectation of career progression within the ILO. External candidates are normally appointed at the first step of Grade G6, with an entry-level annual salary of USD 23,442.
The ILO strongly values diversity and encourages applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is available throughout the recruitment process.
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How to Apply
All candidates must apply online through the ILO recruitment system. The ILO does not charge any fees at any stage of recruitment and will never request bank details from applicants.
Application deadline: 10 January 2026 (midnight local time)
