Communication Expert for the Secretariat Supporting the Selection Competition for the Positions of the Deputy Head of the SAPO

General background

The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) is the European Union’s technical support program in the area of anti-corruption in Ukraine, co-funded and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark. The overall objective of the EUACI is to achieve significant progress in preventing and countering corruption, ensuring the coherence and systemic anti-corruption activities of state and local self-government bodies, and to empower civil society and citizens to contribute to the combatting of corruption, as well as the proper process of Ukraine’s post-war recovery. The program runs till April 2027.

One of the beneficiaries of the EUACI is the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Established in 2015 and reconstituted as a separate legal entity in 2024, SAPO is a prosecutorial agency with a primary mandate to prosecute top-level corruption, including criminal offences committed by senior public and local officials and cases that threaten national security. The Law “On the Prosecution Service” determines SAPO’s status, mandate, powers, and organization, while the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine defines its investigative jurisdiction.

In accordance with the Law on the Prosecutor’s Service, the organisation and conduct of the competition for the positions of Deputy Prosecutor General – SAPO Head, First Deputy Head, and Deputy Head of SAPO are carried out by the Selection Commission (hereinafter – the Selection Commission) that consists of six members:

– three persons appointed by the Prosecutor General based on proposals from the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine, and

– three persons appointed by the Prosecutor General based on proposals from international and foreign organisations that, in accordance with international or intergovernmental agreements, have been providing Ukraine with international technical assistance in the field of preventing and combating corruption over the past three years.

Following the voluntary resignation of Deputy Head of SAPO Andriy Syniuk on 14 November 2025, a vacancy arose for this position. Accordingly, on 19 March 2026, the Selection Commission was established, primarily to conduct the competition for the position of Deputy Head of SAPO.

The upcoming selection of the Deputy Head of SAPO will be the first application of substantially reformed rules provided by Law No. 3509-IX, adopted in December 2023, as part of the IMF and the EU conditionalities.

In accordance with Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Prosecutor’s Service”, the financing and logistical support of the activities of the Selection Commission and its members, including the Secretariat established to assist in their work, may be provided through international technical assistance.

Given the high public interest and importance of the SAPO Deputy Head competition, it is essential to ensure proper and effective communication throughout the selection process.

Objective

The objective of this assignment is to support an effective, transparent, and well-organised selection process for the position of Deputy Head of SAPO by ensuring clear, accurate, and timely communication related to the work of the Selection Commission, in accordance with Article 29-1(3) of the Law of Ukraine “On the Public Prosecution Service,” through the engagement of a Secretariat established to assist the Commission in its work.

The Communication Expert shall support the preparation and dissemination of public information, ensure consistency of key messages, and facilitate communication with relevant stakeholders in accordance with transparency requirements, while fully respecting the independence, impartiality, and decision-making autonomy of the Selection Commission members throughout the selection process.

Scope of work

The Communication Expert shall support the work of the Selection Commission for the appointment of the Deputy Head of the SAPO by ensuring transparent, accurate, and timely communication related to the selection process guided by the Selection Commission. The Communication Expert shall perform assigned tasks under close coordination with the Selection Commission, while fully respecting the independence, impartiality, and decision-making autonomy of the Commission.

Communication Expert expected to:

• Develop and implement communication and media plan for the Selection Commission, regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.
• Ensure that communication plan is developed within the guidance of Selection Commission members and include a clear description of activities, responsible parties, communication channels, and target audiences, and cover both updates on the progress of the competition and general informational content about the selection process.
• Coordinate communication and media plans with the Selection Commission.
• Conduct regular coordination meetings with the Selection Commission and the Secretariat to ensure alignment of communication activities with procedural developments.
• Participate, where appropriate and upon request, in meetings of the Selection Commission and other key events of the selection process to remain informed of relevant developments.
• Monitor and analyse the implementation of communication activities and adjust communication plans accordingly, in consultation with the Coordinator of the Secretariat and the Selection Commission.
• Support day-to-day communication operations of the Selection Commission, including preparation of public announcements, informational materials, press releases, and other communication products.
• Manage and administer all official social media channels of the Selection Commission, including planning, drafting, publishing, and monitoring content in line with the approved by the Selection Commission communication strategy.
• Support risk-sensitive and crisis communication, including monitoring media and social media, preparing draft holding messages or Q&A materials if needed, and promptly informing the Selection Commission of potential communication risks.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and neutrality of messaging across all communication channels and compliance with confidentiality and non-interference requirements.
• Perform any other communication-related tasks assigned by the Selection Commission members and Secretariat’s Coordinator to support the SAPO Deputy Head selection process.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

In carrying out these duties, the Communication Expert shall ensure strict protection and confidentiality of any personal data, sensitive information, or restricted materials obtained in the course of work. Such information shall be used solely for the purpose of fulfilling responsibilities related to the SAPO Deputy Head selection process and shall not be disclosed or used for any other purpose.

Deliverables

The Communication Expert shall ensure the timely delivery of the following outputs throughout the duration of the Selection Commission’s work:

• A comprehensive communication and media plan, including objectives, key messages, target audiences, communication channels, planned activities, and responsible parties.
• Updated versions of the plan, as required, based on feedback from Selection Commission members, implementation progress, and evolving needs.
• Draft public announcements, press releases, informational notes, and other communication products prepared in accordance with the approved communication plan and cleared by the Selection Commission.
• Regularly published content on all official social media channels of the Selection Commission, in line with the approved by the Selection Commission communication strategy.
• A structured content plan and posting schedule for social media channels.
• Basic monitoring of engagement and reach, by the request of the Selection Commission.
• Regular media and social media monitoring updates highlighting key coverage, public reactions, and potential reputational risks related to the selection process.
• Draft holding statements, key messages, or Q&A materials, subject to prior approval by the Selection Commission.
• Brief coordination notes or talking points prepared for meetings or briefings of the Selection Commission and the Secretariat, as requested.
• Communication outputs prepared and managed in full compliance with confidentiality, data protection, and non-interference requirements.
• A short final summary outlining communication activities implemented, key outputs delivered, and lessons learned upon completion of the assignment (up to three pages).

Qualifications

1. Key qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in Degree in Media, Journalism, Marketing, Public Policy, Public Administration, Economics, Law, International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or other related fields.

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated professional experience in designing, implementing and monitoring communication and media initiatives.

2. Adequacy for the assignment

• Previous engagement with international projects in the sphere of law enforcement/judicial/ anti-corruption reform would be considered an advantage.

• Previous experience in selection processes will be considered as an asset.

• Respect for deadlines.

• Ability to work under pressure and extra hours if necessary.

3. Experience with the region and languages

• Language: Fluency in written and spoken English (CEFR level B2) and Ukrainian C1 is a must.

Budget, timeframe, and location

Payments to the Consultant shall be made on a monthly basis against Consultant’s timesheet and invoice for the respective period. Payments shall be based on the actual days worked and the agreed daily fee rate.

The intended commencement date is the date of signature of the contract with the Consultant, and the period of implementation will be up to 7 months, commencing in April 2026. The assignment includes up to 35 working days per full term of the Contract.

The expert is expected to work online and offline in Kyiv.

Reporting and management

The performance of the Contractor will be judged upon reaching the purpose of this contract as well as obtaining its results, as indicated in the section “Objective” and “Deliverables” herein respectively. Moreover, the performance of the Contractor will be judged upon the successful implementation of all the specific activities indicated in Section “Scope of work” of this document

By signing the contract, the Consultant agrees to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents (“confidential information”) disclosed to the Consultant or discovered by the Consultant or prepared by the Consultant in the course of or as a result of the implementation of the contract, and agrees that it shall be used only for the contract implementation and shall not be disclosed to any third party. The Consultant also agrees not to retain copies of any written information or prototypes in its archive and for its use.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposal is the end of the day on 26 April 2026.

All interested candidates should submit:

• Experts’ CV, not more than 3 pages
• A concise communication concept note outlining the proposed approach to implementing communication for the SAPO Deputy Head selection process, including objectives, key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and risk-sensitive considerations.
• Financial offer, including daily fee

If these documents are not submitted in line with the request above, the bid will not be considered.

The proposal shall include the aforementioned information and should be submitted within the above deadline to [email protected] cc to [email protected] indicating the subject line: Communication Expert for the Secretariat for SAPO Deputy Head selection process.

You will receive an auto-reply from the [email protected] mailbox when the offer has been received. If you do not receive an auto-reply, your offer was not received and you should contact the EUACI by phone.

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected], not later than 20 April 2026, 17:00 Kyiv time.

Evaluation criteria