The Program
The EUACI is a joint EU and Government of Denmark financed programme aimed at supporting Ukraine in its efforts to reduce corruption at the national and local level through the empowerment of citizens, civil society, businesses, and state institutions.
The overall objective of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative Phase III is to improve the implementation of Ukraine’s anti-corruption policy by supporting the key anti-corruption state institutions: strengthening oversight of reform implementation by Parliament; and at the national and local level supporting civil society, investigative media, business and local governments, thus substantially improving Ukraine’s overall performance in the fight against corruption.
The EUACI has four intervention areas, namely:
- Support to state institutions fighting and preventing corruption;
- Transparency and accountability of the reconstruction process;
- Integrity Cities;
- Civil society and media in preventing and fighting corruption.
The EUACI Area 3 team supports Integrity Cities (Chernivtsi, Sheptytskyi, Mariupol, Nikopol, Zhytomyr, Poltava and Mykolayiv) in their efforts to strengthen their integrity, transparency, accountability and good governance practices by providing integrity tools and advisory support
In May 2024, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the School Nutrition Reform team requested the EUACI’s support to minimize corruption risks, irregularities, and illegal practices in the use of state subvention funds allocated for the construction and modernization of school canteens. EUACI’s involvement became a pilot effort to apply a systematic and comprehensive approach to risk prevention, monitoring, and assessment, using best Ukrainian expertise and innovative, non-traditional oversight tools.
As the result of the analysis of 187 projects in 2024, 132.9 million UAH in unanticipated expenses identified, reallocating funds to support an additional 20 projects. In 2025 savings amounted to 187.5 million UAH, allowing for the selection of 16 additional projects. The EUACI experts have provided monitoring of public procurement procedures and methodological assistance to ensure transparency and compliance and distance monitoring of construction works.
Effective communication is a critical component of the School Nutrition Reform and its joint activities with the EUACI. Clear, consistent, and transparent communication is required to:
- Communicate results of integrity and anti-corruption tools applied to the use of public funds for the construction of school canteens.
- Demonstrate how state subvention funds for school canteens’ construction and modernization are allocated and used in a transparent manner.
- Raise awareness about the work of the EUACI and its cooperation with the School Nutrition Reform Team among stakeholders, including national and local authorities, schools, parents, communities, and civil society.
- Promote integrity and transparency in schools based on the success stories of the School Nutrition Reform and the narrative that school canteens are constructed using the same transparency and integrity values as school kids should learn about in school.
- Assist in communicating about other EUACI engagements in schools, including in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science.
Against this background, the EUACI seeks to engage a Communication Expert to provide professional communication services supporting the cooperation between the EUACI, the School Nutrition Reform Team and the Ministry of Education. The communication support will contribute to transparency, public trust, stakeholder engagement, and visibility of EUACI’s role in strengthening integrity and accountability within the reform process.
The Position
Title: Communication Specialist regarding promotion of integrity in School Nutrition Reform and Canteens Modernization
Place: Kyiv, hybrid (remote and office of the School Nutrition Reform Team).
The assignment is up to 12 months with a duration of 252 working days. The start date is in February 2026. The maximum budget for this activity is EUR 22,680.
The communication specialist will be contracted as a private entrepreneur and will be responsible for paying his/her own taxes.
Under this activity the contractor is expected to work in close coordination with the EUACI communication expert.
Scope of work
- Develop and implement a communication policy for the School Nutrition Reform and canteens modernization initiative, aligned with EUACI priorities, integrity principles, and EU values.
- Implement communication activities, including national campaigns, public events, webinars, and informational initiatives;
- Coordinate communication with government institutions, international partners, experts, NGOs, and media;
- Develop and coordinate key messages, communication materials, and narratives explaining the project’s anti-corruption and integrity components for public, institutional, and stakeholder audiences;
- Communicate the project’s focus on integrity, transparency, and anti-corruption, including the responsible use of state subvention funds for school canteen construction and modernization;
- Coordinate communication with the EUACI, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the School Nutrition Reform Team and other project stakeholders;
- Translate communication materials when necessary.
- Assist in the preparation of regular media monitoring reports.
- Perform other related tasks as required.
Demand Profile/Qualifications
Key qualifications:
- Masters or Bachelors degree in mass communication or journalism or another relevant subject at the university level;
- At least two years of professional experience in conducting communication services similar to those mentioned in the ToR;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Good knowledge of and experience working with content and design for social media platforms and design tools (including Adobe illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, etc);
- Insight into Ukraine’s media landscape and relevant media connections;
- The ability to work with tight deadlines, flexibility;
- Fluency in Ukrainian and English;
- Keen sense of ethics, integrity, and credibility.
Evaluation criteria
Criterion 1: Professional experience as presented in submitted documents (70%), consisting of the length of experience and the proven track record of practical achievements in the given field;
Criterion 2: Financial offer (30%).
How to apply
The deadline for submitting the application is 17 February 2026
To apply, please send your CV and a motivation letter and information about your daily rate within the above deadline to [email protected] and [email protected], indicating the subject line “Tender: ‘Communication Expert for School Nutrition Reform’.
The applicant will receive an auto-reply from [email protected] when the application is received. If an auto-reply is not received, please re-submit your application or contact the EUACI.
Bidding language: English.