Media Relations and Public Visibility Expert for the State Agency for Restoration and Development Infrastructure

General Background

EU4Reconstruction. The European Union (EU), together with Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania, launched EU4Reconstruction, a €37 million Team Europe Initiative (TEI) that unites the strength, experience and solidarity of the EU to support Ukraine’s ongoing recovery and reconstruction.

The initiative aims to strengthen governance, improve public investment management, and enhance coordination across levels of government, with a strong emphasis on EU values. The TEl is divided in two parallel streams; one stream is composed of GIZ (Lead Organisation) and Expertise France (Partner Organisation) and the other gathers the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Lead Organisation) and Central Project Management Agency (Partner Organisation).

EU4Reconstruction will reinforce the leadership of the Ministry for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine,  Ministry of Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, strengthen the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure, empower local governments to manage reconstruction professionally and sustainably, and support civil society and independent media to play an active role in oversight, ensuring public trust and reducing corruption risks.

The Programme will strengthen the policy dialogue around reconstruction and recovery and will focus in particular on the governance of public investment management, public infrastructure management at national, regional and local levels and how to link this with necessary capacity development to make the system work. Part of this process will ensure that the stakeholders in the programme and their policy and regulatory setup are prepared for EU accession. This will, in particular, ensure resources are allocated effectively, transparently, accountably and with broad inclusion in infrastructure planning and execution, reflecting the subsidiarity principle.

SARDI and its ecosystem. SARDI was established by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated 13 January 2023. It was created through the renaming of the State Road Agency of Ukraine and the merger with the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects.

SARDI is structured around a central authority in Kyiv and a broad network of regional and subordinate entities, including 24 Regional Offices for Restoration and Infrastructure Development (the SARDI ecosystem).

SARDI is responsible for the prioritisation, planning and implementation of road infrastructure projects, as well as other reconstruction projects delegated by the Cabinet of Ministers. As a key institution in Ukraine’s recovery, SARDI needs to communicate reconstruction processes, infrastructure delivery and tangible results to the public, demonstrating the impact of its work and strengthening transparency and public trust.

As part of implementing SARDI’s Communication Strategy, EU4Reconstruction (Stream 2) supports flagship communication initiatives showcasing infrastructure delivery in practice. These initiatives aim to demonstrate tangible reconstruction results, explain the processes behind infrastructure delivery and strengthen public understanding of SARDI’s role in Ukraine’s recovery.

Effective implementation of these initiatives requires proactive engagement with national, regional and specialised media, the development of compelling media stories and editorial content, and cooperation with media partners on joint communication projects. Such partnerships will help bring reconstruction stories to wider audiences, communicate the practical impact of infrastructure investments and strengthen public awareness of SARDI’s role in Ukraine’s recovery.

To support the implementation of these flagship communication initiatives, EU4Reconstruction (Stream 2) seeks to engage a Media Relations and Public Visibility Expert to develop media partnerships, initiate and coordinate joint media projects, and facilitate proactive media coverage of reconstruction activities and institutional reforms in line with SARDI’s approved Communication Strategy.

Objective

The objective of the assignment is to strengthen SARDI’s internal capacity to plan and implement effective media relations and public visibility activities through specialised advisory support, practical coaching and joint implementation of media engagement initiatives.

As a result of the assignment, SARDI’s communications team is expected to have strengthened its practical media relations skills, expanded its network of relevant media contacts and acquired tools and working approaches to independently plan and implement media engagement activities beyond the duration of the contract.

Scope of work

The Expert will provide practical advisory support and on-the-job capacity building to SARDI’s communications team, strengthening its ability to independently plan, coordinate and implement media relations activities.

The tasks will include, but not be limited to:

• Support SARDI’s communications team in building and maintaining relationships with national, regional and specialised media, including identifying opportunities for long-term cooperation.
• Jointly develop and coordinate media pitches, interviews, opinion articles, expert commentaries and special media projects highlighting SARDI’s reconstruction projects, institutional reforms, expertise and results.
• Support the planning and coordination of media engagement activities, including press briefings, interviews, media visits to reconstruction sites and meetings with journalists.
• Provide speechwriting and editorial support for SARDI’s leadership, including preparing speeches, talking points, key messages, opinion articles and briefing materials for public appearances, media interviews and high-level events.
• Support SARDI’s leadership in preparing for media interviews and public engagements, including developing key messages, anticipating potential questions and providing practical communication advice.
• Jointly prepare, edit and adapt press releases, news stories, background materials and other media-related communication products.
• Provide mentoring and hands-on support to communications staff of the Regional Offices for Restoration in identifying newsworthy topics, preparing media materials, engaging with regional journalists and developing media initiatives.
• Provide practical coaching and knowledge-sharing support to SARDI’s communications team on media relations, media pitching, interview preparation, speechwriting and handling media inquiries.
• Develop practical media relations tools and recommendations, and support the communications team in reviewing media coverage and engagement results to improve future activities.

Note that the Expert cannot represent SARDI or its regional offices or speak or communicate on behalf of SARDI and its regional offices.

Deliverables

The Expert is expected to provide the following deliverables throughout the assignment:

• One structured and regularly updated database of priority national, regional and specialised media outlets, including relevant journalists, contact details, editorial interests and potential topics for cooperation.
• At least 4 interviews with SARDI’s leadership or relevant experts, prepared and coordinated with national or specialised media, including interview briefing materials and key messages.
• At least 4 opinion articles, expert commentaries or feature articles developed jointly with SARDI’s communications team and published in national media, highlighting SARDI’s reforms, reconstruction projects and institutional expertise.
• At least 1 joint media project developed and implemented with a national or specialised media outlet, such as a thematic publication series, special feature or multimedia story focused on Ukraine’s reconstruction and SARDI’s role.
• At least 10 sets of speeches, talking points, key messages or briefing notes prepared for SARDI’s leadership for public events, media interviews, conferences and other high-level engagements.
• At least 3 media engagement activities organised or coordinated jointly with SARDI’s communications team, such as press briefings, background meetings with journalists or media visits to reconstruction sites.
• At least 2 practical mentoring sessions for communications staff of the Regional Offices for Restoration, focused on media engagement, news development, media pitching and preparation of communication materials, with follow-up feedback and practical recommendations.
• Six concise monthly reports summarising completed activities, media coverage and engagement results, mentoring and coaching provided, and progress in strengthening the communications team’s capacity to independently manage media relations.

Qualification

The contract will be awarded to the expert meeting the following criteria:

General qualifications:

• Relevant education in journalism, communications, public relations, media studies or a related field.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in media relations, public relations or strategic communications.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing media projects, editorial collaborations and joint initiatives with media outlets.
• Established network of professional contacts with national and regional media, including journalists, editors and media organisations.

Adequacy for the assignment

• Demonstrated experience in mentoring, coaching or providing practical capacity-building support to communications teams, preferably within public institutions.
• Ability to develop practical media relations tools, provide constructive feedback and support the transfer of knowledge and skills to institutional communications teams.
• Good understanding of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, with relevant experience in communicating infrastructure projects, institutional reforms or public investment initiatives will be an asset.
• Proven experience working with government institutions, public authorities or state-owned enterprises.
• Experience organising media visits, press briefings, interviews and other media engagement activities.
• Ability to develop compelling media stories, identify newsworthy topics and adapt content for different media formats.
• Strong coordination, communication and organisational skills, with the ability to work independently and meet deadlines.

Experience with the region and languages

• Fluency in Ukrainian.
• Working proficiency in English.

Budget, timeframe, and location

The maximum budget available for this assignment is EUR 10,000 for up to 72 days. The Consultant will be engaged on a part-time basis, for up to 12 working days per month. The Consultant will be contracted as a private entrepreneur and will be responsible for paying their own taxes.

Payments shall be made monthly against the Consultant’s approved timesheet, progress report and invoice, based on the actual number of days worked and the agreed daily fee.

The contract is expected to commence in November 2026 and will run for six (6) months, or until the maximum contract budget has been exhausted, whichever occurs first.

The assignment could be performed primarily remotely, in close coordination with SARDI’s communication team.

Reporting and management

The Expert’s performance will be assessed against the Objectives, Scope of Work and Deliverables outlined in this ToR.

The Expert will work in close coordination with SARDI’s communications team and the Strategic Communications Advisor, ensuring that media engagement activities are jointly planned and implemented, with a particular focus on knowledge transfer and strengthening the team’s internal capacity.

Regular coordination and feedback sessions will be held to review progress, identify capacity-building needs and agree on priorities for further support.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposal is 16 November 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

All interested candidates should submit the following documents in English:

• CV in line with Annex 1;
• Portfolio of previously implemented projects;
• Financial offer (Annex 2, forms 1 and 2) in EUR, including daily fee and other related expenses (taxes, if applicable).

If these documents are not submitted in line with the requirements 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] indicating the subject line: “Media Relations Expert for SARDI_YOUR Name”.

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected] cc to [email protected], not later than 13 November 2026, 18-00 Kyiv time.

Evaluation criteria

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below: